Keenan Burton believes Kentucky football is poised for a breakthrough

Keenan Burton helped orchestrate one of the most exciting Kentucky football runs in a generation. Now he believes the Wildcats are poised to take it to the next level under Mark Stoops.

The Louisville Manual product was a star wide receiver in Lexington from 2003-07. A key part of Kentucky’s turnaround under Rich Brooks, he sees some similarities with his old coach and Mark Stoops.

“I think Coach Stoops is hungry. He really has something to prove,” Burton said on The Leach Report. “I think the reason why he hasn’t taken another job is because he truly believes that he can get it done at Kentucky. And for him also, it’s personal. That’s what I love about him.”

A recent selection to Kentucky’s 2022 Hall of Fame Class, Burton concluded his Kentucky career ranked fourth all-time in receptions (189) and second in receiving yards (2,376).

How Kentucky Turned a Corner in 2006

When reflecting on his career in Lexington, “adversity” is the first word that comes to mind for Keenan Burton. After coming up one score short of a win over South Carolina, the Cats were smashed 49-0 at Tiger Stadium. The embarrassing loss to LSU in 2006 served as a turning point for the program.

“You go down and get beat the way that we got beat, we knew we were better than that,” Burton said.

With UK’s stars finally healthy, the Cats dug in and did not relent. “You get beat like that, you look around and see we have everybody right now. There’s no excuses at this point. It’s just a mindset. I think that loss just cemented the mindset that we’re not going to take this anymore. This is not something that we’re going to do anymore and we’re going to do whatever it takes to climb out of that hole.”

The Cats rattled off four straight wins, including a 24-20 win over Georgia, to become bowl eligible. Kentucky capped off the 2006 season with a 28-20 win over Clemson in the Music City Bowl.

Kentucky is Knocking on the Door

“We Believe” was the mantra that served as a rallying cry for the BBN during the remarkable runs in 06 and 07. The first step to creating momentum is believing that it’s possible.

“Is this really possible? Can you really do it? And I believe that we have enough.”

Mark Stoops has already knocked down a few doors to take the program to places Keenan Burton’s group could not. Now with two 10-win seasons in the last four years, Burton believes Stoops is not done climbing the ladder in the SEC.

“I believe that as of right now we have a coach that really wants to be here and it’s only a matter of time before we take over the positioning in the East,” he told Leach. “With that being said, they’ve changed a lot of things with a bunch of teams coming in the SEC now, we’ll see what happens, but I believe we’re as good or better than any of those teams that are coming.”

Oklahoma and Texas will certainly change the equation when they join the SEC in 2025. Until then, Kentucky is in a position to turn even more heads around the conference. All of the pieces are there, Stoops just has to put them together to take Kentucky to the top of the SEC East.

[Leach Report]