Adding Depth At Skill Positions
Heading into 2022 the Kentucky Wildcats have one of the best running back rooms in the SEC. However, due to an off-the-field issue potential All-American candidate Chris Rodriguez’s status is a bit cloudy. While the Cats have plenty of players ready to step up as we learned back in 2019 you can never have enough skill players. During a wild few hours, Mark Stoops added two more for 2o22. Let’s break it down as Kentucky lands two transfers.
Gaining An All-American
Ramon Jefferson, the number two ranked player in the 247 Sports transfer rankings, announced he’s headed to Lexington.
— Ramon Jefferson (@Jefferson1Ramon) June 28, 2022
Jefferson entered the transfer portal on January 14th and originally committed to Colorado. However, he decommitted from the Buffaloes on May 20th and visited Kentucky earlier in June. The 5-10, 215-pounder rushed for 1,155 yards and 13 touchdowns a season ago. In addition, he averaged 6.7 yards per carry for the Bearkats and was named second-team FCS All-American. Sam Houston went undefeated during the regular season at 11-0. However, they lost to Montana State in the FCS Quarterfinals.
A New York native, Jefferson began his career at the University of Maine. He played under a familiar name to the Big Blue Nation in former offensive coordinator Liam Coen. While at Maine he ran for 1,096 yards and eight touchdowns. From there he transferred to Garden City Community College where he gained 994 yards and 13 more touchdowns. Overall he’s run for over 4,000 yards and 54 touchdowns. Joining the Cats as a graduate transfer Jefferson is immediately eligible with one year remaining.
He joins a very talented running back room that includes Kavosiey Smoke, JuThan McClain and LaVell Wright. Of course, Rodriguez only needs 1,134 yards to break Benny Snell’s school rushing record. However, whether he plays the entire season is still up for debate.
As we mentioned earlier Jefferson isn’t the only player coming to Kentucky. In just a few hours they gained another transfer, this time from a rival school.
Heading Up Interstate 75
Running backs coach John Settle added yet another potential piece to his backfield when athlete Dee Beckwith joined the program. Formerly at Tennessee Beckwith gained only 27 yards on four carries in two years with the Vols.
The Florence, Alabama native originally signed with Tennessee as part of their 2020 class. In fact, 247 Sports ranked him as the number 18 athlete overall. In high school, the 6-foot-5 Beckwith also played basketball and track. He began his career at Tennessee as a wide receiver before moving to running back. In addition, he also spent time on defense and special teams. Former Wildcat assistant and new Troy head coach Jon Sumrall tried to get him to Lexington coming out of high school. However, fast forward two years later and now he’ll be a Wildcat.
Based on his time with the San Francisco 49ers new offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello loves players who can fill multiple positions. Beckwith certainly fits that notion as possibly a fullback or even a tight end.
Really Hitting The Transfer Portal
With the additions of Beckwith and Jefferson, the Cats have added eight players for 2022 through the portal. They join Tayvion Robinson, Darrion Henry-Young, Tashawn Manning, Keidron Smith, Jordan Robinson and Zion Childress. The Cats had some open scholarships for this season so why not use them.
Again Kentucky lands two transfers who should garner playing time in 2022. As the calendar turns to July it’s really time to start thinking about the upcoming season. Coming soon we here at Last Word On College Football will have position and season previews. In addition, we’ll pick who’ll win the SEC East and West and some very early bowl projections.
