Kentucky's pool outing reveals diving star

Published Aug. 15, 2012 8:30 a.m. ET

foxsports

Steven Duff, diving superstar.

If the London Olympics categorized divers by weight class, like boxing or weightlifting, the 332-pound University of Kentucky football player might have received some airtime on NBC this summer. As it stands, broadcast networks did not cover the Wildcats' team outing to a local pool (and its diving board), but the school’s athletic department has the underground world of college football divers covered.

"You'll see (Duff) in a little bit. Big Duff," Larry Warford, the Wildcats' standout guard, said to preview Duff's arrival in the video at the 1:23 mark.

As the anticipation builds and praise mounts, Duff, an offensive guard, finally shows his bearded face, promising gainers and poolside glory. And he delivers. Even his lone competitor, back-flipping coach Joker Phillips, could not keep up.

Smaller Wildcats players only offered false flipping assurances and unfiltered joy on the slide. Duff brought the noise.

When asked afterward who impressed the most, teammates responded with the obvious answer: "Duff."

It is always good to see interior lineman take center stage, a phenomenon that rarely happens in this day and age unless one happens to nervously discover a loose fumble in their arms. But Duff provides all the proof the media need to see that offensive guards can offer true star power — at least at pools nationwide.