One of the biggest developments in Kentucky’s season has been the emergence of its ‘Shark’
The news this week that Ohio State transfer Chip Trayanum’s Kentucky football debut had been delayed again due to a setback in his rehab from a preseason hand injury might have been viewed as a disaster in one version of the Wildcats’ 2024 season.
But the emergence of Demie Sumo-Kargnbaye as Kentucky’s starting running back over the season’s first month eliminated the sense of doom and gloom that might have come with the news of Trayanum’s setback.
Sumo-Karngbaye’s breakout can at least be attributed in part to an offseason conversation with his position coach.
“We talked to him this spring and said, ‘Hey, man, I need a starting running back. I need a guy that wants to commit to being a running back, not not a wide receiver/running back,” running backs coach Jay Boulware said. “‘I understand you have skills. Are you interested in being the starting running back at Kentucky?’
“And so he’s taken that, and he’s run with it. He’s put time in it.”
When Kentucky signed Trayanum out of the transfer portal, it was assumed he would replace Ray Davis as the Wildcats’ featured running back, but Trayanum had yet to prove he could carry an offense in two seasons at Arizona State and two seasons at Ohio State.
UK coaches praised Trayanum for his work ethic and professionalism during preseason camp, but they also made it clear no single running back had separated from the pack to seize a featured role. Even if Trayanum had been healthy, Sumo-Karngbaye was expected to play a part in the running back committee approach, but Trayanum’s preseason injury increased the need for Sumo-Karngbaye to step up.
For a player who was recruited to UK as a transfer from N.C. State a year ago due to his ability to play running back and slot receiver, it represented a priority shift.
“It just showed me how much value I can bring in the running back room,” Sumo-Karngbaye said of his spring conversation with Boulware. “I was like trying to be a versatile guy, go in the slot and go to running back. And it was just too much, trying to be all different places at once.
“He was like, I need you one spot for right now and then we could talk about motioning you out and doing all these other things. So definitely I had to understand my role. I took that on.”
During his first season at UK, Sumo-Karngbaye recorded 20 carries for 139 yards and one touchdown as one of three backup running backs that received carries behind Davis. He spent most of his time at receiver though, catching 14 passes for 69 yards and one touchdown.
Perhaps due to his versatility, Sumo-Karngbaye was typecast as a third down-type running back rather than a true workhorse when fans and media broke down the offseason competition for carries.
He wasted little time shedding that label with 17 carries for 70 yards in the Week 2 loss to South Carolina, then 22 carries for 98 yards in the near miss against then-No. 1 Georgia. Even as redshirt freshman Jamarion Wilcox has taken on a larger role in the backfield, Sumo-Karngbaye has recorded double-digit carries in the last two wins over Ohio and Ole Miss.
While he has split out wide far less often than a year ago, Sumo-Karngbaye has also emerged as a security blanket for quarterback Brock Vandagriff, ranking third on the team with seven catches.
“If you know the type of guy Demie is there was never a doubt that he was going to run hard and run behind his pads,” center Eli Cox said. “And he’s a guy that loves football, he loves being here, and we love blocking for him. So to see him get the opportunity to get that many carries and what he can do with it wasn’t anything that surprised us. We’re just happy to see him do it and get a chance to showcase what he can do on the field.”
Sumo-Karngbaye acknowledged his strong start to the season has even exceeded his expectations for number of carries, but he insists the mentality that led to his breakout is not new.
His friends at Willingboro High School in New Jersey dubbed him “Shark” in recognition of his on-field persona.
“How I’m running, bringing that physicality to the game, and nothing under that,” Sumo-Karngbaye said. “Bringing that standard to the game, not even just the game. … Back when I was in high school, I’m in practice, I’m doing extra things before practice, just doing all this extra stuff. So that’s a shark mentality, right there.”
Sumo-Karngbaye welcomed the challenge of transferring to Kentucky prior to the 2023 season even after Davis had already been added as the prospective starter because he viewed the chance to play in a pro-style offense in the Southeastern Conference as an opportunity to develop his game.
“He saw Ray last year, and what he did and how he worked,” Boulware said. “And when you have that type of mentality in that room, I mean, there’s been so many successful runners (at Kentucky). When you have that built already in place, it’s real easy to plug the next guy in and let him follow that same model.”
Wilcox’s role will likely continue to grow as he gains better control of the offense thanks to his big-play potential. Freshman Jason Patterson could work back into the rotation after returning from an injury. Backup quarterback Gavin Wimsatt will continue to be used as a runner in wildcat formation plays.
But the play of Kentucky football’s “Shark” will still likely say much about the Wildcats’ ability to build on the momentum of the Ole Miss upset.
“Obviously we certainly think highly of Demie, thought highly of Demie, but anytime you go in the SEC and you play against good defenses and do what he did, and the toughness he’s running with, it’s kind of like that quarterback,” offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan said. “You just never know what to expect until they actually get those opportunities. And he’s done a really nice job.”