A Heisman contender and an elite defender. UK launches websites to promote its stars.
Junior running back Benny Snell and senior linebacker Josh Allen have played major roles in the University of Kentucky football team’s 4-0 start and rise into the national rankings for the first time in more than a decade. On Monday, UK launched a pair of websites aimed at promoting the two stars.
Snellyeah.com and DraftJosh41len.com feature biographical information, photographs and video highlights of each player’s career, along with testimonials from both.
Snell has rushed for 540 yards and seven touchdowns this year and he keyed the Wildcats’ offense in their upset of No. 14 Mississippi State at Kroger Field last Saturday, running for 165 yards and four touchdowns.
Snell is chasing Sonny Collins’ all-time UK rushing record, and some college football pundits are beginning to mention him as a legitimate contender in the chase for the Heisman Trophy.
CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd ranked Snell fourth in his “Heisman Hype” rankings after the win over Mississippi State.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Week 4 Heisman Hype<br>1. Tua Tagovailoa, Ala<br>2. Dwayne Haskins, Ohio St<br>3. Will Grier, West Virginia<br>4. Benny Snell, Kentucky<br>5. Blake LaRussa, Old Dom!!!</p>— Dennis Dodd (@dennisdoddcbs) <a href="https://twitter.com/dennisdoddcbs/status/1044236320967725057?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 24, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Snell’s website doesn’t specifically mention the Heisman Trophy race. After the Mississippi State win, Snell was asked if he should be a Heisman candidate.
“I’m going to let that just be in the air,” he said. “It is what it is. My play speaks for itself. That’s all I can say.”
Allen has been a disruptive force on a UK defense that is ranked 11th nationally, allowing 279 yards per game. Allen has 25 tackles and a team-high three sacks. In the Wildcats’ 27-16 upset of No. 25 Florida, their first win over the Gators since 1986 and first victory in Gainesville since 1979, Allen made the play that sealed the game when he forced a fumble that was returned for a touchdown as time expired.
This story was originally published September 24, 2018 at 6:41 PM.