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:
LSU Tigers
Penn State Nittany Lions
Michigan Wolverines
Georgia Bulldogs
Texas A&M Aggies
Ole Miss Rebels
Clemson Tigers
Kentucky Wildcats
Texas Longhorns
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:
On Monday, Louisville football defensive back Tayon Holloway was detained and charged with first-degree strangulation and fourth-degree assault.
This comes just days after the former four-star prospect committed a costly personal foul to put a 2-7 Stanford team in field goal range and upset Louosillve 38-35 with a walk-off field goal.
As expected, Holloway has been indefinitely suspended from the team.
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“The University of Louisville is aware of the arrest of football student-athlete Tayon Holloway,” the university said in a statement. “As we gather more information, Tayon has been suspended indefinitely from all team activities.”
Things Cardinals seem to be in a downward trend as the Commonwealth Cup nears, November 30th.
Kentucky gets a much-needed victory over Murray St 48-6 to snap its four-game losing Streak. Brock Vandagriff led the way for the Cats, going 12-19 for 183 passing yards and two touchdown passes to Hardley Gilmore IV and Ja’Mori Maclin. 48 Points is the most points Kentucky has scored in a game since 2021 when the Cats scored 51 points against Louisville.
The defense held Murray St. without a touchdown. For the second time this season, Kentucky’s defense has held an opponent without a touchdown.
Freshman Standout today:
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For the second time this season, Kentucky breaks the 40-point mark as three freshmen make impacts for Kentucky. Jamarion Wilcox had 13 carries and 124 yards with a touchdown in the 3rd quarter.
Receiver Hardley Gilmore IV had two receptions for 72 yards and caught the 52-yard touchdown pass from Brock Vandagriff on the game-opening drive.
Four-star quarterback Cutter Boley started the second half for the Cats, going 10-14 and passing for 130 yards with two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter, both touchdown passes to sophomore receiver Anthony Brown-Stephens.
Defense Bounces Back:
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After giving up over 475 yards of total offense each of the last three games, Kentucky’s defense holds Murray State to 256 total yards of offense while also having three takeaways from the Murray State offense
Defensive Lineman Tre’vonn Rybka led the way for the defense with five tackles and the only sack of the game for Kentucky’s defense. Jordan Lovett had two takeaways in the first half for Kentucky and one in the red zone in the second quarter. Jackson Schultz had the final takeaway, picking off Jim Ogle’s pass late in the fourth quarter.
Box Score
With the win today over Murray St., Kentucky moves to 4-6 (1-6 SEC) with two games remaining. They look to keep their bowl eligibility alive as they travel to Austin, Texas, and face the No. 3 ranked Texas Longhorns at 3:30 pm on ABC.
To say there is unrest in the Kentucky Football fanbase would be an understatement. With a 3-6 record overall, and 1-6 in the SEC (15th out of 16) things look bleak, and there is still a quarter of the season to go. Considering the regression from the previous two seasons as well, it’s difficult to be optimistic about the future.
Over the last few weeks, rumors have circled that head coach Mark Stoops has considered retiring at the end of the season. Optics wise it makes sense, his older brother Bob Stoops surprisingly retired from Oklahoma at just 56, and Mark, now 57, has expressed a desire to spend more time with his children.
At his weekly press conference, Stoops was asked directly if there is any chance that he would walk away from Kentucky and retire at the season. To which he responded, bluntly:
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“Zero percent chance I do that. Next question.”
Mark Stoops is still owed more than $44 million on his contract. That’s A LOT of money to leave on the table and is the reason that the decision will be Stoops’ to make, as Kentucky cannot afford the buyout.
If Stoops holds true to his word and returns next season, NIL fundraising efforts may be the most difficult it has been for him. However, he hopes it sparks motivation to donate.
“I’ve seen it at other SEC schools,” Stoops said. “I want to stay away from that. I really get tired of — I don’t want to be like I am whining, I am crying. It is reality. You have to have dollars.”