University of Kentucky standout Jamin Davis declares for 2021 NFL Draft
University of Kentucky linebacker Jamin Davis, one of the team’s top defenders the last couple of seasons, has declared for the 2021 NFL Draft.
Davis, a junior, racked up a team-high 102 tackles (50 unassisted), four tackles for loss and was second on the team with three interceptions, including the one that led to Kentucky’s game-winning touchdown over North Carolina State in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl last weekend.
Davis played in 36 of a possible 37 games over the last three seasons after redshirting his first year on campus in 2017. He was rated as a top-50 outside linebacker coming out of high school in Ludowici, Ga., but rose to prominence as an inside linebacker in Lexington. Davis started 10 of UK’s 11 games this season at one of its two middle linebacker spots.
“I will forever miss suiting up in the blue and white and playing on Kroger Field in front of the best fans in the country,” Davis wrote in a message posted to his social media accounts on Friday.
Davis is UK’s first underclassman to declare for the draft this offseason. His departure along with that of senior Jamar “Boogie” Watson, an outside linebacker who announced this past week that he’s signed with an agent, means Kentucky must now replace at least two of its four No. 1 linebackers from the 2020 season. DeAndre Square, a true junior last season, has announced that he’ll return in 2021, as did senior Josh Paschal, who played defensive end this season but has experience at linebacker as well.
Jordan Wright, a junior who started five games at outside linebacker and played in all 11 games, has not yet announced his intentions but shared a tweet that seemed to indicate he is undecided.
“Gotta do whats best for me,” Wright wrote (sic).
Kentucky’s linebacking unit in the summer leading up to last season lost Chris Oats, who was projected to start ahead of Davis, to an undisclosed medical event that left Oats hospitalized into the season. Oats has been in the care of his family since early October.
Junior offensive tackle Darian Kinnard, believed by some to be Kentucky’s most attractive underclassman in terms of pro potential coming into the year, announced Monday that he will be back in 2021. Several seniors in addition to Paschal have said they’ll take advantage of the extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including starting guard Luke Fortner, wide receiver Josh Ali and safety Davonte Robinson.
Two quarterbacks, Terry Wilson and Nik Scalzo, each announced that they have entered the NCAA transfer portal.
This story was originally published January 8, 2021 at 5:04 PM.
