Vaught’s note: With Franklin County standout Ryan Timmons set to make his college choice at 1 p.m. — and I still think it will be Kentucky — enjoy these insights about the talented Timmons from John Herndon, sports editor of The Anderson News.

By LARRY VAUGHT

He’s seen Franklin County standout Ryan Timmons play both football and basketball, and one thing continually stood out about him to John Herndon, sports editor of the Anderson News in Lawrenceburg.

“The thing that impressed me most was his unbelievable will to win in either sport,” Herndon said. “The perfect example was in last year’s Anderson-Franklin game. Anderson had played an incredible game that night. If I remember correctly, Anderson had held Timmons to single-digit yards in the first half and played a ball control offense designed to keep the ball out of his hands.

“Yet, he finished with 58 yards on just four carries and caught three passes for 80 yards.  Those sound rather pedestrian until you realize that Anderson had done everything they could to slow him down, which opened other doors for Franklin. Yet when Franklin absolutely had to have the big play, it was a run by, or pass to, Timmons.”

Timmons showed his remarkable playmaking ability to end that game after Anderson kicked a field goal with 14 seconds left to go up 52-50.

“The Bearcats squib kicked away from him, but after a strange bounce, the other returner got the ball to Timmons, who somehow eluded good coverage, then cut back against the grain. At that point, you knew he was gone … 80 yards on the last play of the game to win the game,” Herndon said. “Last year, when I saw him in basketball, he practically carried an otherwise average Franklin County team in its game against Anderson. Timmons might be the fastest player I have ever seen, but in major college, that won’t be enough. He has an incredible heart to set him apart.”

Herndon thought Timmons was a more complete player his senior season, but will always remember another spectacular play Timmons made as a junior against an Anderson team that reached the Class 5-A title game.

“Several Anderson players had him hemmed in, but he somehow got free and went the distance,” Herndon said. “I think he will be as good as he wants to be at Kentucky. He has enormous God-given talent — his speed— which can’t be taught. But he also seems to have an incredible will to win and get better.  That will show up in the weight room and in practice as well.”

Herndon feels calling Timmons a Randall Cobb-type player is a fair comparison

“But I believe he has more speed than Cobb did at that stage. Whether that translates into being a better player, of course, remains to be seen because there are so many other variables such as injuries, how hard he works at UK and how he responds to players at the high level of athleticism in Division I,” Herndon said. “However, just from what I have seen of him in two sports and also what I hear through the grapevine about Timmons, I don’t think that will be a problem.