It started back in high school, maybe earlier, for Tim Couch.

The teen prodigy flung footballs across eastern Kentucky skies, while every coach in America bought a map to find out just where that little town of Hyden was located.

Couch became a living legend in his part of the state, attracting attention from just about everyone, and shattering national high school passing records with frightening regularity. Could he, or anyone, actually be that good?

The answer was yes, it just took a year longer than expected for UK football fans to find out.

After signing with UK in January of his senior year, the Bluegrass state applauded then-UK Head Coach Bill Curry for his recruiting pitch and openly called Couch the savior of a team that finished a combined 5-17 the previous two seasons.

Upon replacing an ineffective Billy Jack Haskins in his first game, against rival Louisville, Couch immediately announced his name as one to remember, throwing for 101 yards and a touchdown pass.

But the rest of the year was a struggle, as Couch sat the bench for the most part as Curry broke his recruiting promise and ran an option attack.

Couch wanted to transfer.

Fast-forward two years. Couch, behind current Head Coach Hal Mumme, takes his last snap in a UK uniform on Jan. 1 in Tampa, Fla., as the leader of an offense that carried UK to a New Year's Day Bowl just two measly years removed from a possible transfer.

In those two years, Couch racked up an amazing 8,835 yards passing, 795 completions, 74 touchdowns and a 67.1 percent completion percentage.

In addition, Couch broke four NCAA records, 14 Southeastern Conference records and 26 school records.

The state of Kentucky must now say goodbye to Couch, but also thank him for bringing UK football back to life.

He didn't do it alone, as Mumme, seniors Craig Yeast and Marvin Major, Athletics Director C.M. Newton, the fans and everyone else involved in the football program played a part.

Couchpis records may be broken, but his aura, his almost god-like stature, will not.

He did what was best for Tim Couch by turning pro, and you canpit fault him for that.

Just thank him for keeping his talents at home.