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Kentucky Football’s 2022 Freshman Class Ranked 8th in the Nation, Top 5 in SEC

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2 years ago

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Although last year’s football season was a disappointment for the most part, one of the glaring bright spots was just how well Kentucky’s Freshman class performed.

Pro Football Focus ranked Kentucky’s Freshman class as the 8th best-performing class in the nation, and 5th amongst the SEC. Here is the full top 10 list:

  1. LSU Tigers
  2. Penn State Nittany Lions
  3. Michigan Wolverines
  4. Georgia Bulldogs
  5. Texas A&M Aggies
  6. Ole Miss Rebels
  7. Clemson Tigers
  8. Kentucky Wildcats
  9. Texas Longhorns
  10. Arizona Wildcats

Barion Brown

Kentucky’s leading receiver was true freshman Barion Brown. Brown caught 50 passes for 628 yards and 4 touchdowns.

However, Brown’s biggest threat came in special teams play. His ability to break off a huge kick return at any given time was unparalleled. He returned 16 kicks for a total of 440 yards (27.5 average), scoring one touchdown as well.

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Many were skeptical about how Kentucky would do with losing Wan’Dale Robinson to the NFL, but Barion Brown has been a very sufficient replacement thus far.

Dane Key

The former Frederick Douglass High School Bronco was the Cats’ primary red zone target in 2022.

Dane Key caught 37 passes for 519 yards and 6 touchdowns. Key’s 6’3, 194 lbs frame allowed him to out-physical most defensive backs to secure the ball for a touchdown.

Expect more of the same from Key: a lot of production, and ultimately, a lot of points. He is someone to be really excited about heading into the 2023 season.

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Deone Walker

Deone Walker is one of the more underrated pieces of this class. With a thinning defensive front, Walker is the glue that the UK defense needed last season.

Like any up-and-comer from Detroit, Walker exudes toughness and grit. He had 40 tackles (12 solo), 1 sack, and 1 forced fumble. Walker’s stats may not jump off of the page, but his value is certainly beyond the stat sheet.

His ability to cause mayhem up front will be relied on heading into 2023. The whole front seven will benefit from his raw talent and work ethic.

It Doesn’t Stop There…

La’Vell Wright (RB), Dekel Crowdus (WR), Jordan Dingle (TE), and Jager Burton (OL) showed us some serious potential as well. Any of those guys are capable of taking tremendous jumps in the 2023 season.

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Even Destin Wade, who was thrown in at QB against Iowa in the Music City Bowl, showed us some of his ability in the pocket. His mobility and his elusiveness flew under the radar as well.

All in all, the 2022 freshman class being ranked 8th in the nation by PFF isn’t some typo or error. These guys are legit, and expectations will be riding high heading into the 2023 season.

Take a look at the PFF rankings for yourself below:

https://www.pff.com/news/college-football-10-best-true-freshman-classes-of-the-2022-season

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Kentucky Athletic Collectives Rank 11th of 16 Teams in SEC, Bring in over $11 Million

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2 weeks ago

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December 10, 2024

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Kentucky ranks 11th of 16 SEC teams in collective fundraising.
Jordan Prather | Imagn

For better or for worse of college sports, NIL is here to stay and it certainly gives an advantage to schools with more money. Just looking at the SEC alone, collectives raised more than $200 million in the 2023-24 fiscal year. Unfortunately, Kentucky is ranked in the lower half of that.

According to documents from the House v. NCAA proposed settlement, Kentucky raised $11,254,204 from athletics collectives for the 2023-24 fiscal year. That ranks 11th of the 15 public universities in the SEC and is just more than half of the top collective, Texas who raised over $22 million.

Full Rankings

Rank
School NameCollective Funding
1Texas22,272,474
2LSU20,137,141
3Georgia18,326,566
4Texas A&M17,228,714
5Alabama15,995,406
6Florida15,802,237
7Oklahoma14,817,595
8Tennessee11,602,164
9Auburn11,588,953
10Arkansas11,544,039
11Kentucky11,254,204
12S. Carolina9,554,700
13Ole Miss8,872,378
14Missouri7,146,859
15Mississippi St.6,467,166
NRVanderbiltNot Available (Private School)

While collective funding is low, Kentucky has been a top 20 athletic program in total revenue, partly thanks to being a school that profits from its basketball program. Looking ahead to 2025, Kentucky is expected to stay in the top 20 nationally in athletic revenue, fifth in the SEC by bringing in an estimated 131,139,792. Ahead of programs like Georgia, LSU, Florida, and Tennessee.

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With revenue sharing coming in the near future, even more money is going to be involved in roster and program building. Schools in the Big Ten and SEC have an even bigger advantage due to their new TV deals, giving them up to an extra $70 million or more.

A new era of college sports is here. It’s time to prepare and embrace it.

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Kentucky Wide Receiver Calls for “A Lot” More Leadership and Accountability from Staff

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3 weeks ago

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December 2, 2024

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Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Stoops walks onto the field before the game against the Louisville Cardinals.
Jordan Prather | Imagn

A poor offensive line. Inconsistent quarterback play. A lot of things led to Kentucky football’s abysmal 2024 season. However, they had the talent to finish better than 4-8, only defeating one power opponent this season. So what could have helped?

Kentucky wide receiver Ja’Mori Maclin was asked that question after the Wildcats’ loss to Louisville on Saturday. To his credit, he answered honestly and professionally.

“A lot more leadership,” Maclin said. “Holding guys accountable for things. A lot more discipline for all the guys… All around, players and coaches. We’re still a team, I don’t want to point at any one person or specific group. All around we need better leadership.”

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Maclin is a junior and could return for another season. Despite talking about Kentucky taking the next step, he has not made his decision and will be returning home to talk to his family to do so. If Maclin does return, it sounds like Kentucky will have a leader in the receiving room.

Despite being a 1,000-yard receiver at North Texas, Maclin was not targeted often. However, on his 13 receptions, he caught four for touchdowns, the most of any receiver on the team.

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Kentucky Player Seen At Concession Stand During Kentucky’s 41-14 Loss to Louisville

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3 weeks ago

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December 2, 2024

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A Kentucky football player was seen at buying food from the concession stand in Kentucky's 41-14 loss to Louisville.

Kentucky’s on-field product against Louisville was poor to say the least, sending 99% of Wildcat fans home early. It even sent an injured player from the sideline to get a snack…

Yes, offensive lineman Gerald Mincey, one of Kentucky’s most expensive transfer portal additions, was seen at one of the concession stands at Kroger Field during Kentucky’s 41-14 defeat.

Watching a 4-8 team is bad, but even worse to do on an empty stomach.

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Mincey is a senior and will not be returning next season, but it is nice to see him reinvesting some money back into the program.

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