Ray Davis, Vanderbilt Running Back, Transfers to Kentucky
Score one for the Wildcats. Ray Davis, one of just four 1,000-yard running backs in the SEC this fall, announced he will transfer from Vanderbilt to Kentucky. The grad transfer can use a COVID-19 eligibility waiver to play two seasons in Lexington.
Vanderbilt’s leading rusher finished fourth in the SEC with 1,042 yards on 232 carries (4.49 ypc.) and scored five touchdowns. It was just the tenth 1,000-yard rushing season ever by a Vanderbilt running back. He finished the season with momentum, securing three 100-yard performances in his final four games as a Commodore.
Kentucky fans know Ray Davis all too well. He had one of the best games of his career against the Wildcats, totaling 129 yards on 26 carries in the Vanderbilt victory at Kroger Field. A 45-yard run, the second-longest of his career, set up a 1-yard touchdown run.
Ray Davis is a 5-foot-9, 205-pound running back from San Francisco. A three-star prospect out of high school, he initially committed to Temple. He nearly surpassed the 1,000-yard threshold as a true freshman, tallying 936 yards and eight touchdowns in 2019. After an injury-plagued sophomore season, he hit the transfer portal and found a new home in Nashville. He could not evade the injury bug, suffering a season-ending injury in week three of the 2021 season.
Jay Boulware’s Kind of Running Back
When Kentucky’s new running backs coach was introduced to the media, Jay Boulware was asked to describe his ideal tailback. Davis checks all of the boxes.
“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.”
Ray Davis Impact at Kentucky
Ray Davis is just what the Wildcats are looking for in the transfer portal. For the first time since 2016, the Wildcats do not have a bell-cow in the backfield. Davis is no Benny Snell or Chris Rodriguez, but he will bring some much-needed physicality to the offense.
Kentucky is rebuilding its running back room. Entering the Music City Bowl, the Cats only have two healthy tailbacks, La’Vell Wright and JuTahn McClain. Next year the Cats could get Ramon Jefferson for another season. The FCS All-American is applying for a medical waiver after suffering a season-ending injury on his first carry at Kentucky. Even if Jefferson is available, there’s no telling what he will bring to the table following a year of rehabilitation.
The Wildcats are currently scouring the high school ranks for running backs, and will likely add two to the 2023 recruiting class. But relying on true freshmen is a fool’s errand. Ray Davis is bringing depth and packing a punch every time he touches the ball for the Wildcats next fall.
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