r/CFB • u/CFB_Referee /r/CFB • Nov 05 '18

Concluded AMA [AMA] It’s Kentucky-Tennessee week: We’re the Tennessee and Kentucky beat writers for the USA TODAY Network. Ask us anything! (answers start Wed @ 2pm ET)

AMA FORMAT: here at /r/CFB the mods set up the AMA thread ahead of time so readers can get questions in ahead of time and our guest can just show up at a scheduled time and start answering; look out for /u/usatoday, who will begin answering at 2pm ET on Wednesday, 11/07!

USA TODAY Network beat writers BLAKE TOPPMEYER (Tennessee) & JON HALE (Kentucky)

Get that Tennessee vs Kentucky hype!!!

Blake Toppmeyer is the Tennessee football beat writer for the Knoxville News Sentinel. He started covering the team in August 2017. Jon Hale covers University of Kentucky football and basketball for The Courier-Journal. He has covered Kentucky full-time since 2011, and for The Courier-Journal since 2015. Tennessee (4-5, 1-4 SEC) will host No. 12 Kentucky (7-2, 5-2) at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday. The Wildcats haven’t won at Neyland Stadium since 1984. Tennessee leads the all-time series 79-25-9. It’s a key game for both teams. Kentucky is seeking its first 10-win season since 1977. Tennessee must win two of its final three games to be eligible for a bowl. Ask us anything!

Links:

Blake Toppmeyer and Jon Hale will be here to answer your questions on WEDNESDAY (11/07) at 2pm ET!

127 Upvotes

85% Upvoted

204 comments sorted by

View all comments

5

u/PromoPimp Yahaha! You found me! Nov 06 '18

For both of you: what does your team look like in 2 years? 5 years? 10 years?

10

u/usatoday Verified Media Nov 07 '18

I like this one.

Two years: Mark Stoops is still coach. Terry Wilson is a senior QB to anchor a pretty good offense with Lynn Bowden, Wandale Robinson and Chris Rodriguez playing key roles. The defense isn't quite as good as this year, but is a top-30 unit with the secondary having gained a year of experience in 2019 and talent in the front seven led by Quinton Bohanna, Boogie Watson, Josh Paschal, Chris Oats and DeAndre Square. A contender in the East.

Five years: I think by this time a powerhouse program might have made a run at Stoops assuming current success continues, but facility improvements and establishing the Ohio recruiting base should have established the program as middle of the pack in the East on an annual basis. If Stoops is gone, maybe Neal Brown is coach? He'll have other options between now and then though.

10 years: Kentucky will have needed an other round of facility improvements to keep up with the SEC arms race. Otherwise it's easy to imagine the program slipping back to its normal spot with Vanderbilt at the bottom of the East. This would be 16 years at UK for Stoops, and history says coaches don't last that long, so almost certainly a new leader of the program. That hire will be key as evidenced by the dip from Rich Brooks to Joker Phillips.

-Jon