Kentucky passing attack could get boost from freshman who impressed at Georgia
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Cam Miller made three fourth-quarter catches in his season debut vs Georgia.
- Coaches moved Miller to slot during bye week and raised his snap role.
- Miller projects as rotation receiver against No. 21 Texas while Law leads.
READ MORE
Preview: No. 21 Texas at Kentucky football
Click below to read more of the Herald-Leader and Kentucky.com’s preview coverage ahead of Saturday’s Kentucky-Texas game at Kroger Field.
Expand All
A 35-14 loss in which one of the touchdowns came in garbage time long after the outcome had been decided hardly looks like the type of offensive performance to build on.
But there was at least one development late in Kentucky’s loss at Georgia that could provide hope for the Wildcats moving forward.
Making his first appearance of the season, freshman wide receiver Cam Miller caught three passes in the fourth quarter, including one that went for 18 yards on a fourth-and-10.
“We’re trying to get that rotation, and the best rotation we can at receiver to give us the best opportunity to move forward,” UK coach Mark Stoops said this week. “He’s certainly a guy that has to be in that rotation and get some reps, and hopefully we’ll be able to get him the football some.”
Miller’s eye-opening cameo at Georgia came with the Wildcats trailing 35-7 in the fourth quarter.
First, he jumped to come down with a slightly overthrown pass for a 6-yard gain on second-and-3. Next, he made an acrobatic grab down the sideline on a pass that was thrown slightly behind him. He was initially ruled out of bounds, but a replay review showed he had gotten a foot down in time for the catch to count.
Facing fourth-and-10 later on the drive, UK quarterback Cutter Boley lofted a throw over a Georgia defender that the 5-foot-10 Miller leaped to grab for an 18-yard gain.
“For him to go out there and play fast and go make plays, it was one of the few times we really felt like, man, he’s going after the ball and making plays,” offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan said. “And so certainly need to keep building with that.”
Normally three late catches in a blowout loss might not merit much discussion, but for a Kentucky wide receiver group that has been searching for playmakers all season, Miller’s showing turned heads.
Even the most devoted of Kentucky football fans still tuned into the game at that point might have had to consult a roster to figure out who the player wearing the No. 22 jersey making acrobatic catches was. Miller was not even the most-hyped freshman receiver with his last name on the roster heading into the year.
The logical follow-up question would be, why hasn’t this guy been playing more all along?
“As a coach, I have to be smart from a confidence standpoint,” wide receivers coach L’Damian Washington said. “You throw a kid out there too early ... he loses confidence in himself if it doesn’t go right. So you got to be smart with that piece of it.
“And I think the timing was right. I think the timing was absolutely right.”
Miller did not arrive on campus until July, just a few weeks before preseason camp started, putting him behind the other freshmen at his position. UK had signed three transfers (Kendrick Law, J.J. Hester and Troy Stellato) at the position who came to Lexington with experience playing for traditional powers. They entered the season expected to fill featured roles in the rotation. Three other wide receivers (Ja’Mori Maclin, Hardley Gilmore and Fred Farrier) were entering their second seasons in Hamdan’s offense.
Despite those roadblocks to playing time, Miller was a constant presence in highlight videos from camp as he made the most of the opportunities provided when his older positionmates were sidelined.
Still, when the season opened, UK coaches first tried to target the veterans. Kentucky’s tight ends quickly became the go-to options downfield. Law emerged as a player who could turn short gains on passes at or behind the line of scrimmage into explosive gains.
During Kentucky’s first bye week, UK coaches moved Miller to the slot receiver position where Law was the only player with a catch this season. He saw the field briefly in the first half at Georgia then was told he would play on the fourth quarter drive.
“It was just a blessing just to be out there,” Miller said. “I mean, I enjoyed the atmosphere. The crowd, it was loud, but just going out there and playing football and just executing and doing what I have to do.”
Miller seems certain to be part of the game plan Saturday against No. 21 Texas, but Law will remain a featured part of the offense ahead of him on the depth chart. Perhaps UK coaches will experiment with Miller at outside receiver, the position where he was stationed for the first few weeks of the season, but an offense desperate for playmakers cannot afford to dismiss his first impression.
“He’s gonna go out there and give it his all,” Boley said. “He’s gonna lay it out there. He’s gonna do everything he can to get that ball out of the air.”
This story was originally published October 16, 2025 at 6:00 AM.
