Ray Davis, Andru Phillips and transfers might play for Kentucky in Gator Bowl after all
Kentucky football’s depth chart for the Gator Bowl versus Clemson might be in better shape than originally anticipated.
While running back Ray Davis and cornerback Andru Phillips have already declared for the NFL draft, UK coach Mark Stoops told reporters Monday that Phillips is expected to still play in the bowl game and Davis is considering playing despite their initial announcements being interpreted as opting out of a bowl.
Those announcements came before the College Football Playoff committee’s unprecedented decision to leave undefeated Florida State out of the four-team playoff field created a cascading effect that allowed Kentucky to play in the Jacksonville, Florida, bowl game against Clemson after weeks of speculation the Wildcats were headed to the Duke’s Mayo Bowl in Charlotte, North Carolina.
“Our guys are excited about this bowl game, want to play in this bowl game,” Stoops said. “I think we’ll be pretty darn close to 100% in this bowl game.”
Stoops has also left the door open for Kentucky players who have already entered the transfer portal in search of greater opportunities elsewhere to play in the game. Running back JuTahn McClain, who could split carries with senior Ramon Jefferson if Davis does not play, is one outgoing transfer who is planning to play in the bowl, Stoops said.
Players who had already entered the portal played a key role in UK’s Citrus Bowl win over Iowa in 2021, but last season Stoops did not include outgoing transfers in the travel squad for the Music City Bowl. With depth hit by those departures as well as three 2023 NFL draft picks opting out of the game, Kentucky found little offensive success in a 21-0 loss to Iowa.
“Other SEC head coaches, we’ve had this discussion,” Stoops said. “Last year I went the other way and I talked to a couple coaches that went the way I did the year before. They won the game, and I didn’t.
“… You’ve just got to balance it. You just want to make sure they want to go, they want to help this team. They deserve that opportunity, but they can’t be a distraction. It can’t just be a paid holiday. They can go do that somewhere else.”
The bowl reinforcements continue a string of positive news for Kentucky at the end of what had been a disappointing 2023 season through 11 games.
The Wildcats upset a top-10 Louisville team in the annual Governor’s Cup rivalry game to close the regular season. Later that night, after reports suggested Stoops was on the verge of leaving Kentucky for Texas A&M, he announced he would return to Lexington just after 1 a.m.
When the committee left Florida State out of the playoff Sunday, a spot in the New Year’s Six bowl games opened for No. 11 Ole Miss, moving the other SEC teams up a rung in the league’s selection process. With only four bowl-eligible teams available for the SEC’s “Pool of Six” bowls, Kentucky landed a spot in the Gator Bowl while the Duke’s Mayo Bowl was left without an SEC team.
“Getting the invite to this bowl game and to play Clemson means a lot,” Stoops said. “It certainly does. To play a team the caliber of Clemson and try to go get a victory, we’ll invest a lot into it.”
Kentucky last played in the Gator Bowl in 2020, but attendance at that game was limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Kentucky also played in the Gator Bowl in 2016, the first bowl game of the Wildcats’ current eight-season bowl streak. Kentucky defeated N.C. State in the game in 2020 but lost to Georgia Tech in 2016.
UK has played in a Florida bowl game five times in the last eight years. The Wildcats are 4-3 in bowl games with Stoops as head coach.
Quarterback Devin Leary signaled prior to the Louisville game he planned to play in UK’s bowl regardless of where it was played. Leary has yet to play in a bowl game in college, missing multiple opportunities due to injury while at N.C. State. Leary and N.C. State missed out on the chance to play in the 2021 Holiday Bowl when the game was canceled just hours before kickoff due to a COVID-19 outbreak within opponent UCLA’s program.
“This one, I’m going to live it up,” Leary said before the Louisville game. “I can’t wait for the experience. Being able to go out and actually play in a bowl game is kind of like a dream come true.”
Leary was 1-2 against Clemson while at N.C. State. One of his best games did come against the Tigers with 238 passing yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions in a 2021 win.
Another performance like that would go a long way in Kentucky adding another exclamation mark to a season that was known for falling short against the best opponents on the schedule prior to the Louisville game. The Cardinals are the only team playing in a bowl game Kentucky beat in the regular season.
The Wildcats were blown out by Georgia and Alabama and lost to South Carolina, which did not reach a bowl for a second consecutive season.
Against Clemson, Kentucky will have a chance to prove any struggles in the SEC do not extend to other games. UK has won 25 of its last 26 games against nonconference opponents. It is 7-0 against ACC teams since 2018, with five of those wins coming against Louisville.
“I think, honestly, before I knew who we were playing it would be important to win any of them,” Stoops said. “You just feel a little better about the team and things in the offseason, winning that last game.
“… Two games all year that I know of we’re going to get handed a trophy or you’re not. The Governor’s Cup, at the end of that game you’re either going to be presented a trophy or you’re going to walk into the locker room. Bowl game, same thing. Not such a good feeling walking right into that locker room. It’s a much better feeling to be presented with that trophy. No matter who we’re playing, but certainly a team with the reputation and prestige of Clemson would mean something.”
Remaining tickets from UK’s bowl allotment are on sale at UKFootballTix.com or by calling 800-928-2287. Tickets outside UK’s allotted section are also available at TaxSlayerGatorBowl.com.
Next game
Kentucky vs. No. 22 Clemson
What: TaxSlayer Gator Bowl
When: Noon Friday, Dec. 29
Where: EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida
TV: ESPN
Radio: WLAP-AM 630, WBUL-FM 98.1
Series: Kentucky leads 8-5
Last meeting: Clemson won 21-13 on Dec. 27, 2009, in the Music City Bowl at Nashville, Tennessee