Kentucky needs someone to step up at wide receiver. It could be this newcomer.
The release of Kentucky’s first game-week football depth chart this week was mostly a confirmation of what was already known.
Peppering the two-deep position breakdown for Saturday’s season opener against Toledo were the Wildcats’ veteran returnees and a handful of less-experienced up-and-comers who had already been touted as possible impact players this fall.
Only one offensive player on that depth chart is a true freshman at UK this season, and that newcomer just happens to be the lowest-ranked member of the Cats’ 2019 recruiting class.
The national recruiting expectations might not have been high for DeMarcus Harris, but the Florida native could find himself making an immediate contribution to this Kentucky team.
“I don’t know how all the stars work,” said UK co-offensive coordinator Darin Hinshaw. “The bottom line is that we go out and recruit players that we think can help us.”
Harris — listed at 6-foot and 173 pounds — is looking like he might be one of those players.
Slotted behind Bryce Oliver at one of the four wide receiver spots going into Saturday’s game, Harris enrolled early at UK in January so he could go through spring practice with the team, and he’s worked hard over the past several months to earn his mention on the initial depth chart.
“Just his competitive nature,” said wide receivers coach Michael Smith of what has stuck out about Harris. “He’s a very intelligent guy. He picked up our system pretty fast. I think the time with him being here early and going through spring ball really helped him out.
“To DeMarcus’ credit, he got in the playbook and learned the offense. We started him off at ‘X’ (position), moved him to ‘Z’ (position), and he’s been playing both of them throughout the camps. I’m ready to put him out there. If the situation is right, I’m going to get him out there.”
The Cats will need someone to step up and stand out among this season’s receiving corps.
Other than the dynamic Lynn Bowden, who had 67 catches for 745 yards and five touchdowns last season, there are a whole lot of questions.
Five other UK players had more than 10 receptions last season. All five of them are gone.
That leaves Josh Ali, who caught exactly 10 balls last fall, as the Wildcats’ second-most productive returnee at wide receiver. No other returning player at the position had more than three receptions in 2018.
Going by the recruiting rankings, one wouldn’t expect Harris to be of much immediate help.
Rivals.com ranked him as a two-star prospect — the lowest designation of any player in Kentucky’s 2019 class — and 247Sports considered him to be the nation’s No. 168 wide receiver and No. 1,435 overall prospect.
Harris’ actual play on the field didn’t jibe with those rankings.
As a senior, he caught 73 balls for 1,582 yards and 16 touchdowns. The year before that, he had another 1,000-yard campaign, and he left high school as the career leader in receiving yards in the region of Florida known as the “Treasure Coast.”
Hinshaw was Harris’ lead recruiter, and he helped land his commitment over a group of finalists that included Indiana and Syracuse.
“We just knew we were getting somebody that was going to come out here and compete,” Hinshaw said. “And he’s done that as a true freshman. He’s getting more and more confidence every time he goes out there. And we’ll see. We have a lot of talented wide-outs, and he’s one of them. We’ll see how the season progresses, but he’s done very well. He’s made a lot of plays in camp.”
Hinshaw said Harris has especially excelled with fade patterns, and he’s already establishing himself as a possible big-play receiver with deep routes. That’s something that UK’s coaches said they noticed about Harris from his high school days.
“He got behind the defense. He found ways to get behind the defense and catch the deep ball,” Hinshaw said. “And we were looking for a guy to come in here and be a deep-ball threat.”
Harris can play in up to four games this season and still retain a redshirt year. His early inclusion on Kentucky’s two-deep chart indicates he’ll get that opportunity, at the very least.
In a position group looking for impact players, there will be even more room for advancement.
“I’ll say this: when he does get his opportunity, ‘Go make plays.’ And that’s what he’s been doing in camp,” Hinshaw said. “We’re going to be smart with him. But Coach Stoops and our mentality is, ‘We’re not redshirting anybody if they can help us win games.’
“We’re excited about where he’s at in his development. So, every opportunity that he gets in practice, keep showing that you deserve to be out there. And if he gets an opportunity to go into the game, ‘Go make plays.’”
UK offensive depth chart
Quarterback: Terry Wilson | Sawyer Smith
Running back: AJ Rose | Kavosiey Smoke or Chris Rodriguez
Wide receiver (X): Josh Ali | Ahmad Wagner
Wide receiver (Y): Allen Dailey | Clevan Thomas
Wide receiver (F): Lynn Bowden | Clevan Thomas
Wide receiver (Z): Bryce Oliver | DeMarcus Harris
Tight end: Justin Rigg | Keaton Upshaw
Left tackle: Landon Young | Naasir Watkins
Left guard: Logan Stenberg | Kenneth Horsey
Center: Drake Jackson | Quintin Wilson
Right guard: Luke Fortner | Mason Wolfe
Right tackle: Darian Kinnard | Naasir Watkins
This story was originally published August 28, 2019 at 7:45 AM.
