LOOK: Former Kentucky quarterback reveals custom cleats honoring Jared Lorenzen
Former Kentucky quarterback Terry Wilson honored one of Kentucky all-time greats Jared Lorenzen with a custom pair of cleats during the first day of his NFL Draft prep.
Lorenzen, a native of Covington, Kentucky, passed away on July 3, 2019. The loss left a hole in the Bluegrass State’s soul — the Kentucky football family lost an absolute legend andarguably the biggest fan-favorite in program history.
The former UK quarterback still stands as the program’s all-time leading passer at 10,354 career yards, the single-game passing leader (528 yards vs. Georgia, 2000), second-most career passing touchdowns with 78, first in career total offense (10,637 yards), first in single-game total offense (525 vs. Georgia, 2000) and first in total touchdowns (90), among other highlights.
This isn’t the first time Wilson has attempted to honor Lorenzen. In 2019, Wilson planned to wear another pear of custom cleats in their season opener in what was Wilson’s first game in a Kentucky uniform.
The plan didn’t end up happened for whatever reason, but it was an incredible gesture for someone coming in from a JUCO by way of Oregon to learn the history of the school you play for — it says something about his character.
Wilson and Kentucky then planned on allowing the quarterback to wear Lorenzen’s coveted No. 22 jersey against Arkansas that year on Oct. 12. The day was dubbed ‘Jared Lorenzen Day’ in Lexington by the University of Kentucky. Wilson would fracture a bone in his leg a few games prior and was sidelined for the remainder of the season.
Nowadays, the No. 22 jersey is also synonymous with Chris Oats, a former Kentucky linebacker that suffered a stroke in the summer of 2020 and is now bound to a wheelchair. It’s safe to say, that jersey means so much in the hearts of Big Blue Nation.
“Coming to Kentucky and seeing all the history that he made, and all the big games he went through, and all that he did for this program, it was huge,” Wilson said about Lorenzen in 2019. “So when I saw Jared’s passing, I felt like I had to do something. I felt like I needed to show my honor and respect for him and his family and this university.”
Despite leaving Kentucky for his final year of collegiate eligibility to play at New Mexico, Wilson keeps a piece of Lexington in his heart at all times for several reasons — his daughter was born there, after all. But it’s not just that his family will be tied to that city forever, he led Kentucky to their first win over Florida — in the Swamp no less — in over 30 years.
Lorenzen posted to social media during the win in what is now a pair of fan-favorite videos reacting to Wilson and Kentucky pulling off the upset.
“He’s definitely a GOAT here [at Kentucky],” Wilson said.