How Kavosiey Smoke won race to fill in for Chris Rodriguez for Kentucky football

The debate about who should fill in for Chris Rodriguez during his much-speculated-about suspension frequently focused on potential during preseason practice.

Sam Houston transfer Ramon Jefferson was the shiny new toy. Redshirt freshman La’Vell Wright was the breakout candidate. Sophomore JuTahn McClain was the post-hype sleeper looking to cash in on the promise that was put on hold by a disrupted season a year ago.

Instead, the name listed first on the depth chart Monday was the running back Kentucky fans were already most familiar with: Kavosiey Smoke.

“He has this opportunity right now,” Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops said. “We’re excited. I’m excited for him, to see what he does with it. I have a good feeling what he’ll do because I’ve seen him play throughout the years. I’ve seen his preparation. I like the way he’s responded this camp.”

When reporters were allowed to observe a Kentucky practice last spring and Smoke was spotted fifth in the running back pecking order, a summer transfer seemed likely.

It was easy to forget that just two years ago the debate among fans was whether Smoke, the home run threat in Kentucky’s running back rotation, should be the featured running back instead of Rodriguez moving forward. In the 2020 season opener, Smoke led Kentucky with 62 rushing yards on seven carries.

A week later, Smoke looked on the verge of securing a larger role behind starter A.J. Rose but was injured on what Stoops felt was an unflagged horse-collar tackle from future UK teammate Keidron Smith after tallying five carries for 29 yards in the first half of a heartbreaking loss to Ole Miss. The broken rib suffered on the play forced Smoke to miss the next three games. By the time he returned to the field, Rodriguez had established himself as Kentucky’s most productive rusher.

Serving as Rodriguez’s primary backup last season, Smoke showed glimpses of promise — most notably with 12 carries for 104 yards against LSU — but his role diminished down the stretch and he was one of eight players on the two-deep depth chart declared inactive for the Citrus Bowl win over Iowa due to a combination of injuries, positive COVID-19 tests and contact tracing.

Even Stoops acknowledges Smoke was far from the favorite to start the opener once it became apparent Rodriguez would be suspended for multiple games.

So, how did the Alabama native earn his way back into a featured role?

“Like a lot of people, I think competition brings out the best in him,” offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello said. “I think in that room you have CRod and then this group of guys that are battling for every rep. Only one tailback plays, like one quarterback. There’s only one ball to hand off. When you’ve got a workhorse like CRod, you’re not going to take him off the field unless you have to.

“That forces guys to work and play their best and buy in and do little things that weren’t expected of them. I think that is always a goal of any player. I’ve been proud of him and the fact that he’s embraced that.”

Stoops wants to focus on the positives in Smoke’s resurgence, not dwell on any previous negatives, but the number of coaches talking about how much Smoke has matured this summer make it clear the 5-foot-9, 209-pound senior had not always brought the consistency off the field demanded of him.

“Just being a pro,” Smoke said last week. “Taking accountability of everything I do. Showing up when my teammates or my coaches need me to show up. I feel like that’s what I’ve improved on.”

Running backs coach John Settle took notice after Kentucky’s second scrimmage of preseason practice when Smoke provided a detailed breakdown of his own play in a way he had not previously. Key in that process was a detailed film session. Smoke even pointed out minor mistakes he had made that Settle himself had not been overly critical of.

Even with Kentucky’s running backs knowing the starting job was up for grabs for however long Rodriguez would be out, competition has only brought the group closer, Smoke said. Among the non-Rodriguez backs on the roster, Smoke is easily the most experienced at Kentucky.

That experience brings its own leadership responsibilities.

“I feel like I don’t have anything to prove,” Smoke said. “Just staying healthy. Me proving what I’ve got to do is making it to the (SEC championship game) and winning the natty. I ain’t got nothing else to prove.”

Focusing on team rather than individual goals might reinforce the maturation UK coaches have seen from Smoke, but it is also clear he faces pressure to keep the featured running back role.

Jefferson, who faces a leap in competition after transferring from the FCS level to the Southeastern Conference, impressed coaches with his play against Kentucky’s first-team defense in the second preseason scrimmage. Wright missed time in camp with an injury but boasts an intriguing skill set when healthy. McClain might be the best receiving threat of the group, and Scangarello has promised to get the running backs more involved in the passing game.

Stoops also said he still doesn’t know how long Rodriguez will be out, increasing pressure on the available running backs to prove worthy of a larger role before he returns.

The good news for Smoke is his offseason progress so far makes it much easier to imagine him continue to play after Rodriguez’s return than it did even a few weeks ago.

“He’s not where I want him yet, but he is moving in the right direction,” Settle said. “… He knows where he needs to get better. No doubt about it, he has gotten better. He has improved as far as becoming a student of the game, trying to study it, but there’s so much more he can do. He realizes that, and he’s working toward it.

“I like where he is. I like where he’s coming from, I like where he is right now, and if he keeps going the rest is ahead of him.”

Season opener

Miami (Ohio) at Kentucky

When: 7 p.m. Saturday

TV: SEC Network Plus (online only)

Radio: WLAP-AM 630, WBUL-FM 98.1

Series: Kentucky leads 8-4-1

Last meeting: Kentucky won 41-7 on Sept. 7, 2013, in Lexington

This story was originally published August 30, 2022 at 6:25 AM.

Jon Hale

Lexington Herald-Leader

(859) 414-6776

Jon Hale is the University of Kentucky football beat writer for the Lexington Herald-Leader. He joined the Herald-Leader in 2022 but has covered UK athletics for more than 10 years. Hale was named the 2021 Kentucky Sportswriter of the Year. Support my work with a digital subscription