‘I’ve been where you are.’ The impact of Daveren Rayner on UK’s defense
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Rayner shifted from Northern Illinois starter to Kentucky leader, guiding defense.
- He stayed patient through redshirt and limited snaps, mentoring underclassmen to develop.
- His play and voice sparked a defensive turnaround, aiding Kentucky’s late-season surge.
Neither Daveren Rayner nor Brad White can believe Saturday will be the inside linebacker’s last game at Kroger Field.
“It’s like when you have a baby, right?” said White, Kentucky football’s defensive coordinator. “They say the days go fast and the nights go slow. It’s one of those-type deals.”
White described the inside linebacker’s journey as a long one, and noted how far Rayner has come since he first transferred to play for Mark Stoops at UK from Northern Illinois three years ago.
“For him,” White said. “Coming over from Northern Illinois and being a starter for multiple years and then here, having to just sort of have a role in the defense, and not necessarily a starter role.”
In three seasons at Northern Illinois, Rayner started in 17 of his 22 career games and built a résumé of 126 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks and three pass breakups. He played in all of UK’s 13 games during the 2023 season — recording 30 tackles and three tackles for loss, two pass breakups and one quarterback hurry — but only made one start.
White and Stoops have both spoken about the difficulties of player retention and the patience necessary in order to best develop the type of athletes recruited to play SEC football.
The Kentucky defense must rely upon younger, less experienced players to step up in the absence of injured starters and veteran leaders like outside linebacker Sam Green and safety Jordan Lovett, both of whom are out for the season, and inside linebacker Alex Afari, who is expected to miss at least this weekend’s matchup against Tennessee Tech.
It’s not always simple to ask a backup to keep plugging away, to prepare as though he is the starter and have faith that, someday, he may receive an opportunity to play a bigger role.
However, it may be a bit easier to tell underclassmen to stay motivated and remain engaged when veterans can vouch that the hours spent preparing are worth it.
Rayner, accustomed to playing a key role for his defense, found himself redshirting last season after the coaching staff decided he needed to focus more on his physical development. After playing in UK’s first three games of the 2024 season, Rayner did not see the field again until the team’s Nov. 2 loss to Tennessee. While many have opted to transfer in similar situations, Rayner chose to trust the plan.
“(Rayner) not only is productive on the field, but in the locker room,” White said. “Young guys that are struggling, he’s taken it upon himself to go to those guys and say, ‘Hey listen, I’ve been where you are. I’ve been in these scenarios where you wish you were playing more, but you just have to trust that the development works.’”
Rayner’s leadership has also paid off in the form of UK’s steadily-improving defense, which has played a pivotal role in the reignition of the Wildcats’ bowl eligibility chances.
“The whole goal was to have a year like he’s having this year,” White said. “Be that senior leader.”
Days after the team’s 22-point loss to Tennessee on Oct. 25, Rayner walked into a post-practice media availability with a smile on his face, confidently highlighting areas in which the defense had improved, while also acknowledging there was progress to be made.
“In the league that we play in, if you make mistakes, anybody — it doesn’t matter if you’re (ranked) 1 or 16 — your mistakes are gonna get capitalized on,” Rayner said. “So I think, like I said, (Tennessee’s) a really good football team. But when we shoot ourselves in the foot, that’s the result we have to expect.”
Against the Volunteers, Kentucky’s defense allowed a season-high 56 points, and 504 total yards of offense, including 396 yards through the air. Though Auburn, UK’s next opponent, was also struggling more than fans had hoped, Raveren was clear that the unit’s mentality was shifting.
“I think we’re approaching this week of practice like a team that has a lot to prove,” Rayner said. “I think that we’ve done a great job up to this point of making sure that we do what we need to do and having a certain demeanor about ourselves like, ‘This did just happen to us, how are we gonna respond?’”
After seven games, including five bitter conference losses, and 176 points allowed, Kentucky has built a two-game winning streak during which it’s allowed just 17 points (and only one touchdown).
Against the Tigers on the road, Rayner led the defense with eight tackles (five solo), including one tackle for loss and one quarterback hurry. Stoops credited Rayner’s steadiness amid all the responsibility.
“I thought he (Rayner) played really well,” Stoops said. “He’s been steady throughout the year, but there is a lot on these guys, as we know we do a lot defensively, so there’s a lot on his plate. But, in this game I thought he played really fast and very sure of himself, and really did some good things.”
When the Wildcats returned home and defeated Florida 38-7 on Nov. 8, Rayner’s hard work paid off again and helped set the tone in the win. Rayner broke up a pass from Florida quarterback DJ Lagway — benched later in the game — that became an interception which would lead to Kentucky’s first points.
“Starting with the opening play of this game, I thought he was very aggressive and pulled the trigger and made it very disruptive play on the opening play of the game,” Stoops said. “I think he’s a guy that can play explosive.”
Rayner also tallied his own interception, five tackles and a sack in the victory and was named the Co-SEC Defensive Player of the Week to show for it. During that Florida game, Afari, Greene and Lovett each sustained their injuries, but Rayner served as the calm in the storm for the reserves whose numbers were called in their absence.
Earlier this week, sophomore inside linebacker Grant Godfrey named Rayner as one of the leaders who have helped him stay the course.
“We have great leaders right now,” Godfrey said. “Dav is a great leader. Ty Bryant, and J-Love is a great leader, too. ...They’ve molded us into players where, we go out there, we communicate just as much as them. Just being able to play confident. And we’re gonna have a great future.”
Not only did the seven points scored by the Gators mark the fewest UK had allowed to Florida since 1986, but it also was the first time the Wildcats had given up 247 or fewer total yards to back-to-back conference foes since 1999 — years before Rayner was born.
“He has that knack for — maybe sometimes you’re watching film, it’s not perfect,” Stoops said. “But he plays ball, which is what you want out of an inside linebacker, just the instincts there. He’s played a lot of football, and he’s been a really good leader, so very proud.”
Rayner will be out of eligibility when this season comes to an end, but his leadership and legacy will remain, existing within the new leaders for whom he and his fellow veterans forged a new path during a year when many fans gave up the hope of six wins early in the season.
“He’s one of those guys I’m gonna miss dearly when the season comes to an end,” White said.
