College Football

It's no secret that Kentucky has produced, and is known for, its high-quality basketball players. But according to Marty Moore, president of the Kentucky Chapter of the National Football League Players Association, the state has produced plenty of great football players, too. "Seven years ago, Frank Minnifield decided that the state of Kentucky had all of these great players who either are from, or played, in the state of Kentucky," Moore said....

NICHOLASVILLE - It's no secret that Kentucky is known for its high-quality basketball and producing players. But according to Marty Moore, president of the Kentucky Chapter of the National Football League Players Association, the state has produced plenty of great football players, too. "Seven years ago, Frank Minnifield decided to the state of Kentucky had all of these great players who either are from or played in the state of Kentucky," Moore...

Brandon Smith had lofty expectations when he went to Western Kentucky based on what he did at Boyle County. He threw 116 touchdown passes for the Rebels, the third highest mark in Kentucky football history at the time. He threw for 8,796 yards (fourth best) and his 547 career completions ranked seventh all-time. He won the Frank Camp Award given to the state's top player after completing 216 of 356 passes for 3,401 yards as a senior. In three years at Western, he's completed 20 of 35 passes for 120 yards and one touchdown.

The Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame will host a street party at the Jessamine County Chamber of Commerce Thursday, June 18. The event will include food, live music and autographs. The attendees will be the Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame 2009 induction class. The class included Shaun Alexander, Joe Federspiel, Jim Marshall, Sam Madison and John Jackson. Alexander was born in Florence, played a Boone County High School and was Mr Football in 1994. He played at Alabama and with the Seattle Seahawks and Washington Redskins.

HARRODSBURG - Two Mercer County players have been added to the roster for this summer's Kentucky East vs. West All-Star Football Game and three other Titans have committed to play college football, one for an established NAIA powerhouse and two for a program that is just getting started. Linebacker Tyler Horn, who has signed with Eastern Kentucky, and running back-linebacker Jordan Yeast will represent the Titans in the June 12 game in Bowling Green. It brings the total of players selected from area schools to seven, including four players from Boyle County and one from Danville.

By Nancy Leedy STANFORD - Lincoln County's Trey Edwards is realizing a lifelong dream. Since he was a young gridiron hopeful, Edwards has dreamed of playing football at a high collegiate level. And, during an official visit to Eastern Kentucky University the weekend of Jan. 30-Feb. 1, Edwards' dream came true when he committed to play for the Colonels. "The Eastern coaches were high-class people, the players were high-class people. And I always wanted to play the top level I could achieve and it turned out to be Division I football," said Edwards.

Two Mercer County linebackers will continue to be teammates as they make the transition to college football, while a third is following a different kind of calling. Longtime friends Mark Coulter and Nick Reed are headed for Campbellsville University, and Austin Vaughn plans to play for Kentucky Christian as he pursues his goal of becoming a youth minister. Each of the two Campbellsville recruits said they knew the other was looking at that school, but it was strictly coincidental that they made their decisions on the same day earlier this week.

Megan Pittman, Casey County, basketball: She had 28 points in a 57-46 victory over South Laurel. Trey Edwards, Lincoln County, football: He signed to play his college football with Eastern Kentucky University.

It's easy to assume that Qua Huzzie's decision to play his college football at Kentucky is just another part of the LaGrange, Ga., pipeline that started five years ago when Wesley Woodyard came north to play for the Wildcats. However, for Huzzie, playing for Kentucky is going to have an even more special significance. "I am the first person in my family to go to college. That's really a big thing with my family, and something I am very proud of," Huzzie said. "I am all set academically, too. I've always been smart.