Why this Wildcat’s growth could be one of biggest developments of UK football preseason
When a group of Kentucky football wide receivers recently walked into their meeting room to find quarterback Kaiya Sheron watching film they probably could have guessed what he was watching without asking.
“It’s the only one I’ve got, so I’ve got to watch it,” Sheron said with a smile.
Sheron is referring to Kentucky’s 24-14 loss to South Carolina last season. With Will Levis sidelined by turf toe, Sheron made his only start to date in that game. Sheron appeared off the bench in three other games last season, but 27 of his 29 career pass attempts came against the Gamecocks.
So as Sheron competed with redshirt freshman Destin Wade and junior Deuce Hogan to serve as starter Devin Leary’s primary backup this offseason, he found himself returning to the South Carolina game film often.
“The one thing I learned is, for me, in high school I always escaped out of the pocket, but now I’ve just got to move up,” Sheron siad. “That’s what I’ve got to work on throughout spring and now fall. Just moving up in the pocket, trusting the interior of the line rather than using my legs to get out.”
While Kentucky was upset at home by South Carolina in Sheron’s first start, the former Somerset High School star held his own for the most part in what was just his second career game on a day he threw his first collegiate pass attempt.
Sheron completed 15 of 27 passes for 178 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in the loss. Kentucky’s season-long offensive line struggles were apparent with Sheron sacked six times in the game, but the frequent film reviews of the performance have helped Sheron learn he shared in the blame for the sacks.
He is still waiting for a chance to put those lessons to the test.
A week later at Mississippi State, Sheron was forced back into action for three plays when Levis was sidelined by a hard hit. He completed both of his pass attempts but was unable to convert a first down, leaving the Wildcats with a 37-yard Matt Ruffolo field goal.
By the time Kentucky regained possession, Levis was healthy enough to play again. Sheron’s only game action for the rest of the season came when he snapped two plays without attempting a pass while Levis was shaken up against Georgia.
After Levis opted out of the Music City Bowl, Wade started and played the majority of the postseason showcase. Hogan played one series against Iowa, his former team, after the outcome was already decided.
Not playing at all in the Music City Bowl combined with Kentucky coaches adding Leary, the top-ranked available quarterback in the transfer portal at the time of his commitment, left Sheron’s future at Kentucky in question.
“Obviously I had a talk with my family and they talked to me about how comfortable I was,” Sheron said. “And I am, especially with Liam (Coen) coming back. That’s huge for me because he’s seen what I was as a freshman and always talked nicely (about me). Then he’s seen me now, which is like a whole different person.”
Sheron is one of several offensive players who were on the team in 2021, Coen’s previous season as Kentucky offensive coordinator, who felt they were given new life when Coen elected to return to Lexington after one season as the offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams.
Familiarity with Coen alone would not earn Sheron the backup job, but it did offer him a head start. Sheron took most of the second team reps in spring practice because he had already spent one year in Coen’s system while Wade and Hogan were playing for Coen for the first time.
“(Coen) seeing the progress, I think helps me because sometimes I don’t see it,” Sheron said. “Hearing from another person like that is really helpful.”
Kentucky coaches have yet to officially name a backup quarterback, but all signs point to Sheron as the victor in the preseason battle. The week one depth chart included an “or” between Sheron and Wade, but Sheron is the odds-on favorite to be the quarterback who takes the field if Leary goes to the sideline against Ball State.
“So much more confident,” Coen said of the jump Sheron has made since his previous stint at UK. “Just knowing how to operate, be a normal student, be a kid, have confidence, how to carry himself. He’s performed. He’s played at a high level, and he’s improved tremendously since I first met Kaiya.”
Whether that improvement is enough to win games against Southeastern Conference foes should Leary be sidelined is still a major question.
Leary, a 2021 finalist for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and the 2022 Preseason ACC Player of the Year at North Carolina State, is considered among the best quarterbacks in the country. His new teammates and coaches have raved about the throws Leary can fit into tight windows and the leadership role he has taken since arriving in Lexington in January.
Few teams can withstand the loss of their starting quarterback and play at the same level, but the gap between Leary and Kentucky’s backup options entering the summer appeared wide enough to make it hard to imagine the Wildcats even reaching bowl eligibility if Leary were to miss significant time. The fact that Leary had two seasons end early due to injury at N.C. State only added to that worry.
For that reason, significant progress from Sheron could be one of the most underrated storylines of preseason camp.
“I think those (backups) have competed at a high level, all have gotten a ton of really good work, ton of reps,” Coen said. “All have had ups and downs, but there have been a couple guys that have been really consistent and have improved throughout this training camp.
“So, definitely feel better about it than we did a year ago, or maybe two years ago or even this spring.”
During Coen’s previous stint at Kentucky, Kentucky’s top two backup quarterbacks (Beau Allen and Nik Scalzo) eventually transferred to FCS programs. Levis’ top competition for the starting job in preseason camp, former Auburn transfer Joey Gatewood, is now a tight end at Louisville.
Backup quarterback fears never manifested in 2021 though as Levis started every game on the way to a 10-3 season. A year later that luck did not hold though as Levis suffered multiple injuries thanks in large part to a porous offensive line that ranked 126th of 131 teams nationally in sacks allowed.
It was one of those injuries that provided Sheron his opportunity against South Carolina. Now his repeated studies of that game have helped pound home the need to prepare like a starter even with Leary locked in at the top of the depth chart.
“I wanted (the backup job) to be mine,” Sheron said. “I took it as it was mine. Just going in, I was like, ‘I’m not going to lose this. I’m not going to let them put somebody else above me.’”
2023 UK season opener
Ball State at Kentucky
When: Noon Saturday
TV: SEC Network
Radio: WLAP-AM 630, WBUL-FM 98.1
2022 records: Ball State 5-7 (3-5 MAC), Kentucky 7-6 (3-5 SEC)
Series: Kentucky leads 1-0
Last meeting: Kentucky won 28-20 on Sept. 8, 2001, in Lexington
This story was originally published August 28, 2023 at 7:56 AM.