Dekel Crowdus a "perfect example" of patience paying off

A four-star, top-300 prospect out of high school, Kentucky wide receiver Dekel Crowdus hasn’t been the instant-impact playmaker many expected — himself included — when he signed with the Wildcats.

A knee injury held him out his freshman year, and now after a redshirt season, he’s had to wait his turn at receiver. True freshmen Dane Key and Barion Brown have been early standouts, as has Virginia Tech transfer Tayvion Robinson. DeMarcus Harris, Brenden Bates, Chauncey Magwood, Keaton Upshaw and Jordan Dingle have made up the bulk of Will Levis’ other targets.

Struggling to break through into the rotation to open the season, Crowdus had some difficult conversations with head coach Mark Stoops about his role and how his work in practice can translate to game reps.

Stoops’ message: stay the course. The 5-foot-10 wide receiver’s time would come, he just needed to trust the process. And considering how well he had been playing in practice in recent weeks, that opportunity could come sooner rather than later.

“Dekel is doing really good, he had a great week of practice last week,” Stoops said during his call-in radio show last week. “I’ve mentioned him a few times in press conferences and on the show. He’s a guy that we really want to get going. I have a lot of confidence in Dekel, think he’s going to be a really good player. He was injured most of last year, but he’s coming along. I really want to see him out there, he’s just getting better.

“I’ve had some talks with him and told him how much we thought of him, just continue to work, continue to grind. Sooner or later he’s going to get his opportunity and we’ll see what he does with it. I’m excited about Dekel.”

Just one week later, Crowdus’ time finally came. Taking the field for his first real reps as a Wildcat, the former four-star recruit caught two passes for 17 yards, including a first-down snag for 12 yards. Certainly not world-beating numbers, but he made an impact when his number was called. It was exactly what Stoops asked for during their heart-to-heart conversations to open the season.

In the modern transfer portal era, that type of mutual progress and understanding is crucial. On one end, players have to work and earn playing time for themselves. On the other, coaches have to be ready to extend those opportunities when they are earned. They can’t get caught up in the week-to-week grind of game-planning and lose track of player development.

That’s how you lose talent to the portal.

“I think that’s fair to say,” Stoops said Monday when asked about giving young players early opportunities in hopes of retaining them in the future. “As I mentioned to the coaches, sometimes we spend years recruiting these guys. They’re really good players. You also have to really take time with the players and help them understand that a lot of these guys are going to be very successful. If they are not successful right now, then let’s talk about it, address it and see where they need to improve and really help them improve.

“You get caught up as coordinators or position coaches, you get caught up with the game plan, we get caught up with winning, which is ultimately most important. But we can’t forget about development and bringing those guys along.”

He singled out Crowdus as a prime example of that. His talent is obvious and Kentucky needs him moving forward. How can they make that clear in the short term while continuing to let him develop for the long?

Saturday was a great start.

“I think a guy like Dekel (Crowdus) is a perfect example,” Stoops said. “As I told Dekel the last couple of weeks, you can be a great player here, it’s just a matter of when. Continuing to stay positive and work extremely hard. So, when they get that opportunity, how are they going to play? You’ve heard me mention several times, it’s not just about how they play, it’s about how we function as an offense, defense or special teams when they’re in the game. Are they doing all the little things?”

In his first real action on the field, Crowdus did all the little things. His hard work — and patience — paid off.