logo
Vince Marrow's jump to Louisville football shows Kentucky moving in wrong direction

Vince Marrow's jump to Louisville football shows Kentucky moving in wrong direction

Yahooa day ago

Vince Marrow's move from Kentucky to Louisville football is the surest sign that both programs are moving in opposite directions.
The Cardinals are modernizing their operation by tapping Marrow in the newly created general manager position, preparing to make a push for a College Football Playoff bid.
Advertisement
The Wildcats were regressing from a 4-8 season with not much reason to be optimistic about a quick turnaround. And that was before the news broke this week that they were losing their most-visible, most-liked staffer who was instrumental in recruiting some of their best talent including Lynn Bowden, Wan'Dale Robinson and Benny Snell.
Marrow had been with head coach Mark Stoops for his entire tenure at UK. He'd previously turned down many opportunities to leave Lexington, reportedly including overtures made from Bill Belichick as he hired his new staff at North Carolina.
And he chose to leave now. For the rival school. During the June period in which both official and unofficial visits from recruits are taking place and coaches do a lot of evaluating of high school prospects.
The timing is perfect for Marrow's arrival at U of L, as the House v. NCAA settlement was finalized and scholarship offers to Class of 2026 recruits who may be on an official visit can also include a financial component from the school for the first time.
Advertisement
(Well, a legal offer, anyway.)
This column will be updated.
Reach sports columnist C.L. Brown at clbrown1@gannett.com, follow him on X at @CLBrownHoops and subscribe to his newsletter at profile.courier-journal.com/newsletters/cl-browns-latest to make sure you never miss one of his columns.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville, Kentucky football programs moving in opposite directions

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Remote, Not Removed
Remote, Not Removed

Entrepreneur

timean hour ago

  • Entrepreneur

Remote, Not Removed

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. You're reading Entrepreneur United Kingdom, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. Londoner Rob Edwards is the founder of Morley Sports Management (MSM), a multi-sport ownership and consultancy group with an unconventional playbook. A former finance professional turned entrepreneur, Edwards first made headlines during lockdown when he bought a struggling Welsh football club off the back of a speculative email. Five years later, Haverfordwest County AFC has qualified for Europe twice and built one of the strongest youth programmes in the country. Now, Edward's next project is even more newsworthy: revitalising Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) - the cult US wrestling promotion that launched the careers of John Cena, Batista, and Brock Lesnar. Under his leadership, OVW is undergoing a grassroots revival built on a fan-first strategy, community value, and global ambition. From Pembrokeshire to Kentucky, Rob is quietly rewriting the rules of modern sports ownership. But this is just the beginning. What was your biggest challenge and how did you overcome it? Taking over a football club during a global pandemic. I live six hours away. I couldn't get there, and I'd never had any experience of running a football club. It was going in blind, but I knew instinctively it had potential. I knew I was never going to relocate, so from day one I had to invest in people. If people don't buy into the values, they don't stick around very long. But if they do, you can build something with a clear vision. We've built the best off-field team I could have hoped for – people who are passionate and dedicated and who've completely bought into our dream. It's the same now with OVW in Kentucky. It's a long way away again, a lot of passionate people, but it lacked clear direction. The job is to empower people, put them in the right places, and give them credit for what they achieve. How did you secure your initial funding? There's been minimal outside investment. Most came off the back of my previous business and my career in finance. The barrier to entry for Welsh football isn't huge, it's very accessible – financially and structurally. It gave us the opportunity to step in and try to build something different from the ground up. Because of our experience with Haverfordwest County AFC in Wales, we saw a similar opportunity with OVW in Kentucky. It's an under-appreciated asset in the industry in modern times, but there's massive potential. Related: Why brands need to stop talking about community — and start building one | Entrepreneur How do you handle failure or setbacks? You need to stay calm and logical. Not everything goes your way – and when it doesn't, the worst thing you can do is get flustered. I tend not to get too up or too down. I've always kept that middle ground. If you walked past me after a major success or a big loss, you probably wouldn't notice a difference. That's always been my demeanour. It's about focusing on the bigger picture. If something's going wrong, stay objective and work out how far you've gone off path. Then you need to be measured and methodical about how you fix it. What advice would you give to someone starting their own business? Have self-confidence and be open-minded. When I took over the football club, I had no background in it, but I trusted my instincts. I used experience, common sense, and values that mattered to me. That's been the foundation. We're trying to build businesses founded on community and social impact. With those fundamentals in place, commercial success will come. You've got to believe in what you stand for. If you stay true to your values inside and outside of business, you can build something meaningful. How do you stay motivated during tough times? I need stimulation. I've never been able to sit still. I wake up when the sun comes up and my brain kicks in – I'm raring to go. I'm impulsive. If I get an idea in my head, I'm all in. What keeps me going is being disruptive, pushing things forward, coming up with new ideas and concepts. With both the football club and OVW, we're constantly evolving – and on top of that we've got consultancy work and partnerships with sporting brands. That forward momentum is what wakes me up in the morning. There's always a new problem to solve. What are your top tips for success? Be confident in your ability – if you're leading a business and people don't buy into you, it won't work. People buy in to people. Investment in people is 100% at the heart of our model. We're not always on the ground, so we need to trust the teams to run with the vision. But we also lead from the front – if you want people to dive into the trenches, you need to be the one starting the charge. I'm quite demanding, but only because I hold myself to that same standard.

Big offense and big hearts fuel Murray State Racers as their improbable CWS run is about to begin
Big offense and big hearts fuel Murray State Racers as their improbable CWS run is about to begin

Associated Press

time3 hours ago

  • Associated Press

Big offense and big hearts fuel Murray State Racers as their improbable CWS run is about to begin

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Like Fresno State, Stony Brook and Oral Roberts before them, the Murray State Racers are about to be embraced as the College World Series' lovable underdogs by local fans looking to adopt a team for the week. Murray State merchandise already is selling fast among folks who are much more likely to identify the southwestern Kentucky school with basketball alums Ja Morant or Popeye Jones than the upstart ballclub making its CWS debut. As a No. 4 regional seed, the Racers (44-15) beat No. 10 national seed Mississippi of the SEC two out of three times on its home field and also took down the ACC's Georgia Tech. Then they won two of three at Duke in the super regionals. Up next is their CWS opener against No. 15 UCLA (47-16) on Saturday. 'A lot of people are cheering for us, but how many people actually believe in us that we can get it done?' said Dustin Mercer, the team's leading hitter. There's plenty of belief in the clubhouse. Coach Dan Skirka and his players say their bond is unique for a team made up of eight transfers from four-year schools, 14 from junior colleges and 14 others players who started their careers with the Racers. The way they see it, their small-budget program has things money can't buy — players' trust in each other, love for each other and grittiness. 'We don't have all the bells and whistles,' Skirka said. No, they don't. Murray State doled out $858,107 on baseball in the 2024 fiscal year. That's about one-tenth of the $9 million baseball budgets for the SEC's Arkansas and LSU, the biggest spenders in the CWS. The Racers were just under the 11.7 scholarship limit for this season. Skirka's most recent salary was listed at $91,000 on the state of Kentucky's transparency website, about 10 times less than the man who will be in the opposite dugout Saturday, UCLA's John Savage. The Racers ranked in the bottom half of Division I home attendance this season, averaging 375 fans per game at 800-seat Johnny Reagan Field. Contrary to several published reports, Skirka said he does not mow the grass, though his players do shovel snow off the field if necessary before early season practices and games. The 40-year-old Skirka is straight out of central casting as the Racers' seventh-year head coach. He grew up in Coldwater, Michigan, population 14,000, and played college ball about 90 minutes away at Division II Grand Valley State. Before he took over at Murray State, where he had been an assistant from 2009-14, he had been an assistant and head coach at junior colleges and an assistant at Division II Ouachita Baptist in Arkansas. 'Humble beginnings,' Skirka said. Skirka's mantra is to squeeze everything he can out of his limited resources and then add a personal touch. Skirka said it's about recruiting the right people more than the right players. A lot of his team's success is the result of what has happened off the field. There were the team dinners at Skirka's house, bowling outings, creative conditioning drills and presentations players give in the fall about their lives outside baseball. 'The culture, I know it's cliché, but that's the number one thing on my mind 24/7,' Skirka said. 'That's what these guys want. That's what I promised them in the recruiting process.' The Racers swept the Missouri Valley regular-season and tournament championships and have kept rolling. They're batting .357 and averaging 10.8 runs per game since the start of regionals. Mercer, in his third season with the Racers since transferring from Virginia Tech, is batting .360 for the season and .552 with seven doubles in the NCAA Tournament. Leadoff man Jonathan Hogart, who played at a junior college and Louisiana Tech before arriving at Murray State last year, has hit four of his team-best 22 homers in the postseason. Graham Kelham, who transferred from Division III Saint Francis after last season, has recorded saves in four of the Racers' five tournament wins. 'I think it's cool what they've done,' said Oregon State pitcher Dax Whitney, who watched the Racers' 5-4 win over Duke on Monday. 'They obviously earned the opportunity to be here. I don't think anybody should overlook them.' Since the NCAA Tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1999, Murray State is just the fourth No. 4 regional seed to make it to Omaha. Fresno State came out of the loser's bracket to win six games on its way to the 2008 national championship. Stony Brook went 0-2 with a pair of lopsided losses in 2012. Oral Roberts went 1-2 in 2023. Win or lose Saturday, the Racers will face either No. 3 national seed Arkansas or No. 6 LSU in their second game. The Racers say they're up for anything at this point. Skirka said he's been running on adrenaline and Red Bull since regionals. 'Since we've landed it's been go, go, go,' he said. 'You see the smile and look of just pure joy on these guys' faces. It's pure. They're having the time of their lives.' So is Skirka. 'Thanks to this group of Racers, they helped me get here,' he said. 'And it's been awesome, and we're looking forward to a little bit of a lengthy stay here.' ___ AP college sports:

Big offense and big hearts fuel Murray State Racers as their improbable CWS run is about to begin
Big offense and big hearts fuel Murray State Racers as their improbable CWS run is about to begin

Washington Post

time3 hours ago

  • Washington Post

Big offense and big hearts fuel Murray State Racers as their improbable CWS run is about to begin

OMAHA, Neb. — Like Fresno State, Stony Brook and Oral Roberts before them, the Murray State Racers are about to be embraced as the College World Series' lovable underdogs by local fans looking to adopt a team for the week. Murray State merchandise already is selling fast among folks who are much more likely to identify the southwestern Kentucky school with basketball alums Ja Morant or Popeye Jones than the upstart ballclub making its CWS debut. As a No. 4 regional seed, the Racers (44-15) beat No. 10 national seed Mississippi of the SEC two out of three times on its home field and also took down the ACC's Georgia Tech. Then they won two of three at Duke in the super regionals. Up next is their CWS opener against No. 15 UCLA (47-16) on Saturday. 'A lot of people are cheering for us, but how many people actually believe in us that we can get it done?' said Dustin Mercer, the team's leading hitter. There's plenty of belief in the clubhouse. Coach Dan Skirka and his players say their bond is unique for a team made up of eight transfers from four-year schools, 14 from junior colleges and 14 others players who started their careers with the Racers. The way they see it, their small-budget program has things money can't buy — players' trust in each other, love for each other and grittiness. 'We don't have all the bells and whistles,' Skirka said. No, they don't. Murray State doled out $858,107 on baseball in the 2024 fiscal year. That's about one-tenth of the $9 million baseball budgets for the SEC's Arkansas and LSU, the biggest spenders in the CWS. The Racers were just under the 11.7 scholarship limit for this season. Skirka's most recent salary was listed at $91,000 on the state of Kentucky's transparency website , about 10 times less than the man who will be in the opposite dugout Saturday, UCLA's John Savage. The Racers ranked in the bottom half of Division I home attendance this season, averaging 375 fans per game at 800-seat Johnny Reagan Field. Contrary to several published reports, Skirka said he does not mow the grass, though his players do shovel snow off the field if necessary before early season practices and games. The 40-year-old Skirka is straight out of central casting as the Racers' seventh-year head coach. He grew up in Coldwater, Michigan, population 14,000, and played college ball about 90 minutes away at Division II Grand Valley State. Before he took over at Murray State, where he had been an assistant from 2009-14, he had been an assistant and head coach at junior colleges and an assistant at Division II Ouachita Baptist in Arkansas. 'Humble beginnings,' Skirka said. Skirka's mantra is to squeeze everything he can out of his limited resources and then add a personal touch. Skirka said it's about recruiting the right people more than the right players. A lot of his team's success is the result of what has happened off the field. There were the team dinners at Skirka's house, bowling outings, creative conditioning drills and presentations players give in the fall about their lives outside baseball. 'The culture, I know it's cliché, but that's the number one thing on my mind 24/7,' Skirka said. 'That's what these guys want. That's what I promised them in the recruiting process.' The Racers swept the Missouri Valley regular-season and tournament championships and have kept rolling. They're batting .357 and averaging 10.8 runs per game since the start of regionals. Mercer, in his third season with the Racers since transferring from Virginia Tech, is batting .360 for the season and .552 with seven doubles in the NCAA Tournament. Leadoff man Jonathan Hogart, who played at a junior college and Louisiana Tech before arriving at Murray State last year, has hit four of his team-best 22 homers in the postseason. Graham Kelham, who transferred from Division III Saint Francis after last season, has recorded saves in four of the Racers' five tournament wins. 'I think it's cool what they've done,' said Oregon State pitcher Dax Whitney, who watched the Racers' 5-4 win over Duke on Monday. 'They obviously earned the opportunity to be here. I don't think anybody should overlook them.' Since the NCAA Tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1999, Murray State is just the fourth No. 4 regional seed to make it to Omaha. Fresno State came out of the loser's bracket to win six games on its way to the 2008 national championship. Stony Brook went 0-2 with a pair of lopsided losses in 2012. Oral Roberts went 1-2 in 2023. Win or lose Saturday, the Racers will face either No. 3 national seed Arkansas or No. 6 LSU in their second game. The Racers say they're up for anything at this point. Skirka said he's been running on adrenaline and Red Bull since regionals. 'Since we've landed it's been go, go, go,' he said. 'You see the smile and look of just pure joy on these guys' faces. It's pure. They're having the time of their lives.' So is Skirka. 'Thanks to this group of Racers, they helped me get here,' he said. 'And it's been awesome, and we're looking forward to a little bit of a lengthy stay here.' ___ AP college sports:

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store