Jay Boulware "Fired Up" to coach Kentucky Running Backs, Special Teams
Jay Boulware has spent his entire coaching career surrounded by some of the best running backs in the country. After most recently spending a season with Najee Harris and Benny Snell with the Pittsburgh Steelers, he was happy to take the call from Kentucky’s Mark Stoops.
“It just fired me up,” Boulware said in his first meeting with the media Friday afternoon. “As a running back coach at this university, I just feel like you should be able to get one of the best backs in the country. That’s what I want to do.
“I want to recruit guys, not just guys that are five-star guys or whatever that people think are good, that the media says are good, but guys that I put my eyes on and think they can play at the type of level I’ve come accustomed to playing with.”
Boulware is well aware of Kentucky’s recent rushing success and the task at hand, rebuilding the running backs room. That’s why he immediately hit the road recruiting to ensure it does not fall off under his tutelage. He’s been eager to share images on social media of his travels. From Chicago to Nashville, Alabama, Florida and everywhere in-between. He spent his final of the contact period with Jamarion Wilcox, a running back considered by Rivals as one of the Top 150 players in the country. His efforts appear to be paying off.
What Kinds of Running Backs Boulware Likes
Jay Boulware has been around prolific programs since he began his career as a student assistant for Texas back in 1994. He won a national championship coaching special teams at Auburn and attended plenty of New Year’s Six Bowls with Bob Stoops at Oklahoma. Throughout his travels he’s come to prefer a certain style of rusher, the kind the BBN is used to seeing on Saturdays at Kroger Field.
“I like big guys. I like guys that can obviously take a pounding. When I say big, I mean physical. I want some speed to be able to finish the run, that home run threat,” said Boulware.
“I was watching the Georgia game and I kept thinking to myself, ‘If a running back just breaks one, that’s all it’s going to take and you’re right in the thick of that thing with an opportunity to beat the top team in the East right now.’ That fires me up, to have the opporuntity to get that player to come in here and be able to provide what we need to get out of that stadium with a W.”
A couple of guys he’s currently recruiting check those boxes. Vanderbilt transfer Ray Davis is a physical rusher that was in town over the weekend. Cincinnati Winton Woods’ Trey Cornist is another bruiser that could ultimately pick UK when the Early Signing Period begins on Wednesday.
Jay Boulware Knows Special Teams Specifics
In addition to coaching running backs and actively recruiting, Jay Boulware will be in charge of the Wildcats’ special teams efforts. Not only does he have experience with the schematics of the return game, he knows the nuances with the kicking game, a significant problem for the Wildcats last fall.
“I coach our snappers, I coach our punters, I coach our kickers, as well as the core (special teams). I have a regiment I go through. You can just look through my history.”
His resume is filled with players who went on to excel at the NFL. Boulware’s long-snapper at Auburn, Josh Harris, has earned all-pro honors throughout his 10-year career. He recruited the Raiders’ all-pro placekicker, Daniel Carlson, and also coached Cody Parkey. Austin Seibert was Oklahoma’s first-ever Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year after he set the FBS scoring record for all kickers back in 2018.
“I’m well aware of how to go about getting things accomplished to get what we’re looking for and also bringing a presence in the room that guys can look to and understand this is who’s coaching (special teams).”
Mike Tomlin Seal of Approval
Following a brief stint with Texas in 2020, Jay Boulware escaped the college coaching ranks to hit the reset button with the Pittsburgh Steelers. An offensive intern in the running backs room, he was looking for new perspective and found it from Mike Tomlin.
“Tony Dungy taught him before he ever walks in the building everyday, ‘What can I do to be of service to everybody in that building to make their day better?’ He sent me a note one time and it said, ‘You’ve been outstanding since you’ve been here and I appreciate the relationships that you’ve made around the building.’
“I can’t tell you how pumped up I was when he sent that. I was so fired up when he said that. That’s what I want to be, I want to be giving. I want to give young kids energy, I want to be able to feed into their lives every single day and provide whatever they need from me, because I’m here for them all day, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”
Jay Boulware is injecting energy into Kentucky’s running backs room in the middle of a rebuild. His recruiting efforts could go a long way to help, all while repairing the reputation of a once proud special teams unit.
Discuss This Article
Comments have moved.
Join the conversation and talk about this article and all things Kentucky Sports in the new KSR Message Board.
KSBoard