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LEAD STORY: Kentucky Remembers Jeff Van Note, a Walk-On Who Became an NFL Ironman
Big Blue Nation lost one of its most respected figures. Jeff Van Note, a Kentucky Athletics Hall of Famer whose jersey Kentucky retired, died on October 2, 2026, at age 80. He was born in New Jersey and was an all-conference athlete in three sports at St. Joe Prep in Bardstown. He walked on to Kentucky's freshman team in 1965 as a fullback. When he left Lexington in 1968, he was a defensive end with All-SEC second-team honors, and the Wildcats had named him their Most Valuable Senior.
The Atlanta Falcons took him in the 11th round of the 1969 NFL Draft as a linebacker. Atlanta cut him, brought him back, then moved him to center, a position he had never played. He added weight, won the starting job in 1970 and kept it for 16 years. Over 18 seasons, all with the Falcons, Van Note played in 246 games and missed only four. He made six Pro Bowls and was named All-Pro twice. When the Falcons marked their 25th anniversary in 1991, fans voted him their favorite player.
Van Note stayed close to Kentucky after his playing days. From 1994 to 2001 he was the color analyst on the UK Radio Network, and he was an honorary captain for the 2018 South Carolina game. "Jeff aspired only to be a great teammate, but he was an All-Pro for our crew just like he was for the Falcons," said longtime play-by-play voice Tom Leach. "He dearly loved his time at UK and his role on the UK Network." The LetterWinner Pod noted a link to the present: in that 2018 game, Van Note stood beside C.J. Conrad, who caught a game-winning touchdown against Missouri a few weeks later. That was Kentucky's last game-winner until Willie Rodriguez delivered one last week.
QUICK HITS
- Texas volleyball sets a record against Arkansas. The No. 9 Longhorns beat Arkansas behind Ramsey Gary's 33 digs, a Texas record for the rally-scoring era. Torrey Stafford added a season-high 29 kills.
- Alabama volleyball gets its first SEC win. The Crimson Tide (9-5, 1-4 SEC) beat South Carolina (8-7, 1-4 SEC) in four sets Friday night at Foster Auditorium.
- Ole Miss men's tennis wins big at ITA Regionals. At the ITA Regional Championships in Auburn, the Rebels won seven of their eight Round of 64 singles matches. Seven players reached the Round of 32, and the program's headline says six went on to the Round of 16.
- Georgia women's golf posts its best round of the season. Freshman Ashley Shaw shot a 3-under 67 to lead the Bulldogs to a 2-under 278 in the second round of the Evie Odom Invitational. It was Georgia's lowest team score of the season.
- Tennessee swimming finishes second in its opener. The Volunteers' men's and women's teams took second combined in their first College Swimming League meet Friday evening. Separately, Tennessee softball changed its fall-ball schedule for this weekend because of expected bad weather.
PORTAL WATCH
The last 12 hours brought no transfer portal activity involving SEC programs. With conference play underway, roster news is coming mostly from injury reports.
RECRUITING BUZZ
No SEC programs reported new commitments overnight. Elsewhere in basketball recruiting, guard Avery Arije, No. 16 in the 2027 SC Next 100, committed to Notre Dame. He is the third pledge in the Irish's 2027 class.
GAMES TO WATCH
No games are on today's official schedule feed, but two SEC football matchups lead the weekend previews:
- Georgia at Alabama (Bryant-Denny Stadium): The Bulldogs' final injury report has them without running back Chauncey Bowens and receiver Isaiah Canion, plus another wideout, according to the game-day preview. With Bowens out, the preview expects Nate Frazier to carry a heavy load. Hurricane Isaias is expected to hit parts of Alabama, the Florida panhandle and southwest Georgia. The preview says the storm should not significantly affect the game and points to Alabama's field-drying system, which is modeled on the one at Augusta National.
- Ole Miss at Vanderbilt: The Commodores host the Rebels in a game televised on ESPN.
On the non-conference side, Bear Bachmeier threw for a season-high 329 yards and two touchdowns as No. 8 BYU beat Iowa State 24-10 on Friday night, per ESPN.
