Some of the best depth-chart battles through the first week of Kentucky’s fall camp are at the receiver positions.
The Wildcats lost their top two wideouts from last year’s team to the transfer portal, with Dane Key going to Nebraska and Barion Brown heading to LSU, leaving a big opportunity for new players to step into the spotlight.
The UK staff responded by hitting the portal hard and making the position a priority in the Class of 2025, giving them many options heading into the new season.
“I think it can be pretty deep. The competition is there,” UK offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan said after Tuesday morning’s practice at the Joe Craft Football Training Center.
“I think we’ll be in more of a situation where we’re looking to see who is going to step up and be the 1. That’s what it’s going to come down to. We think we’ve got a lot of very capable players in that room, but we’re going to have to continue developing, with new quarterbacks, who’s going to be the guy making those plays consistently in one-on-one situations.”
Making up for lost productivity
With the departure of Key and Brown, Kentucky lost 46% of its receptions from last season, 49% of its yardage, and one-third of its touchdowns through the air.
Among the new faces looking to fill those shoes is Hardley Gilmore, a 6-foot-1, 183-pound sophomore who showed signs of WR1 potential as a freshman with the Cats. The Belle Glade, Fla., native missed the first half of the season due to an injury, but caught six passes for 153 yards and a touchdown down the stretch.
With Kentucky’s overall passing game struggling to take flight in 2024, Gilmore opted to follow Key and his receivers coach, Daikiel Shorts, to Nebraska in the transfer portal. That experience did go well, however, and Gilmore opted to reunite with UK this summer.
“I’m a Kentucky Wildcat,” Gilmore said during the Cats’ annual Media Day. “I’m really blessed to be back here. I’m back on the same page with my coaches here and can’t wait to show what I can do.”
Gilmore opened a few eyes during Friday’s Media Day open practice and Saturday’s annual “Fan Day” event, making several contested catches under tight coverage.
“He’s doing well,” Hamdan said after Day 6 of fall camp. “… He’s doing some good things. Certainly, we need him day-to-day to be as consistent as he can be.”
“One of the most skilled receivers that we have,” said new UK receivers coach L’Damian Washington, noting that Gilmore is still only 18 years old and maturing on and off the field. “He’s still got the growing pains. It’s all about the details and consistency.”
Depth in the WR room
The receivers room also includes veterans in the form of senior Ja’Mori Maclin (13 receptions, 313 yards, team-high 4 TDs in 2024), senior Fred Farrier, and grad senior transfers J.J. Hester (Oklahoma), Kendrick Law (Alabama), and Troy Stellato (Clemson).
“Kendrick Law is super-strong,” Washington said of the 6-foot, 205-pound athlete who nearly resembles another running back on the field. “A ball-in-hand guy who is becoming more of a pure route runner… Tremendous speed.”
Some of the younger names on the roster who could figure into the mix this season are sophomore David Washington and freshmen DJ Miller and Montavin Quisenberry.
“I truly feel like we’ve got about eight guys that we can count on,” L’Damian Washington said. “I’ve been a lot of places in my short career, and I never had eight guys I truly feel like could go go out there and play and execute.
“Those guys are unselfish and willing and all have a unique quality that they add to the offense, and it’s my job to put them in a position where they can succeed.”
While UK head coach Mark Stoops likes the group on paper, he needs to see them perform before raising expectations too high.
“I think it is also fair for me to point out that we need that group to step up,” he said during Media Day. “We need them to be consistent. We need them to step up. We need them to make difficult catches, and we need to be able to rely on them that they’re going to make the plays when we need them to.”
