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Draft Scout College Football Player News: Kentucky

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03/07/23 - Devin Leary, rSr/2024, Kentucky + More +

New Kentucky football quarterback Devin Leary was a full participant in the first day of spring practice Monday as he works his way back from a torn pectoral muscle that ended his 2022 season after six games at N.C. State. "I know he was on a pitch count," Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops said. "But the way we rotate quarterbacks and have depth, it didn't affect the way I saw practice." Leary's availability for spring practice is a significant boost for a Wildcat offense that has to replace likely top-10 NFL Draft pick Will Levis at quarterback and bounce back from a disappointing 2022 season.

When last fully healthy in 2021, Leary threw 35 touchdowns and just five interceptions to earn a spot as one of five finalists for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, which goes to college football's top quarterback. Leary was ranked as the top available quarterback in the transfer portal when he committed to Kentucky in December. Now, Leary can work on building chemistry with a group of talented but still young receivers led by sophomores Barion Brown and Dane Key. Offensive coordinator Liam Coen, who returned to Lexington after one year as the offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams, will have his projected starting quarterback available as he works to teach his scheme to those young playmakers this spring. "Devin is just waiting to lead," Stoops said. "What I mean by waiting is he's earning it and he's doing it respectfully. He can take over a room in five minutes, but he knows that it's about going out and proving it day in and day out and not forcing that...I think it's very important to just be authentic, be who you are but also lead and find your voice in the right time and the right moment." - Herald Leader

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QB Devin Leary, Kentucky
News Source: Herald Leader
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03/06/23 - JQ Hardaway, Jr/2026, Kentucky + More +

Former four-star recruit Jonquis "JQ" Hardaway played in 11 games for Cincinnati at a freshman, totaling seven tackles and one sack. Both of Kentucky's starters at the position are gone from last season with Carrington Valentine and Keidron Smith preparing for the NFL draft. Junior Andru Phillips has to be considered the early favorite for one of the starting jobs after he started the Music City Bowl against Iowa following Valentine's decision to opt out of the game, but sophomores Maxwell Hairston and Jordan Robinson also received praise from coaches in pre-bowl practices.

Kentucky could start a transfer at cornerback for the seventh time in eight years thanks to the additions of Cincinnati transfer JQ Hardaway and Ohio State transfer Jantzen Dunn. At 6-foot-3, Hardaway brings the size Stoops has coveted at the position. He is also more experienced than Dunn, who played primarily on special teams at Ohio State and missed significant time due to injury. - Herald Leader

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CB JQ Hardaway, Kentucky
News Source: Herald Leader
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02/26/23 - Tayvion Robinson, rSr/2024, Kentucky + More +

The former Virginia Tech transfer started his UK career on a high note with six catches for 136 yards in the season opener, but injuries and the offense's struggles combined to contribute to an overall disappointing season. Robinson should start at slot receiver in 2023, but he might be Leary's third option behind Barion Brown and Dane Key. But with Coen back at offensive coordinator, Robinson will have the chance to fill the featured role Coen pitched when he was recruited to Lexington. - Herald Leader

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WR Tayvion Robinson, Kentucky
News Source: Herald Leader
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02/25/23 - Ray Davis, rSr/2024, Kentucky + More +

A college career that started at Temple and included two years at Vanderbilt will conclude with one season at Kentucky for Davis in 2023. Davis rushed for 1,043 yards and five touchdowns for Vanderbilt last season. He topped the 100-yard plateau in four SEC games. If Davis can duplicate his performance against Kentucky last season - 26 carries for 129 yards and one touchdown - he might be the favorite to replace Chris Rodriguez as UK's featured running back. - Herald Leader

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RB Ray Davis, Kentucky
News Source: Herald Leader
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02/25/23 - Brenden Bates, rSr/2024, Kentucky + More +

Perhaps the biggest surprise of UK's returning super seniors, Brenden Bates looked likely to jump to the NFL until he underwent shoulder surgery in December. Bates played through most of the 2022 season with a labrum injury but was sidelined for the final two games. Kentucky's tight end room is crowded, but Bates is the most experienced player of the group. As a strong blocker with 22 career receptions, Bates is sure to carve out an important role if healthy. - Herald Leader

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TE Brenden Bates, Kentucky
News Source: Herald Leader
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02/23/23 - Jamon Dumas-Johnson, Sr/2025, Kentucky + More +

Georgia linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson, the second-leading tackler for 2022 national champions, was arrested Wednesday on charges of reckless driving and racing. According to Athens-Clarke County jail records, Dumas-Johnson was released Wednesday evening after posting a combined bond of $4,000 — $2,500 for allegedly racing on highways/streets and $1,500 for alleged reckless driving. The arrest on the misdemeanor charges followed an incident in Athens on Jan. 10, one day after the Bulldogs beat TCU 65-7 in the national championship game and Dumas-Johnson had four tackles.

Georgia said in a statement that the "alleged conduct" by Dumas-Johnson "does not reflect our program's values or the high standards we have established." "As this is an open matter involving a student, we are not able to provide any additional information at this time and will continue to cooperate fully with law enforcement," the statement added. Georgia is also dealing with the fallout from a fatal crash after the team's championship parade. Georgia offensive lineman Devin Willock and Chandler LeCroy, a 24-year-old who worked in the recruiting department, were killed in an early-morning accident on Jan. 15, while another player and another employee were in the vehicle and injured. Dumas-Johnson was a second-team selection to The Associated Press All-Southeastern Conference team after recording 70 tackles with four sacks while starting every game in Georgia's second consecutive national championship season. - AP College Football

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ILB Jamon Dumas-Johnson, Kentucky
News Source: AP College Football
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02/24/23 - Ray Davis, rSr/2024, Kentucky + More +

Ray Davis wants to make one thing perfectly clear about his role within Kentucky's football program: He's not Chris Rodriguez's heir. Rodriguez, who now is preparing for the NFL draft, left Kentucky with 3,644 career rushing yards, the third-best mark in school history behind Benny Snell (3,873) and Sonny Collins (3,835). But Davis is no stranger to notable feats. He spent the last two seasons at Vanderbilt where he became just the seventh player in the program's history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season. Long the SEC's weakest link, the Commodores went 7-17 overall, with two conference wins, during his time there. Other Power Five schools took notice of his production. And there were lessons in the losses, too. With the Wildcats, the fifth-year senior looks to use what he's learned to help bring a conference title back to Lexington - while continuing his journey of self improvement. "People want to say that I'm 'coming in to replace C-Rod.' I'm not coming in and replacing that," Davis told The Courier Journal in a recent phone interview. "You can't replace that. You can't replace someone who is going to be in the history books forever. All I can do is try to add to that."

Davis said he talked with 11 schools on his first official day in the transfer portal in early December and met with coaches from seven different universities the following week. For Davis, the notoriety was akin to a victory lap. Upon graduation from Trinity-Pawling School, an all-boys prep school in Pawling, New York, Davis' grades held him back. Between high school and his January arrival in Lexington, there were three stops for the now 23-year-old Davis: A post-grad year at Blair Academy in Blairstown, New Jersey, two seasons at Temple and the last two years at Vanderbilt. During his two seasons playing for the Owls, in 2019 and 2020, he rushed for 1,259 yards and nine touchdowns (on 271 attempts) and caught 27 passes for 243 yards and two scores in 16 games. - Courier Journal

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RB Ray Davis, Kentucky
News Source: Courier Journal
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02/11/23 - Devin Leary, rSr/2024, Kentucky + More +

Robert Hinson knows both sides of Devin Leary's personality. One is the polite gentleman with a constant smile on his face. The one who will sign a thousand autographs. The one who won't turn down a photo request from an admiring fan. The one who once was the face of North Carolina State's football program - and, in due time, will assume that same role at Kentucky. Then there's the other side. Not mean. Just motivated. "Folks better not ever take (those things) as him not being a competitor," Hinson, Leary's coach at Timber Creek High School in New Jersey, told The Courier Journal over the phone last month, "because that smile will turn into a growl in a minute. He is a fierce competitor, and he loves to prove people wrong." An avid college football follower might wonder: How many doubters could Leary, the ACC's preseason player of the year last season as N.C. State's quarterback, possibly possess?

Enough that Hinson becomes animated at the thought of it. "Us guys who coach, and even his family, we look at all the media prognosticators who say, 'This guy is going to be a great NFL guy' or 'This guy is going to translate great to the NFL game,'" Hinson said. "... Or they're eventually going to be something. But Devin already has shown he has those abilities. I think he's still flying under the radar." The 6-foot-1, 215-pound Leary will have the opportunity to showcase his quarterbacking talent to those not already aware - to Hinson's delight - when the Wildcats begin their 2023 campaign. Transferring from N.C. State in December, Leary will suit up for his sixth, and final, college season this fall at Kentucky. It's a scenario few could have envisioned last summer. Blame a season-ending injury last year with the Wolfpack, his second in three years, for that. As Leary continues to recover from his latest injury, he's embarking on a new challenge: stepping into the void left by former UK quarterback Will Levis. - Courier Journal

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QB Devin Leary, Kentucky
News Source: Courier Journal
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01/30/23 - Devin Leary, rSr/2024, Kentucky + More +

Former North Carolina State quarterback Devin Leary and former Northern Illinois left tackle Marques Cox, both projected to start for the Wildcats in the fall, expressed optimism about the status of their rehabilitation from injuries that ended their 2022 seasons early in interviews with reporters Wednesday but stopped short of placing a specific timetable for their return to the field. UK Coach Mark Stoops previously said he expected both players to be available for at least part of spring practice but said he was unsure if either would be limited. "Absolutely on schedule," Leary said Wednesday. "I feel really good. Really just taking it day by day and making sure I'm following the doctors' protocols and listening to the trainers in the training room. The strength and conditioning staff just keeping me on pace. But right now I'm in a really good spot."

Leary entered the 2022 season as the preseason ACC Player of the Year and a dark horse Heisman Trophy candidate, but his season ended after just six games when he tore the pectoral muscle on his right side in an Oct. 8 game against Florida State. The injury required surgery just more than a month later. The torn pectoral muscle was the second major injury for Leary, who also saw his 2020 season end early due to a fractured fibula. "Honestly, it was just two freak accidents," Leary said. "It can be frustrating, but that's the game we sign up to play. It's a violent sport. At the end of the day, I'm still grateful to be here. Still grateful to be around awesome doctors, awesome trainers to where I'm standing here in front of you today getting ready to play this season. Obviously in the moment it's very unfortunate, but at the same time, I'm a guy that lives by everything happens for a reason. I know I'll bounce back and play better than I ever have before." - Herald Leader

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QB Devin Leary, Kentucky
News Source: Herald Leader
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01/25/23 - Alex Raynor, rSr/2025, Kentucky + More +

Memphis football may have found its next kicker after securing a commitment Saturday from Georgia Southern junior Alex Raynor. Raynor, who announced his decision on Twitter, was the starting kicker the past three seasons for the Eagles. Last season, he was 18-for-20 on field goals, 49-for-50 on extra-point attempts and led the Sun Belt in scoring with 103 points. Raynor was 8-for-10 on field goals of 30 yards or longer with a career long of 46 yards. He has two years of eligibility remaining. Memphis has only one kicker on its roster after All-AAC senior Chris Howard exhausted his eligibility. - Memphis Commercial Appeal

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K Alex Raynor, Kentucky
News Source: Memphis Commercial Appeal
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01/15/23 - Devin Leary, rSr/2024, Kentucky + More +

The incoming quarterback transfer from North Carolina State might not boast the over-the-top physical tools that have made Will Levis a darling of NFL Draft projectors. But Devin Leary is a far more polished and accomplished college QB than Levis was when he came to UK from Penn State in 2021. Over his four seasons (2019-2022) with the Wolfpack, Leary threw for 6,807 yards while completing 60.2 percent of his throws with 62 touchdowns vs. 16 interceptions. "This guy can throw the football as good as anybody in the country," Coen said. Where the 6-foot-1, 212-pound Leary has been vulnerable is to injury. In 2020, Leary's season ended after four games due to a broken fibula. Last year, Leary was sidelined after six games due to a torn pectoral muscle. - Herald Leader

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QB Devin Leary, Kentucky
News Source: Herald Leader
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01/15/23 - Kenneth Horsey, rSr/2024, Kentucky + More +

There's a reason that Liam Coen, Kentucky's old and now new offensive coordinator, proclaimed during a video news conference Thursday that fixing the offensive line is "the No. 1 priority when we get there. It's a unit we need to address, and address quickly." The reconstruction of the Big Blue Wall has begun in the transfer portal with the additions of former Northern Illinois left tackle Marques Cox and former Alabama guard Tanner Bowles.

The versatile Kenneth Horsey's announcement that he would use his "free COVID-19 year" and return in 2023 means Kentucky has four offensive line starters back. If Cox can hold down the left tackle spot, it would allow Horsey to shift from that position to his more natural fit at left guard. That alone could go a long way in stabilizing the Kentucky offensive front. - Herald Leader

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OG Kenneth Horsey, Kentucky
News Source: Herald Leader
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01/14/23 - Devin Leary, rSr/2024, Kentucky + More +

Kentucky offensive coordinator, fresh from coaching the Los Angeles Rams, took a look at his new players, starting with quarterback Devin Leary, who transferred from NC State."I do believe that this guy can throw the football as good as anybody in the country. He wanted to come to Kentucky to obviously win football games and have an opportunity to win an SEC championship but also to be developed into a future NFL quarterback. He knows that he needs to jump under center a little bit and do some of the things that he hasn't done in his career up to this point in order to have some more comfort going into play at the highest level of football. "A lot out of this is going to be about Devin and what he's comfortable with. It's his last year of football, and I'd be crazy to walk in there and say, 'This is what you're doing. This is how you're doing it,' when maybe he's completely uncomfortable doing some of those things. It's going to be a collaboration - some of the things that he was successful with in his past, but also some of the things that we know we need to do in order to operate in the SEC." - Courier Journal

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QB Devin Leary, Kentucky
News Source: Courier Journal
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01/11/23 - Keeshawn Silver, rJr/2026, Kentucky + More +

Less than a week after losing one former five-star recruit from its defensive line, Kentucky football has found a new former five-star prospect for the position. North Carolina transfer defensive tackle Keeshawn Silver, who was ranked as the No. 31 prospect in the high school class of 2021 by the 247Sports Composite, committed to Kentucky on Sunday after an official visit to campus. While Silver was considered one of the best prospects in his high school class as a five-star recruit, he totaled just four tackles in two years at North Carolina.

At 6-foot-5 and 315 pounds, Silver looks the part of an SEC defensive lineman, but he has work to do to cash in on his immense recruiting hype. Kentucky will hope he can develop into a rotation piece a line that is on track to return five of its top six players, led by freshman All-American defensive tackle Deone Walker. Silver is not a like-for-like replacement for nose guard Justin Rogers, a former five-star recruit who started every game in 2022 for UK before entering the transfer portal next season, but if he develops into a contributor at tackle, it would allow Kentucky to play Walker more at nose guard. Or Silver could move positions to play nose himself. - Herald Leader

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DT Keeshawn Silver, Kentucky
News Source: Herald Leader
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01/10/23 - Tayvion Robinson, rSr/2024, Kentucky + More +

Little about Tayvion Robinson's debut season for Kentucky football went according to plan. But one year after transferring from Virginia Tech to Lexington, Robinson has elected to return to Kentucky to use the extra season of eligibility granted all players in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When Robinson signed with the Wildcats he was viewed as a like-for-like replacement for former star receiver Wan'Dale Robinson, who broke the school records for catches and receiving yards in a single season in 2021 before being drafted by the New York Giants.

Tayvion Robinson looked the part of quarterback Will Levis' new go-to receiver when he tallied six catches for 136 yards in his Kentucky debut, but he would top the 100-yard plateau just one more time in 12 games. Against SEC teams, Robinson caught just 15 passes for 121 total yards. Meanwhile, freshmen Barion Brown and Dane Key emerged as the top wide receiver options. Robinson finished the year ranked second on the team in catches (40) and third in receiving yards (497) and receiving touchdowns (three). He also arrived on campus with the reputation as an elite punt returner but was unable to make much impact in that area amid season-long struggles from UK's special teams units. - Herald Leader

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