Here is a stupid question... Could it be that the UK staff have more confidence in Whithlow than they do in Towles at this point in the season? Joker's future in coaching is on the line right now... If Towles in the best option for UK at the time then why would Joker not burn his redshirt status and get him on the field ASAP? The only answer I see is that t

joker and UK think Whithlow is a better option for the team right now.

 

Based on the comments by Joker on playing Towles now if Smith is out for an extended period would say otherwise. He took a gamble that Smith would play every snap this year, or at least get by with a #2 QB that he knew was not good enough. If Towles takes one snap this year, the management of the situation is horrible at best...

Here is the thing about the 3rd team QB in this situation. If you are risking it with the thought Smith makes it through the year injury free, you still have Towles on point in the playbook every day because he is actually running the offense in practice every day. By moving him to the scout team, there is very little time to learn the playbook as he is preparing to be the opponent instead. That should have been reversed from day 1 with Withlow running the scout team and developing while Towles was still in redshirt position as the #3 but doing so as a guy that could perform if things went horribly wrong. Now you are in a situation with Towles behind the 8 ball with little time in the actual offense and a need to get him up to speed ASAP if Smith is out.

 

This isn't a string of injuries. It is one injury to the starter. Bad roster management...

I still say keep him redshirted. No use of him this year. Whitlow is just fine back there and this season is a lost cause. Let Towels watch from the sidelines and study the playbook and speed o the game. Let him actually work with the new coach instead of throwing him out there halfway through a one win season.

I still say keep him redshirted. No use of him this year. Whitlow is just fine back there and this season is a lost cause. Let Towels watch from the sidelines and study the playbook and speed o the game. Let him actually work with the new coach instead of throwing him out there halfway through a one win season.

 

Very much agreed.

I'll be upset if they play Towles this season however, it is now publicly known that Towles is frustrated with being redshirted. This season is a lost cause but they may now be running the risk of losing Towles if he doesn't see the field.

I'll be upset if they play Towles this season however' date=' it is now publicly known that Towles is frustrated with being redshirted. This season is a lost cause but they may now be running the risk of losing Towles if he doesn't see the field.[/quote']

 

Then we go with Whitlow. Don't let him run the program.

If I were Towles I would wait to start accumulating my UK losses until next year.

If I were Towles I would wait to start accumulating my UK losses until next year.

 

:lol:

Then we go with Whitlow. Don't let him run the program.

 

Yeah, but then Whitlow may establish himself as the starter and the Towles ends up with one year as the starter. Whitlow already established himself as the #3 guy right? He's now the #2 guy right?

I think Whitlow was pretty much the #2 all along. Joker said he knew he was putting Newton in an impossible situation against UF because he wasn't really a QB any more. He did it because he didn't want to put Whitlow in for his first start at the Swamp. I also think they were praying Smith could go and didn't prepare for anything else. Joker's handling of QB's shows he has zero business as a head coach.

I wouldn't be in a hurry to be thrown to the wolves.

I wouldn't be in a hurry to be thrown to the wolves.

 

The thing is, Towles is a ferocious competitor. He wants to take on the wolves.....and slay them. He's not afraid of wolves at all.

 

Personally, I believe the adversity Towles is going through can be a very valuable life lesson. Things always don't go as well as one likes. You fight through it and you become a better person for it.

 

 

Now for my pent up feelings on Joker's handling of the QB position and it's effect on UK this year and in the future:

 

It's tough on every college freshmen playing at the D-1 level, because the year before, they each most likely were "the man" on their high school team. Certainly was the case with Towles. Making it more difficult is to be told by your college football coach during the recruiting phase that you would not be red shirted and then when you report, you are not given much of a chance to actually compete for the starting position in camp (because the competion was pretty much limited to Smith vs Newton from what I'm told by pretty reliable folks) and then to make matters worse, you are red shirted when you were told you would not be. Not a smart way for Joker to handle things. It's hard enough to recruit the better Kentucky high school players as it is; then when you finally land one, you tell him one thing and do another. Furthermore, you just know that the opposing coaches recruiting against UK tell the recruits: "why would you want to go to UK? Heck, the best football players from Kentucky don't even go to UK. Dawson went to USC; Collinsworth to Notre Dame; Quick went to (it wont be UK and the same with Hatcher). Heck, the Towles kid did stick with UK out of loyalty and look how it's turned out for him. Told he wouldn't be redshirted when being recruited and just a few months later, Joker reneged on his word. Why on God's green earth would you want to play there?"

 

The handling of the qb position by Joker the last couple of years is rather disappointing to me. Joker seems to love a running QB. Perhaps because he was one, correct? He stuck with Newton way too long because Joker felt Newton could win games with his legs. The problem was, Joker didn't see that Newton would lose games with his arm. Joker to me, seemed too infatuated with having a running QB to see that. He desperately wanted Newton to be something he wasn't: a SEC QB. The announcers mentioned the shoulder surgery as some type of rationale for his terrible passing against Florida. News flash: Newton wasn't an accurate passer before the surgery from what I recall seeing. Newton should have been moved to another offensive position (slot receiver; small receiving TE) at the latest, after the end of last season when it was apparent to almost all, that Smith could get the job done at the QB position. The QB competition this year shouldn't have involved Newton Newton is athletically gifted. It's not like UK has a plethora of athletic talent, and more importantly, senior leadership on offense. Newton standing on the sidelines is a waste of athletic ability and senior leadership. Perhaps if Joker had seen what was at the end of his nose after last season, Newton could be on the field this season at another position helping this team win. Instead of Newton taking snaps during camp as he and Smith competed for the starting position, he should have been getting snaps at a position he could help the team and Smith, Whitlow and Towles should have been getting all the QB snaps. UK does not have the luxury of absorbing bone headed decisions and wasted opportunities by its coaches.

 

Goodness, just think of how our recruitment of Florida players would have skyrocketed had we beat Florida last week. I blame that loss totally and I mean totally on Joker's handling of the QB position in camp this summer.

 

As to Whitlock and Towles, I hope I wrong, but I'm afraid that Joker, if he continues as the head coach, will make the same mistake he made with Newton and Smith. Because Joker seemingly loves a running QB, he might go with Whitlock as the QB and Towles, if he stays, will be regulated to being the back up until his last year. Wouldn't it make more sense to have Towles at the QB spot and Whitlow use his athleticism at another position? If I'm right about Joker, it will have been not only a waste of incredible talent but a black mark on the recruitment of Kentucky players.

 

In order for UK to ever be a real competitor in the SEC, it must, absolutely must, get 80% of the D-1 talent from Kentucky each year. That's a difficult challenge given UK's past football record, which challenge is made even more difficult given what Strong is doing at UL. Add to those problems the telling of a highly recruited Kentucky kid he won't be redshirted, then redshirting him and having another true frosh out there playing QB instead, will make it almost impossible for UK to sign 10% of the D-1 level Kentucky high school football players, much less anything approaching 80%.

 

I don't care what it takes and how much it costs, but UK has to convince Jon Gruden to coach at UK. Dang it, if South Carolina can convince Spurrier to take the job there, we should be able to convince Gruden to take the job at UK. He has the name and pedigree to convince top level high school players to go to UK. He can use the same recruiting approach Cal does: "I've coached at the pro level. I know what it takes and I know how to prepare you to play at that level. Best case for all: you and other studs commit to UK and we win the SEC. Worst case scenario for you: we don't win the SEC but I've still taught you what you need to play in the NFL, you get drafted, make big bucks and you and your family are set for life."

 

And for the record, I was the stauchest supporter of Joker up until the Florida game. I actually felt terrible for the Newton kid. Joker had to throw him out there because Joker mis-handled the QB position so poorly during the summer. I don't care whether it was Whitlow or Towles who came out of summer camp as the back up, but those 2 should have been competing for the back up spot the entire summer camp, and the one that won that competition should have been ready to come into the Florida game when Smith couldn't play. There should have been no QB competition between Smith and Newton. It should have been Smith's job to lose to one of the two frosh and Newton should have used the time to learn another position that he is capable of contributing at.

 

I feel better.....for now.

Saw on Twitter that Kyle Tucker is reporting redshirt removed from Towles.

Saw on Twitter that Kyle Tucker is reporting redshirt removed from Towles.

 

That must mean Smith's injury(ies) are worse than originally expected. If the redshirt is removed, Towles HAS to start Saturday and Whitlow HAS to be moved to a receiver position (and if necessary QB backup). No use burning the redshirt if you aren't going to go all in with the kid.

^ Biran Milam is reporting the same thing.