Kentucky Football Countdown: No. 17 JuTahn McClain

On3 imageby:Nick Roush08/17/22

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JuTahn McClain was one of Liam Coen’s favorite prospects entering the 2021 season. Could he become a breakout star in 2022? Let’s take a closer look at the Cincinnati native in Wednesday’s edition of the KSR Kentucky Football Countdown.

About McClain

Pronounced “juh-TAWN,” McClain was a sensation at Fairfield High School. Playing in the largest classification for high school football in the state Ohio, he nearly eclipsed 2,000 rushing yards in each of his final two seasons. He only came up 53 yards short of the milestone in 2019 thanks to an injury in the regular season finale. That year McClain earned all-state honors and was named Division I Offensive Player of the Year. He totaled 60 touchdowns in his prep career and also starred in track and field.

JuTahn McClain Career Highlight

McClain played as soon as he arrived on campus. He appeared in all 11 games during the COVID-19 plagued 2020 season, recording a tackle on special teams in the season-opener at Auburn. He also returned one kick, but was used sparingly in the running game, rushing 16 times for 62 yards.

Projected to make a splash in 2021, his season was nearly derailed by a frat party fight. Once the air cleared and charges were dropped, he immediately made an impact.

Early in the season Liam Coen attempted multiple wheel routes to pass-catchers out of the backfield. For a variety of reasons, the play never worked. The first time JuTahn McClain’s number was called, he delivered with a 25-yard touchdown reception against LSU.

Even though McClain never rushed for a touchdown, he did tally 10 carries against Vanderbilt (69 yards) and Iowa (28 yards), finishing the season with 165 rushing yards (4.9 yards per carry).

2022 Forecast

When will we see Chris Rodriguez? It’s a question that remains unclear. Will No. 17 be the first one to have his number called if Rodriguez is absent? That’s also a tough question for Kentucky’s offensive coordinator to answer.

“Honestly I think they’re all kind of the twos, as crazy as that’s going to sound,” Rich Scangarello said Tuesday. “And that’s not me trying to be diplomatic. It’s just that I feel like they all have a little different style to them and they all can play a role.”

There may not be a defined No. 2 running back, but McClain has separated himself from the rest of the crew in one aspect: pass-catching. In two-back sets, like the one where he scored a touchdown vs. LSU, he can become a lethal target for Will Levis. An exceptional route-runner, he can act as a de facto slot receiver by motioning out of the backfield, providing plenty of play-calling possibilities for Scangarello. Additionally, he is one of the Wildcats’ best wide zone rushers. In fact, he almost exclusively served as Kentucky’s outside zone running back last fall.

Projecting statistics for a player that will be a part of a deep rotation is difficult. Even if he doesn’t get a ton of called carries, JuTahn McClain has clearly carved out a role as the top pass-catching option at running back, ensuring he’ll see a significant amount of snaps in 2022.

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2024-03-27