Wide receiver depth a question for Kentucky football. These freshmen could be important.
Among the reasons to be most excited about Kentucky football’s chances for an offensive revitalization in 2023 is the presence of Barion Brown and Dane Key in the wide receiver room.
But in some ways the presence of the dynamic sophomores also is the root of one area of concern in the first week of preseason practice.
A year ago, Brown broke UK’s freshman record for receiving yards (628) and catches (50). Key broke the freshman record for receiving touchdowns (six).
Two receivers making such an impact as freshmen adds hope for the future as they add strength and master the finer nuances of the position, but it also sends a message to older players stuck behind them on the depth chart.
“I think you all know the skill that we have there, some of the talent we haven’t had in a while,” UK Coach Mark Stoops said Friday at the program’s annual Media Day. “We have some really good players there.
“But that opens up the opportunity for others to leave. It kind of hurts your depth a little bit, so we got to watch that position a little.”
The return of super senior Tayvion Robinson alongside Key and Brown means Kentucky will have its three wide receiver starters back this fall, but six backup wide receivers have left the program via the transfer portal since December. Sophomore Dekel Crowdus (four catches, 82 yards) is the only returning backup who caught a pass last season.
The lack of proven depth at wide receiver opens the door for immediate contributions from UK’s three high school 2023 wide receiver signees.
Anthony Brown got a head start on that competition by enrolling in January and participating in spring practice — “We just need him to step up and play, and he’s done that,” Stoops said of Brown after the Fan Day practice Saturday — but classmates Shamar Porter (6-foot-2) and Ardell Banks (6-3) boast the type of size that could be particularly needed in the room.
“It’s very exciting,” Porter said at Media Day. “They’ve already kind of given me opportunities in these first couple of (practices). If I show out and do my thing, then I’ll get some opportunities in these first couple of games.”
The freshmen need only look to Barion Brown and Key for proof UK coaches are willing to showcase a first-year player who earns the opportunity.
While playing behind that duo makes it less likely any of the newcomers will be breaking freshman receiving records again, Kentucky will surely need more than three wide receivers over the course of a grueling 12-game SEC schedule.
“What they did was outstanding their freshman year, and I’m looking to do the same,” Anthony Brown said.
Offensive coordinator Liam Coen pointed to Robinson, Crowdus and Anthony Brown as being key in turning depth concerns into a strength at wide receiver, noting in his previous season at UK in 2021 the offense thrived despite Wan’Dale Robinson and Josh Ali accounting for 84% of the catches from wide receivers that season.
Some of the pressure on the freshmen wide receivers can be alleviated thanks to the presence of six scholarship running backs and six scholarship tight ends on the roster.
Coen is expected to make heavy use of formations with multiple tight ends and running backs on the field at the same time. Former North Carolina State running back Demie Sumo-Karngbaye is also spending practice time at wide receiver to showcase his versatility.
“We have to do a better job of utilizing the tight ends more, utilizing the running backs maybe more in the pass game to spread out that wealth and spread out the targets so that’s not just Barion and Dane,” Coen said. “All those other guys can step up, but it’s also other position groups we’re going to have to be able to utilize.”
During the Fan Day practice, Anthony Brown filled in for Barion Brown on the first-team offense while Brown nursed what Stoops described on Media Day as a minor soft tissue injury. He made multiple impressive catches during the practice and looks to have already locked down a spot in the primary rotation.
Porter and Banks split time between the second- and third-team offenses. Redshirt freshman Brandon White, who did not catch a pass last season, also took second-team reps.
Meanwhile, Sumo-Karngbaye showed off his receiving ability when split out wide, and tight end Izayah Cummings, who arrived at UK as a wide receiver but thrived as a hybrid tight end and receiver with Coen as coordinator in 2021, spent much of the afternoon working at wide receiver as well.
The ability for that duo to line up at multiple positions could lessen the pressure on the freshmen wide receivers to play before they are ready, but with multiple walk-ons needed at wide receiver during the Fan Day practice it seems likely Kentucky will need them at some point this fall.
“They very much are (hybrids),” Stoops said of Sumo-Karngbaye and Cummings. “And Liam is good and creative in that way. Demie has been very versatile and very good in a lot of different ways and can pick things up. So, that’s really helped. Obviously, Izayah, we saw him have success in this system a few years ago. With his speed, moving him around, we need that.
“With the depth at wideout, it’s critical.”
This story was originally published August 5, 2023 at 3:29 PM.