Bio Blast: Kaiya Sheron
On Thursday evening, we received a positive update from Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops on the status of QB1 Will Levis but it’s still not definitive as to if the redshirt senior will be good to go against South Carolina on Saturday night at Kroger Field.
What we do know is that redshirt freshman Kaiya Sheron is next in line if Will Levis is unable to go this weekend. However, not many people know much about the Somerset (Ky.) High prospect. KSR is here to provide some background information on Kentucky’s surprising backup quarterback.
State championship quarterback
Heading into his junior season, there was not a ton of buzz for class of 2021 quarterback Kaiya Sheron (6-3, 208). The in-state prospect earned an early scholarship offer from former Kentucky co-offensive coordinator Darin Hinshaw the summer before his sophomore season but not a lot of recruiting attention followed.
However, the quarterback became a big name in the state during his junior campaign.
Sheron led the Briar Jumpers to a 14-1 record and a class AA state title in 2019. The three-star prospect threw for 3,218 yards and 28 touchdowns while adding 928 rushing yards and nine more scores. To knock off Mayfield, Sheron led Somerset on a five-play, 86-yard drive with a game-winning touchdown pass on the final play of the game to lead his high school their first-ever state title.
The numbers took a step back as a senior during the COVID-19 season as Sheron nursed an injury at the end of the season. However, the in-state native showed some of his chops during that huge junior season.
Early impressions were made at Kentucky
When Mark Stoops hired Liam Coen from the Los Angeles Rams, the NFL assistant came to Kentucky and inherited a very unproven QB room. The scholarship players on the roster during the 2020-21 spring semester were Beau Allen, Joey Gatewood, and Kaiya Sheron.
The early enrollee is now the only one remaining on the roster less than two years later. After that semester, Will Levis came in from Penn State and locked down the starting QB job, but Sheron made a quick impression on Coen.
“Kaiya is the type of kid where he’ll make a throw, a big-time throw and then just kind of walk off the field like nothing happened. He’s a cool customer who’s got some stuff to him,” Coen said after one spring practice. “He’s got a big arm. He’s done some nice things.”
Kentucky will need some of that moxy to show up on Saturday if Levis is unable to go.
Kaiya Sheron has closed ground fast
Following the end of the 2021 season, Kaiya Sheron was firmly in the QB3 position behind Will Levis and Beau Allen. Following the addition of Iowa transfer Deuce Hogan, Sheron looked like he was going to be buried on the depth chart under new offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello.
Before the start of fall camp, Allen entered the transfer portal and eventually landed at FCS Tarleton State. There was buzz that the Lexington (Ky.) Catholic product was starting to lose his grip on the QB2 position.
It appeared that Hogan was the top backup option for Kentucky and the former top-500 recruit opened the season as QB2. However, Sheron appeared to pass the redshirt sophomore after Week 2.
The in-state product has made a move at the Joe Craft Football Training Facility and could get his moment in the spotlight on Saturday at Kroger Field.
KSR’s Scouting Report
Following the commitment of Kaiya Sheron back in March 2020, KSR turned on the tape and looked at the quarterback’s film. Here’s what we learned:
Sheron is currently a mid three-star recruit who completed 68.5 percent of his passes last year while averaging a robust 12.38 yards per attempt with 28 touchdowns and an interception rate of just 1.9 percent. He also led the team in rushing with 959 yards on 114 carries with eight touchdowns. He was the Somerset offense and in the end picked Kentucky over Marshall while visiting Louisville, Michigan State, and West Virginia.
The first thing you need to know about Sheron when beginning his quarterback evaluation is that he is an athlete. The 6-foot-3 and 195-pound quarterback is a legit player on Somerset’s basketball team and could play receiver or safety at a high level [in high school] if called upon. He has been clocked at 4.8 in the forty-yard dash, and his running numbers show a player with playmaking potential with his legs. That shows up on tape.
[Sheron] has the tools — size, athleticism, and accuracy — to succeed at the position. He does not have the biggest arm and will have to prove he can make the same plays against much more speed at a higher level, but there is a lot to like about the 2021 recruit.
KSR Film Room
The in-state prospect excelled at making plays out of structure and could drive the ball vertically to make some big plays at the high school level. We could learn soon if that will translate immediately to the SEC.
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