Podcast Summary: KSR – Hour 1 (January 2, 2026)

Hosts: Drew Franklin, Ryan Lemon, Nick Roush
Podcast: KSR, iHeartPodcasts and Sports Talk 790 (WKRD-AM)
Date: January 2, 2026
Episode Theme: UK Football Reset & Women’s Basketball Triumph

Episode Overview

The KSR crew (with Matt Jones out on vacation) kicks off 2026 live from downtown Lexington, diving into a pivotal moment for UK athletics. The show unpacks the start of college football’s transfer portal season, major quarterback news with Cutter Bowley’s departure, and the Kentucky women’s basketball team’s massive upset over No. 5 LSU on the road. Throughout, the hosts discuss the evolving landscape of college sports, player valuation in the transfer era, and the mood among fans after a season of big changes.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. KSR Crew: New Year, New Studio Vibes

• Show begins with Drew Franklin, Ryan Lemon, and Nick Roush in the iHeart studio, Matt Jones and others still on break.
• Hosts joke about handling the studio basics and being a bit "rusty" after the New Year’s Day off (04:13).
• Plans to open up the text machine again, reflecting on recent interactions with listeners and notable guests earlier in the week (04:18–04:30).

2. College Football Transfer Portal: Season Opens

• Nick Roush sets the scene: “The portal opened 10 hours ago, and I think there are more than a thousand names in it. I don't know how it happened so quickly.” (05:03)
• UK is hosting “probably two dozen or so” transfer visitors over the weekend, with high-profile offensive linemen and former five-star RB C.J. Baxter (Texas) among them (06:40).
• Observations on how quickly deals and visits are arranged—hints at the behind-the-scenes maneuvering that shapes roster moves (05:22).

3. Cutter Bowley Transfer Shock Waves

• The main football headline: Starting QB Cutter Bowley (hometown favorite, LCA product) announced his intent to enter the transfer portal, catching much of the fanbase (and hosts) by surprise (07:13–08:53).

• Emotional reactions:

  • “I got to admit it hurt. It hurt to hear that.” – Ryan Lemon (07:20)
  • “It kind of stung, yeah.” – Ryan Lemon (07:40)

• Internal dynamics and NIL:

  • Disagreement between Bowley’s camp and new OC Will Stein about his value; Arizona State reportedly offering much more (in the $2–3 million range) than UK (08:53).
  • New staff wants an open quarterback competition—Bowley felt he had already “won” his spot but wasn’t willing to go through another battle without stronger assurances (08:53–10:42).

• Nick Roush analysis: Both sides acted reasonably; Bowley leveraged his worth, Stein stuck to his plan. “From everything that I've heard from both sides of this equation is that...he worked with them. Right...they worked in lockstep with him...” (10:03).

• Contextual look: Stein likes to “bet on his evals,” prefers not to “overpay” even in this unstable portal era (16:14).

• Outlook: “We needed the reset. Now we're in the middle of it and a lot of unknowns, but we'll see how it plays out.” – Drew Franklin (18:24)

4. Transfer Portal Strategy & Player Value

• Ryan and Nick unpack the economics of the transfer portal and NIL, warning about the ripple effect of overpaying—even 10 players by $50k each is “missing out on adding players because you’re just overpaying to keep them around.” – Nick Roush (16:44)
• The new staff, with Oregon connections, is leveraging their network for higher-upside players: “If you mean to tell me that Kentucky’s got two SEC starting left tackles visiting on day one...that’s welcome.” – Nick Roush (17:16)
• Faith in Will Stein’s approach: “He’s got a lengthy enough resume where you can trust him in this process. Probably more so than the way the last staff handled their quarterbacks.” – Nick Roush (13:43)

5. Women’s Basketball: Kentucky Stuns LSU

• “With all due respect to Bowley...Last night, Kentucky women’s basketball had quite a win, and I enjoyed watching it. Went down to number five LSU...” – Drew Franklin (31:18)

• Game summary:

  • UK wins on a step-back game-winning three by Tony Morgan: “She just pulls up from right in front of the bench, knocks it down.” – Drew Franklin (32:49)
  • Massive rebounding advantage: “Clarice Drack... Asia Boone off the bench with five threes. Great game for the Cats.” (35:17)

• Impact for the program: “That just kind of sends note to everybody in the SEC. Look, Kentucky’s legit. You know, it wasn’t no fluke last year. We’re here to win.” – Ryan Lemon (32:40)

• Lane Kiffin/Lane Mulkey moment: LSU introduced new football coach Lane Kiffin via awkward courtside hand-holding with Kim Mulkey, which the hosts found hilarious (32:56–33:47).

• Complaints about television coverage: “They probably could have found a channel for it somewhere, right? It was on SEC Plus, you know, just streaming only....That game...should have been somewhere more people could've seen it.” – Drew Franklin (39:04)

6. Lighter Moments & Listener Calls

• The hosts share New Year’s stories: Ryan slept through midnight with a migraine, Nick did a “fake” ball drop for his kids (26:53).
  • “We just fake the ball drop early...got good and worn out. Everybody was out of my house by 9.” – Nick Roush (26:52)
• Parenting pro tips and sympathy weight gain jokes in anticipation of Drew’s impending fatherhood (45:20).

7. Listener Feedback

• Calls congratulate the women’s basketball team and critique the lack of coverage for such a big win (46:32).
• Discussion about the ongoing transfer strategy, including possibilities for Oregon players following Stein to Kentucky (49:24–50:09).
• Emphasis on emotionless, business-first roster building: “Get a GM, take some emotion out of it. It's a numbers game. It's business now.” – Drew Franklin (51:01)

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

“The portal opened 10 hours ago, and I think there are more than a thousand names in it. I don't know how it happened so quickly.”
— Nick Roush (05:03)

“I got to admit it hurt. It hurt to hear that.”
— Ryan Lemon, on Cutter Bowley’s departure (07:20)

“We needed the reset. Now we’re in the middle of it and a lot of unknowns, but we’ll see how it plays out.”
— Drew Franklin (18:24)

“He’s got a lengthy enough resume where you can trust him in this process. Probably more so than the way the last staff handled their quarterbacks.”
— Nick Roush, on new OC Will Stein (13:43)

“That just kind of sends note to everybody in the SEC. Look, Kentucky’s legit. You know, it wasn’t no fluke last year. We’re here to win.”
— Ryan Lemon, on Kentucky WBB’s win at LSU (32:40)

“She just pulls up from right in front of the bench, knocks it down.”
— Drew Franklin, describing Tony Morgan’s game-winning three (32:49)

“They probably could have found a channel for it somewhere, right?...That game...should have been somewhere more people could’ve seen it.”
— Drew Franklin, on TV coverage for Kentucky-LSU women’s basketball (39:04)

“We just fake the ball drop early... got good and worn out. Everybody was out of my house by 9.”
— Nick Roush, on parenting New Year’s Eve (26:52)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment or Topic | |------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:10 | Intro, studio setting, show rundown, pregame Alabama preview | | 05:03 | Transfer portal opens, "over a thousand names" | | 06:40 | Breakdown of transfer targets, especially C.J. Baxter | | 07:13–08:53| Reaction to Cutter Bowley’s transfer news, internal dynamics | | 10:00 | New staff’s approach to Bowley, communication and evaluation | | 13:43 | Will Stein’s track record, trust in portal QB process | | 16:44 | Portal/NIL math: the value in not overpaying, program-building approach | | 18:24 | Reflection: time for UK football to hit the reset | | 31:18 | Kentucky women’s basketball upsets LSU, game summary | | 32:49 | Play-by-play: Tony Morgan’s game-winning three | | 32:56–33:47| Lane Kiffin’s “entrance” holding hands with Kim Mulkey, hosts riff/comment | | 35:17 | Detailed WBB recap: Boone, Drack, Key, “triplets” size advantage | | 39:04 | Complaints about SEC Network not televising WBB game | | 45:20 | Parenting/New Year’s stories, lighter moments | | 46:32 | Listener calls: Women’s basketball praise & coverage critique | | 49:24 | Will Oregon players follow Stein to UK? Listeners inquire | | 51:01 | Concluding remarks: football program as “business,” sticking to evaluations|

Episode Tone

Conversational, lightly humorous, passionate about Kentucky sports yet businesslike when discussing roster moves. Good mix of serious sports talk, fan perspective, and light “life” chat moments.

Final Takeaways

• UK football is entering a new era, with Will Stein leading a more analytical, business-driven portal strategy focused on value for money and potential upgrades.
• The transfer portal is changing everything: money, movement, fan expectations—no more guarantees, even for “hometown heroes” like Cutter Bowley.
• Kentucky women’s basketball is making national noise, proving themselves with a huge SEC road win, and shifting the focus of Wildcat fans beyond just football.
• The episode expertly balances transfer turmoil, basketball triumph, and community feel—with time for jokes, listener feedback, and a little life advice sprinkled in.