Young Kentucky receiver room will be called upon to produce immediately

On3 imageby:Adam Luckett05/26/22

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Alabama transfer Javon Baker will not be a member of the Kentucky football team this fall. That is a blow for the Wildcats as the former four-star recruit can be a legit ball winner who could make plays in isolation with enough speed to become a vertical threat. Now offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello will have a bigger challenge than expected when building his first passing game in the SEC.

Slot receiver Tayvion Robinson is good enough to be a true No. 1 target for quarterback Will Levis, but Kentucky will need young players to produce early and often in 2022 for the passing game to reach the expected ceiling.

As things stand currently, Kentucky will enter summer workouts in June with 10 scholarship wideouts on the roster. The lion’s share of this position was added to the program in the last two recruiting classes.

Wide receivers coach Scott Woodward has added 80 percent of his room in the last two classes with Tae Tae Crumes and DeMarcus Harris being the only holdovers from the previous offensive regime in Lexington. Kentucky has flipped the wide receiver position and now has six former top-500 recruits in the room. The Wildcats are doing some good roster building, but young players will need to start producing right away for the offense.

Dane Key just had an excellent spring, and Scangarello is very high on the Lexington (Ky.) Frederick Douglass prospect. The former four-star recruit is likely a day one starter for Kentucky when the season opens against Miami (Ohio). Former top-100 recruit Barion Brown will be arriving this summer, and the expectations are high for the speedster. Brown has legit playmaking juice and can be a vertical threat but does need to add polish as a receiver. Second-year players Dekel Crowdus, Chris Lewis, and Chauncey Magwood could all make a push for playing time this season. Crowdus has the long speed to become a vertical field stretcher and likely would’ve played last year if not for a knee injury. Lewis posted big high school numbers for Pleasant Grove (Ala.) High but is still working on adding strength to his frame. Magwood played over 100 snaps as a true freshman and seems to have the build to become a dependable slot receiver in Kentucky’s new scheme. Both Anthony and White are bringing bonafide track speed to the offense.

The Wildcats will get added contributions from the tight end position as Brenden Bates, Izayah Cummings, Jordan Dingle, and Keaton Upshaw could all be factors. The position received 68 targets last season, and that number should increase by a significant amount with Scangarello holding the call sheet in 2022.

The offense has a chance to do some big things this season as Levis looks like a guy that could help take Kentucky to the next level. However, quarterbacks need wide receivers who can create separation and make big plays when touches are created. The Wildcats know Robinson can provide that, but some young players will have to step up to the plate and produce for Mark Stoops and his team to reach their potential in 2022.

Losing expected transfers Baker and Taj Harris (Rutgers) stings, but promising recent recruiting returns should give the Wildcats some answers to the test. Kentucky will just need some of its young players to step up and become major contributors.

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2024-03-28