Former Kentucky football star Josh Allen announces a name change

Random notes:

▪ There’s a change to Josh Allen’s name.

The former Kentucky football star, now a star edge rusher with the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars, announced Tuesday that he will now go by Josh Hines-Allen.

Josh’s mother is Kim Hines-Allen. His uncle Gregory Hines, a former professional basketball player who was drafted by the Golden State Warriors, played an important role in his nephew’s life growing up. Josh’s sister Myisha Hines-Allen plays for the Washington Mystics of the WNBA after a college career at Louisville.

“I’ve always been a Hines,” Josh Hines-Allen said in a video announcing the name change. “It’s going to be a surreal moment the first time I hear my name announced.”

The new surname will make it easier to differentiate Hines-Allen from Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen.

Josh Hines-Allen is coming off a 2023 season in which he recorded 17.5 sacks, which tied for second place among NFL leaders.

▪ Kentucky football four-star commit Javeon Campbell of Western Hills has played just one season of high school football. That doesn’t mean he’s entirely new to the game. In a recent interview, Campbell was asked who was an NFL player he had followed. His answer: Former UK edge rusher Josh Allen, now Josh Hines-Allen.

▪ Congrats to former UK guard Malik Monk, who signed a four-year deal for $78 million with the Sacramento Kings. After a rocky start to his NBA career, Monk has carved out an important role with the Kings. He averaged a career-high 15.4 points per game last season.

▪ The Major League Baseball draft begins Sunday at 5 p.m. and runs through Tuesday. MLB Pipeline has Kentucky outfielder Ryan Waldschmidt going to the Toronto Blue Jays with the 20th selection in its latest mock draft.

Interestingly enough, the same mock has Oregon State’s Travis Bazzana being selected by Cleveland with the No. 1 overall pick. Bazzana was 1-for-7 in the Beavers’ two losses to Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament Lexington Regional last month.

▪ Former Kentucky track star Jasmine Camacho-Quinn has been named the flag bearer for Puerto Rico for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. The games begin July 26.

▪ Through Monday night’s games, the Cincinnati Reds’ top hitter by batting average is Jonathan India, who is hitting .270. He ranks 47th in Major League Baseball. Tells you a lot about what’s going on with the Reds.

▪ Alabama basketball coach Nate Oats has hired another assistant coach with NBA experience. Former Detroit Pistons assistant Brian Adams joins a staff that already includes Ryan Pannone, who came to the Crimson Tide from the New Orleans Pelicans.

▪ My former colleague Jerry Tipton will hold a book signing for his memoir, “Deja Blue,” at Kenwick Table Coffee Shop, 201 Owsley Avenue in Lexington, from 2-4 p.m. on Sunday, July 21.

▪ Scouts could not stop raving about Cooper Flagg, the 17-year-old Duke signee who impressed during a scrimmage of the USA Basketball national team on Monday. The 6-foot-8 Flagg was the first college player to earn a select team invite in more than a decade. Let the tanking begin.

▪ Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports compiled a list of returning SEC basketball scoring by percentage. Texas A&M ranked first with 82.5 percent of its point production returning from 2023-24. Kentucky was last in the 16-team league with — you guessed it — 0 percent.

By the way, if I’m a Kentucky fan I wouldn’t worry too much about that stat.

▪ Mark your calendar for Aug. 27. That’s the date for the AVCA First Serve Volleyball Showcase, which includes a powerhouse field to kick off the 2024 season. Kentucky will play Nebraska and Louisville will play Wisconsin at the KFC Yum Center in Louisville.

Kentucky won the 2021 NCAA Tournament. Nebraska was the 2023 national runner-up. Louisville and Wisconsin have both reached the national semifinals in two of the last three years.

▪ The NFL’s Baltimore Ravens open training camp for rookies on Saturday. The Hall of Fame Game is Aug. 1. The college football season opens Aug. 24. The NFL regular season begins Sept. 5. In other words, football is just around the corner. Thank goodness.

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