‘It was overwhelming at first,’ but Dane Key is taking the right steps at Kentucky
Dane Key has been on the University of Kentucky’s campus all of three months, but it feels like he’s been a Wildcat for years.
Key was officially offered a scholarship opportunity from UK in the summer preceding his sophomore year of high school, but his projection as a potential Southeastern Conference wide receiver goes back to middle school, while his older brother Devon was turning heads at Bryan Station High School. From the moment it became clear that the younger Key would become a top-flight prospect, he became a must-get recruit for the Wildcats.
It was the desire to seal the deal with players like Key that prompted head coach Mark Stoops to move on from Eddie Gran, a successful offensive coordinator, and bring in a play-caller with NFL sensibilities. Liam Coen delivered on the field and in turn UK capitalized accordingly on the recruiting trail. In addition to Key, this offseason it signed a five-star receiver (Barion Brown) and two college transfers (Tayvion Robinson and Javon Baker) who were once four-star recruits.
Robinson and Key were the only two who enrolled in January. The former came to Lexington with three years of college experience under his belt. The latter, receivers coach Scott Woodward likes to joke, should be in a high school art class. As the freshman works toward mastering the playbook, it can be difficult to keep that in mind.
“It was overwhelming at first,” Dane said. “I called my parents and just talked to them about how confused I could get sometimes.”
He didn’t look too confused in UK’s intrasquad scrimmage on Saturday. Aside from a dropped pass, Key appeared as crisp as any other receiver who took the field. He scored one of the Cats’ three receiving touchdowns and would have tied Rahsaan Lewis and Robinson for the team lead in receptions (three) if he’d held onto the drop.
Yes, it was a spring scrimmage against a defense missing half its starters and showing basic looks. Plenty of freshmen have shown out in the spring and gone unheard from come fall. But as of mid-April, it sure seems like Kentucky will expect Key to be part of its receiver rotation when it takes the field against Miami (Ohio) on Sept. 3. He told reporters Tuesday that he’s aiming to make the All-SEC Freshman Team this year; it’d be hard to do that if he isn’t on the field.
His frame — he’s 6-foot-3 with long arms — and skill set could open up a lot of things for an offense that last year managed to produce at a good clip without a downfield threat like the one he could become in it.
“He’s got an unbelievable catch radius,” Woodward said. “He has a great feel for route running and where to be on the field, where the defenders are, all that. He’s got great body control.”
Key’s father, Donte, played at Kentucky and Devon plays for the Kansas City Chiefs; their backgrounds and experiences have been crucial in keeping Dane focused without succumbing to the weight of high outside expectations.
“Just stay in the circle,” Key says. “Everybody in my circle — my mom, my dad and my brother — just stay between them.”
Being a high-profile recruit is one thing, but he has the added expectations, fair or not, that come with being a hometown star. Fans of Michigan or South Carolina, two of his biggest suitors, would not have cared as much that he once caught touchdowns for Frederick Douglass High School. UK fans watched him do that for four years and crave the same performance at their favorite school.
He has an attitude about the process that makes one think they’ll get their wish, and sooner rather than later.
“I know that I can do it,” Key said. “I just want to show myself that I’m what they brought here, and I can do what they thought I could do.
“Possibly even better.”
