Kavosiey Smoke announces return to Kentucky football

Kentucky running back Kavosiey Smoke is ready to run it back with the Wildcats in 2022.

After four years in Lexington, Smoke will return for a fifth year at UK, with the veteran back announcing his decision on his Instagram page.

“RUN IT BACK!” Smoke wrote.

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A post shared by Kavosiey “DaGoat” Smoke 📽 (@_ks20_)

As a junior at Kentucky, the 5-foot-9, 201-pound running back finished with 416 yards and four touchdowns on 81 carries in 2021. He previously rushed for 229 yards and one score on 47 carries in 2020, 616 yards and six touchdowns on 101 carries in 2019 and 45 yards and one score on four carries in 2018.

After redshirting in 2018 and the NCAA granting an additional year of eligibility due to COVID-19, Smoke will have two years of eligibility remaining. He will be officially classified as a redshirt senior with a potential super senior season available in 2023.

Smoke originally signed with Kentucky back in 2018, choosing the Wildcats over offers from South Carolina, Auburn, North Carolina, Georgia Tech, Missouri, Florida and Virginia Tech. A three-star recruit by all major recruiting services, he rushed for 1,508 yards and 28 touchdowns as a senior at Wetumpka (AL).

With Smoke back in the fold, Kentucky will return 2,471 total yards — the entirety of its core rushing attack — from last season between Chris Rodriguez (1,379), Smoke (416), Will Levis (376), JuTahn McClain (165), La’Vell Wright (118) and Michael Drennen (17).

That’ll do. Time to run it back this fall.