Kentucky football: Swag gifts await Wildcats while UK teases some of their own

Kentucky football swag bags from the TaxSlayer Bowl not too shabby.

The weekly fun, hype, and extracurricular activities normally associated with the bowl game lead-ins are for the most canceled like everything else in 2020 thanks to Covid. What is unchanged is the traditional swag bag awaiting the Kentucky football players when they arrive in Jacksonville on Thursday.

Kentucky is staying in Lexington until Thursday when they depart for Florida and after landing head for their lodging at the Marriott Sawgrass.

That is in preparation for the 2021 TaxSlayer Gator Bowl against NC State at Noon on Saturday.

Long gone are the shopping sprees at department stores, Best Buy, and other various retail outlets. Now it’s whatever they can carry home and presumably online shopping cards either Amazon or Master Card or Visa types that they can use anywhere.

The list of items waiting for the Wildcats and Wolfpack includes a gift suite, JBL noise-canceling headphones and Bluetooth speaker inside a customized box, Maui Jim sunglasses with fitting, a Fossil watch, and a backpack.

It seems that every player in any sport wears the noise-canceling headphones while getting psyched for the game and JBL makes quality ones. Nice gift.

The Maui Jim shades will work nicely for the sunny and 81-degree weather expected on Friday. They won’t really need them for the Noon kickoff on Saturday and the immediate return to Lexington following the game.  Nice gift

Fossil watches are nice although some type of watch seems common for a lot of swag bags but hey who wouldn’t want a new one and I love my Fossil one. Nice gift.

What else may be in the gift suite which must be some online type of gift card, and what the backpack look likes remain a mystery? Ok, we’ll assume it’s nice here as well.

For many teams out there choosing to opt-out of bowl games instead of choosing to stay home the Kentucky players voted to press on with the postseason experience as well as some additional practice time.

Mark Stoops sent his players home for Christmas for some rejuvenation and then it was back to campus and off to Florida.

It’s doubtful the coaches took much time off especially Vince Marrow who is temporarily coaching the offense in Saturday’s game.

Also busy are the equipment managers and staff that the team couldn’t do without.

They also unveiled some new swag of their own that Kentucky players and coaches will be sporting.

https://twitter.com/UKFootball/status/1344289639457300483

Exactly what the Cats will wear also is a mystery but a sneak peek was leaked by the equipment staff as well.  I would wager to say it will be blue tops, blue helmets and white pants. The chrome helmets would glisten in that sunshine as well.

Tickets are still available online at Ticketmaster who is the official ticket distributor as well as some other websites. If you are driving from Lexington it’s a mere 717 miles so this trip is still doable to support the Wildcats.

More game previews coming later this week.