He ain't heavy, he's the QB

Lorenzen is just a down-home Kentucky kid

Even before he completed 13 of 27 passes for 195 yards and a touchdown in Kentucky's upset of No. 18 Louisville on Sunday, Jared Lorenzen wasn't hard to track down. Three times a day during the summer, before and after team workouts, the plus-size quarterback ran extra sprints on the Wildcats' practice field in an effort to shed some weight; he had crept up from 265 to 300 pounds during the offseason. Besides being one of Kentucky's busiest players -- since daughter Taylor was born to girlfriend Tamara Tabor on July 25, Lorenzen now juggles fatherhood with classes and his offensive leadership role -- this Fort Thomas, Ky., native might be the most devoted to the Wildcats' cause.

Kelley King: Most of the preseason polls indicated that the grass is greener on the western side of the Bluegrass State. How has your opinion of Louisville changed since you were growing up?

Jared Lorenzen: I was one of those Kentucky kids who was taught to hate Louisville, mostly because of basketball rivalries. But I've recently learned to have some respect for the football team. With as far as they've come since I was a kid, I've had to.

King: So your love for the University of Kentucky was born out of a basketball, not a football, passion?

Lorenzen: I'll tell you how much I loved Kentucky hoops: When I was little my uncle owned a gym he called "Rupp Arena North," and my cousins and I used to play there all day long. We didn't just love Kentucky; once a week we were Kentucky. But playing football there? That really didn't cross my mind for the longest time. When I started noticing offenses, they were still running the option in Lexington. It wasn't until I watched Tim Couch quarterbacking for Coach [Hal] Mumme that I decided the system might be a nice one to play in.

King: In Mumme's last season at Kentucky in 2000, you broke six NCAA freshman records for passing and total offense. Did you really, as you mentioned recently, "sit in the huddle thinking, Oh my god, what am I doing?" in your first few games last year under new coach Guy Morriss?

Lorenzen: It's true. I was confused by Morriss' system, really flustered early on, and it showed. When I was calling a play, I could tell by the expression on my teammates' faces that they knew that I hadn't proved anything yet. That changed with that upset win over LSU. After that, I felt that my teammates had a little more faith that I kind of knew what I was talking about.

King: Do you get a kick out of sportswriters' go-to description of you as "surprisingly nimble"?

Lorenzen: Hey, these days I'll take any compliment I can get. The thing is, I'm pretty good at getting out of the way because I just don't like to be hit. I can take the licks, but I don't like 'em.

King: Do you get picked on during games because of your weight?

Lorenzen: I know defensive linemen like to hit me extra hard, maybe because they think I can take it. But as far as teasing goes, that comes mostly from people in the stands. In practically every stadium I've played at, the fans have dished out the fat comments. But there was this player from Georgia -- I forget his name, but he was also a father -- who said he wanted to thank me for showing his young son that fat guys can play. I'd like to thank him for that. It made my day.

King: Have you always been extra large?

Lorenzen: I was a huge, huge kid. Ask my mom. I was 13 pounds and three ounces coming into the world. My weight has always been a problem, but I've been working really hard on my diet and exercise this summer. I'm around 275, and in the best shape of my life.

King: No one has ever tried to turn you into a lineman along the way?

Lorenzen: I started out as a tackle on my first football team, when I was 5 years old. Then the coach of that team saw me wind up and throw, and I've been quarterback ever since. I've always had an unorthodox grip -- just one finger off the seams --but luckily, no one's tried to mess with it.

King: After back-to-back 2-9 seasons, Kentucky is banned from bowl play in 2002 for what the NCAA says were three dozen recruiting violations during Mumme's era. How does that affect morale?

Lorenzen: It sucks. To know that you can play like crazy, that you can have a perfect record and still not be able to play in a bowl game -- well, it hurts. All we can do is play hard. We like to think of ourselves as that [1993] Auburn team that couldn't go to a bowl but went 11-0 anyway. If they did it, we can do it.

Sports Illustrated writer-reporter Kelley King covers college football for the magazine and is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com. She will chat with a different player each Tuesday during the season.

 

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