Hello everyone and welcome back to our ongoing series looking at Mark Stoops’ 12 Wildcat squad. In case you missed them we started with the quarterbacks and new signal caller Brock Vandagriff. Next is the running backs who are almost an entirely new group. This time around as the headlines say we’re looking at on paper is one of the top rooms in the league. In addition, we’ll look at the strong group of tight ends. Let’s start our 2024 Kentucky Position Preview: Receivers with a look at the “Dynamic Duo.”
One Of The Best Groups In The SEC
Taking The Next Step
After good freshman campaigns, Barion Brown and Dane Key struggled somewhat during their second year. While it wasn’t exactly a “sophomore slump” they and all the receivers lacked consistency. Many times they seemingly weren’t on the same page with then quarterback Devin Leary. Furthermore, there were issues with dropped passes. However, both finished strong in 2023 only hyping expectations for 2024.
Brown led the team with 43 receptions. He was tied for second in touchdowns with four and third in yards with 539. He had his best games of the year in the Wildcats’ final two contests. Against Louisville, he only had 48 yards but took a kickoff 100 yards to the house giving the Cats a much-needed boost. Finally during the Gator Bowl loss to Clemson Brown totaled three touchdowns, one rushing, receiving, and another kickoff return.
The junior starts 2024 on the watch list for the Paul Hornung Award signifying the most versatile player in college football. In addition, he’s on the Jet Award for the nation’s top return specialist.
Key led the team with 636 yards and six touchdowns. In addition, he was second with 42 receptions. He also finished the season on a strong note hauling in four passes for 83 yards and a score versus Clemson. For Kentucky and new offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan’s offense to flourish those two must have big years.
Continuing with our 2024 Kentucky position preview: receivers let’s look at a couple of newcomers looking to make a splash.
Instant Impact Transfers
With Tayvion Robinson graduating the Cats hit the transfer portal hard looking for a replacement. They have their guy in Ja’Mori Maclin. He heads to Lexington from North Texas. A season ago Maclin had 57 receptions for 1,004 yards and 11 touchdowns.
He was one of 24 players in 2023 to top 1,000 yards and starts the season in Robinson’s slot receiver position. Maclin has the advantage of being familiar with Hamdan’s system when he was at Missouri in 2020.
Additionally, he’s on the Biletnikoff Award watch list for the nation’s top receiver.
Congratulations to Ja'Mori Maclin @routerunner9 for being named to the Biletnikoff Award Preseason Watch List! The Biletnikoff Award recognizes the college football season's outstanding FBS receiver at any position. @UKFootball @UKAthletics #OutstandingReceiver #NCFAA pic.twitter.com/6jzt70XRbx
— Biletnikoff Award (@biletnikoffawrd) August 7, 2024
Another transfer solidly in the mix for playing time is Fred Farrier. A Kentucky native, Farrier hauled in 18 passes for 266 yards and a touchdown for UAB.
Continuing with our 2024 Kentucky Position Preview: Receivers let’s look at some more Cats pushing for playing time.
Pushing The Starters
Anthony Brown-Stephens played in all 13 games last year hauling in five passes. The sophomore likely starts this season as the fourth wide receiver and should have some good stats.
Hardley Gilmore, a freshman from Florida reclassified from 2025 to the 2024 class to play this year. An early enrollee, he was impressive in spring practice and that’s continued into the fall.
A couple of other guys trying to crack the rotation are sophomores Santos Alvarez and Brandon White along with freshman David Washington Jr. At the end of the day, receivers coach Daikiel Shorts has a ton of options.
Let’s finish up our 2024 Kentucky Position Preview: Receivers with a look at the tight ends.
Looking For More Production
For years, the Big Blue Nation has heard that tight ends will be a bigger priority. However, it never seems to work out that way. Hamdan says Vince Marrow’s group is vital to his offense. On paper, this is one of the strongest groups on the team.
Your likely starters are Jordan Dingle and Josh Kattus. Both juniors, Dingle recorded 12 receptions for 270 yards. If you are scoring at home that’s a whopping 22 yards per catch. Kattus took in eight passes for 108 yards and two touchdowns.
Behind those two Khamari Anderson is your third tight end. Anderson only had one catch in 2023, however it was a huge 11-yard gain in the Louisville contest. Tanner LeMaster is a redshirt freshman from Ohio.
The Cats do have Willie Rodriguez coming in from Kentucky powerhouse Covington Catholic. He was recruited hard by both Auburn and Tennessee before committing to the Cats. Rodriguez has been very impressive so far and should play in his first year.
Best/Worst Case Scenarios
In the BBN’s perfect world, both Brown and Key have huge seasons playing themselves into possible NFL Draft picks. Furthermore, Maclin puts up the type of numbers he did at North Texas. As far as the tight ends go seeing them become a bigger part of the offense is key.
On the other side of the ball if drops continue to be a problem then 2024 could be another frustrating campaign for the Cats. We don’t have long to see how it all plays out as we are less than three weeks from the season opener against Southern Mississippi.
Thanks for checking out our 2024 Kentucky position preview: wide receivers here at Last Word On College Football. Next time out it’s the big guys up front on the offensive and defensive lines.
