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Draft Scout College Football Player News: Kentucky

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08/29/22 - Octavious Oxendine, rSr/2025, Kentucky + More +

Octavious Oxendine was in the midst of a breakout season last fall when he suffered a knee injury against LSU that sidelined him for UK's final seven games. Through the first six, the North Hardin High School grad tallied 15 total tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and two sacks. Cutting back on his beloved chicken Alfredo, Oxendine reported to camp weighing 281 pounds after checking in at 318 last year. He's noticed a difference - "I feel faster," he said - and his coaches are seeing it, too. "His weight is down, but he looks stronger," defensive coordinator Brad White said at the start of camp. "He's looser than he's ever been in the past. He's a guy that's brimming with confidence."

Kentucky's defensive line needs Oxendine to take on a bigger role with the departure of leading tackler Paschal to the NFL, and the junior's weight loss journey appears to have put him on the right track. A more-versatile Oxendine bodes well for UK's rotation-based approach in the trenches, and defensive line coach Anwar Stewart has compared the Radcliff native's preseason form to that of Paschal, who weighed 278 pounds during his 2021 All-SEC campaign. "He's playing really fast," Stewart said of Oxendine. "Shoot, when he gets on the edge pass-rush-wise, he's a very strong kid and athletic, very twitchy. He's playing a lot like Josh Paschal." - Courier Journal

rSr/2025

DE Octavious Oxendine, Kentucky
News Source: Courier Journal
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08/22/22 - Josh Kattus, Jr/2026, Kentucky + More +

If nothing else has been made clear through the first two weeks of Kentucky football's preseason practices, fans can rest assured that new offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello loves his tight ends. "I really believe there's three or four or five in that room that are going to play on Sundays," he declared after the first practice. Entering camp, the depth chart already looked crowded. Returners Brenden Bates, Keaton Upshaw, Izayah Cummings and Jordan Dingle brought a combined 84 games, 14 starts, 51 catches and eight touchdowns to the room. There did not appear to be any snaps available for a newcomer. Someone forgot to tell freshman Josh Kattus that he was destined for a redshirt season though. "I love him," Scangarello said. "I'm a big fan of Josh. He's got a long road to go, but he's got some special qualities. He's kind of become a favorite, I think, among the offense too as a young player. He's nasty, plays hard, plays to the whistle. "I think he aggravates the defensive guys at times, which I love. He's got a little something to him that's going to make him a really good football player here."

With Upshaw battling a minor hamstring issue as he worked his way back from missing all of last season due to injury, Kattus was already receiving some first-team reps in certain packages at UK's Fan Day open practice three days into preseason camp. Kattus arrived on campus with a reputation as a physical blocker, but he made an early statement with multiple catches during the 11-on-11 periods that afternoon. It quickly became apparent that Kattus was not only a temporary injury-replacement, either. "He's turned heads ever since he got here," quarterback Will Levis said. "Obviously, not the biggest dude at the tight end position, but he's got a really good feel for the game. He's a smart kid, physical kid, brings the energy. "...I think he'll get some burn this year. He's a good player. I trust him. He's as prepared as any of the freshmen we have going into practice." - Herald Leader

Jr/2026

TE Josh Kattus, Kentucky
News Source: Herald Leader
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08/21/22 - Ramon Jefferson, rSr/2024, Kentucky + More +

You see his hometown on the roster and you hear Ramon Jefferson's thick Bronx accent and your mind goes to basketball. With his big-city Bravado, the Kentucky running back sounds like so many of those hard-nosed New York City point guards whose voices you've heard. "Yeah, yeah," Jefferson said, smiling like he's heard this before. "I can play a little ball. I got a little jump shot, a little crossover move." That's the sport his hometown is known for. But for Jefferson, the Bronx was the launching bad for a pigskin ascent that's taken him to FCS programs at Maine and Sam Houston state, with a stop at Garden City Community College in between. His final collegiate stop is his biggest step up yet. An FCS second-team All-American last season at Sam Houston - he rushed for 1,155 yards and 13 touchdowns - Jefferson is set to test his mettle in a crowded Kentucky backfield against the elites of the SEC. "I have big-play ability," Jefferson says. "Obviously, you know, big question is just, can it translate to this level, which I feel like it can." - Courier Journal

rSr/2024

RB Ramon Jefferson, Kentucky
News Source: Courier Journal
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08/17/22 - Keidron Smith, rSr/2023, Kentucky + More +

It started in high school with memorizing wide receivers' routes. Maybe just one for any given game. Talent could take Keidron Smith a pretty long way in those days - to three-star cornerback status and a scholarship to Ole Miss - and so he didn't need much more than that. In time, he came to crave it. Fast forward to this fall, and Smith is finishing his college football career at Kentucky. He's a fifth-year senior and a certified film-room fiend. The film study he used to do in passing has become a passion. "(Film study) slows the game down so much more," Smith said. "It makes the game so much slower, and that allows you to play so much faster." It's a lesson Smith absorbed at Ole Miss and, as importantly, one the Kentucky coaches hope he can start to impart the Cats' younger corners.

Though he hopes to set an example for Kentucky's corners, Smith is foremost here to play. He came to UK not merely to follow friend and former roommate Jacquez Jones, the Wildcats linebacker who came from Oxford before last season and became a fixture on the UK defense, but because he saw "the opportunity here." After moving from corner to safety last season at Ole Miss, Smith - who also played at nickel back for the Rebels - is back in his original position at Kentucky. A stout 6-foot-2 and 204 pounds, he has the size Mark Stoops favors at the position and saw UK as an ideal schematic fit. "It's basically free agency," Smith said of the transfer portal. "I took my time, and I think - well, I don't think, I know - that I made the right decision." - Courier Journal

rSr/2023

CB Keidron Smith, Kentucky
News Source: Courier Journal
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08/16/22 - Devin Leary, rSr/2024, Kentucky + More +

Devin Leary on trying to improve: "My biggest emphasis this offseason comes with the defensive identification - whether there is a certain pressure or a certain look that is bad with the specific play that we have, getting us out of those looks. That was my biggest thing this spring that Coach [Tim] Beck [the offensive coordinator] kind of took the leash off me - 'Hey, if you see something that you feel as if this play isn't going to work, just get out [of it] and check it." - Richmond Times-Dispatch

rSr/2024

QB Devin Leary, Kentucky
News Source: Richmond Times-Dispatch
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08/12/22 - Chip Trayanum, rSr/2025, Kentucky + More +

Just like in the spring, a transfer on defense has kicked off the black stripe removal for the Ohio State football program, with Chip Trayanum being the first to do so. Trayanum is an Akron native but spent the first two years of his career at Arizona State as a running back. He ran 692 yards and 10 touchdowns on 127 carries before entering the transfer portal. Now he arrives in Columbus looking to accomplish the same thing Steele Chambers did a year ago: Making the switch from running back to linebacker.

Chambers also made the transition in Year 3 and emerged as the Buckeyes' best linebacker in 2021 with 47 tackles, five tackles for loss, two pass breakups, a sack and an interception. Trayanum has been repping as the second-string Will linebacker behind Chambers during fall camp and has already impressed some of his teammates with his athleticism. "Chip's probably one of the most athletic people I've probably ever seen come through this facility already being here in the offseason," Teradja Mitchell said of Trayanum. "He's fast, he's strong. I'm excited to see him play. I feel like he's made a great transition over from running back to linebacker, and I'm excited to see him play." - Cleveland Plain Dealer

rSr/2025

RB Chip Trayanum, Kentucky
News Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer
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08/11/22 - Rahsaan Lewis, rSr/2024, Kentucky + More +

Kentucky football senior wide receiver Rahsaan Lewis, son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Ray Lewis, has pleaded guilty to driving under the influence. Lewis was arrested in March after being stopped while driving on South Upper Street in downtown Lexington. According to an arrest citation, Lewis showed signs of impairment during a field sobriety test and had a blood alcohol concentration of .153, nearly double the legal limit. He was also charged with reckless driving and improper start from a parked position.

On Aug. 5, Lewis entered a guilty plea to the charge of driving under the influence, first offense. The reckless driving charge and improper start charge were merged as part of the plea. He was sentenced to four days home incarceration and ordered to pay a $200 fine with $568 of court costs. Lewis' driver's license was suspended. A UK spokeswoman told the Herald-Leader the football program had no comment or update on Lewis' status with the team after the plea. Lewis has been practicing with the team since his arrest and participated in the team's Fan Day open practice Saturday, one day after his plea. - Herald Leader

rSr/2024

WR Rahsaan Lewis, Kentucky
News Source: Herald Leader
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08/11/22 - Deone Walker, Jr/2026, Kentucky + More +

Finding a defensive lineman physically capable of holding his own against Southeastern Conference opponents is never an easy task, but Kentucky appears to have one in Walker. The 6-foot-6, 330-pound tackle was the biggest standout from Saturday's Fan Day practice. "That's a different cat right there," super senior linebacker Jacquez Jones said of Walker. "He's so big and the way he moves. Deone, he's special. Nobody big should be moving like that." Octavious Oxendine, Justin Rogers and Tre'Vonn Rybka opened preseason practice as the starters on Kentucky's defensive line, but coaches are expected to rotate heavily at those positions. Walker already has received some first-team snaps. "He works hard," Stoops said. "You can see the athletic ability in him. Just got to stay the course. There's going to be ups and downs, but unbelievable talent. Exactly what we thought when we recruited him." - Herald Leader

Jr/2026

DT Deone Walker, Kentucky
News Source: Herald Leader
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08/11/22 - Will Levis, rSr/2023, Kentucky + More +

For just the fifth time in program history, Kentucky football will enter a season ranked in at least one of the major polls. The Wildcats were slotted at No. 21 in the USA Today coaches poll released Monday. Kentucky was ranked fourth among SEC teams, behind No. 1 Alabama, No. 3 Georgia and No. 7 Texas A&M. Arkansas (23) and Ole Miss (24) were the other SEC teams included in the top 25. Kentucky has been ranked in the preseason Associated Press poll four times in program history: 1950, 1951, 1957 and 1978. Two years ago, UK was not ranked in either the preseason AP or coaches polls but did debut in both polls' first in-season update before actually playing a game. The 2022 preseason AP poll will be released later this month. The No. 21 ranking represents a six-spot drop from where Kentucky finished last season. The Wildcats were No. 15 in the final 2021 coaches poll. UK was also ranked 18th in last season's final AP poll, marking the 10th time in program history the Wildcats had been ranked in a season's final poll. - Herald Leader

rSr/2023

QB Will Levis, Kentucky
News Source: Herald Leader
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08/11/22 - Dee Beckwith, rJr/2025, Kentucky + More +

Tennessee transfer Dee Beckwith is already on his second position at Kentucky. UK first listed him as a running back when he was added to the roster in June. When the roster was updated for the start of preseason camp this week, Beckwith had moved to wide receiver. In reality, neither position fully encapsulates the role Beckwith might fill for Kentucky when he gains full command of coordinator Rich Scangarello's offense. "He's a big boy," UK Coach Mark Stoops said. "He's a guy that can confuse you at times because he can play so many different positions. That's the nice thing. That's what Rich really liked about him and we liked about him as a staff, was we could be very multiple with him."

During Kentucky's open practice Saturday, Beckwith mostly served as a spectator during team scrimmage periods, but even on the sideline he was hard to miss. At 6-foot-5, 230 pounds, Beckwith possesses the physical tools that make it easy to see why he was rated as a four-star prospect out of Florence High School in Alabama. He committed to Tennessee's recruiting class of 2020 over offers from Kentucky, Florida, Auburn, Florida State, Michigan, Ole Miss and Michigan State. - Herald Leader

rJr/2025

WR Dee Beckwith, Kentucky
News Source: Herald Leader
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08/10/22 - Ramon Jefferson, rSr/2024, Kentucky + More +

When Will Levis took the field for the first time in a drill against Kentucky's first-team defense, a newcomer lined up with him in the backfield. Ramon Jefferson took the first snap with the first team, but it's probably best not to take too much from the move. The Sam Houston State transfer was one of five running backs who saw time with the first-team offense over the course of Saturday's practice, as Kavosiey Smoke, La'Vell Wright, JuTahn McClain and Chris Rodriguez each got turns as well.

Rodriguez, a second-team preseason All-SEC selection, continues to practice though his playing status remains unclear after an offseason arrest on DUI charges. He had a spectacular one-handed catch on a throw deep down the right sideline from Levis during a drill against the first-team defense. "I (didn't) think he had that in him, to be honest," Levis joked. "No, Chris is awesome. To get him more involved in the passing game was a goal of mine - and just the running backs in general was a goal of mine." Smoke, Wright and McClain "bring another level of speed" to the UK backfield, Levis said. And Jefferson has made a strong first impression on his new QB, who called the 5-foot-10, 215-pound senior running back "a bowling ball" and "a little Mighty Mouse." "He's got a good feel," Levis said. "You see he bounces that when he's supposed to bounce it, he cuts when he's supposed to cut. You watch his tape, it just kind of jumps out immediately." - Courier Journal

rSr/2024

RB Ramon Jefferson, Kentucky
News Source: Courier Journal
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08/09/22 - Will Levis, rSr/2023, Kentucky + More +

Will Levis may want to watch his back this fall, but he insists he won't. Though Kentucky's acclaimed quarterback will be depending on a pair of inexperienced left tackles for blocking on his blind side, he said his eyes will be aimed elsewhere. "If I'm thinking about who's in an offensive line or what's going on, then that's just one more thing I have to put on my plate," Levis said Wednesday afternoon during the Wildcats' media day. "And I really just have to use my instincts and just feel in the pocket to understand when things are breaking down or when there are moments where I might need to be escaping or moving up."

Levis was sacked 23 times last season - roughly once for every 10 passes he completed - but that total likely would have been much lower were he less willing to run under duress rather than throw the ball away. Chris Rodriguez was the only Kentucky back to log more carries from scrimmage than did Levis last year. Both players scored nine rushing touchdowns. "I have full confidence in our (offensive line) unit," Levis said. "And no matter who's up there, if they're the No. 1 player in the country, they are still going to get beat every so often. You're going to have to rely on instincts and be able to move in the pocket and step up and make those throws. It's something you can't really think about." - Courier Journal

rSr/2023

QB Will Levis, Kentucky
News Source: Courier Journal
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08/05/22 - Beau Allen, rSr/2025, Kentucky + More +

If his father is correct, quarterback Beau Allen's unexpected decision last week to transfer from the Kentucky football program may have taken root during UK's 31-17 drubbing at Mississippi State last Oct 30. Before Mike Leach left the head coaching job at Washington State for the same position at MSU, he and his staff put a full-court recruiting press on Allen. So in Starkville last season, Allen was greeted by many of the support-staff members who had ardently wooed him for Washington State.

Once the game started, the Kentucky offense laid a dinosaur egg, with starting quarterback Will Levis throwing three interceptions. "Obviously, we didn't play very well, and Beau doesn't get to see the field at all," Bill Allen says. "I don't know that that set really well with him, necessarily." On Tuesday, Tarleton State, a Football Championship Subdivision program in Stephenville, Texas, announced that Beau Allen had joined its team. Having waited to transfer until well after the May 1 cutoff for immediate eligibility at another FBS school in 2022, moving down a division was the clearest path Beau Allen had to playing immediately this fall. According to Bill Allen, a mid-1980s-era UK QB himself, Beau Allen's feeling that he needed to be playing in games to develop motivated the former Lexington Catholic High School star to take action. "He wants to play," Bill Allen said. "He couldn't just stand there anymore, in my opinion." - Herald Leader

rSr/2025

QB Beau Allen, Kentucky
News Source: Herald Leader
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08/03/22 - Chris Rodriguez Jr., rSr/2023, Kentucky + More +

2022 PRESEASON WALTER CAMP PLAYER OF YEAR PLAYER TO WATCH: Chris Rodriquez, RB, senior, Kentucky,...Rodriguez is the Southeastern Conference's leading returning rusher. In 2021, he averaged 106.1 yards per game, ranking 12th nationally and second in the SEC. His 1,379 rushing yards ranks fifth on UK's single-season list and he became the 10th player in school history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season and the 14th total time a Wildcat has accomplished that feat. - Kentucky Football

rSr/2023

RB Chris Rodriguez Jr., Kentucky
News Source: Kentucky Football
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08/03/22 - Will Levis, rSr/2023, Kentucky + More +

2022 PRESEASON WALTER CAMP PLAYER OF YEAR PLAYER TO WATCH: Will Levis, QB, senior, Kentucky,...Levis is entering his second year as the starter at quarterback. He had an impressive debut season for the Wildcats after transferring from Penn State in 2021. In 13 games, he threw for 2,827 yards and 24 scores, while rushing for 376 yards and nine touchdowns. - Kentucky Football

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