Dane Key shares how close Kentucky wide receivers are off the field

Dane Key and Barion Brown are inseparable. As impressive as they are on the field, they’re even better friends behind the scenes.

Big Blue National fell in love with the two wideouts during their true freshman campaign in 2022, and the chemistry the wide receiving corps has built in the months since now goes way beyond simply the game of football.

“Barion [Brown] is a clown. I’m probably with Barion every day, like outside of football we’ll probably arrive at the facility at the same time. He’ll be in my house just chilling. I’ll be with him just hanging out and it’s not just Barion, it’s the whole receiver room,” Key said during spring training. “Me, Barion, Dekel [Crowdus], Tayvion [Robinson], Brandon White — everyone in that room is always together. There is really a special bond in that room.”

Each player brings something different to the room. Key’s and Brown’s games speak for themselves, but Crowdus is an unproven, sure-handed diamond in the rough that has battled injuries his entire collegiate career. He and Key went to high school together at Frederick Douglass in Lexington, so the chemistry has always been there. White is one of the fastest college football players in the country and is best utilized vertically or on special teams.

Robinson, a transfer from Virginia Tech that played his first season under head coach Mark Stoops in 2022, had a bit of a disappointing year after only managing to catch 40 passes for 497 yards and three touchdowns. Many expected him to attempt to fill in the massive shoes left by New York Giants WR Wan’Dale Robinson, but that was before the emergence of Key and Brown.

The two went on to combine for 87 receptions, 1,147 yards and 10 touchdowns. For reference, former UK star quarterback and eventual second-round draft pick Will Levis threw for 2,406 yards and 19 touchdowns during his senior season. The duo accounted for over 45 percent of Levis’s passing yards, and transitioning to Devin Leary, a top transfer from NC State, shouldn’t be much of a learning curve.

Add in the return of offensive coordinator Liam Coen, and with Key and Brown leading the charge, there are high hopes for this receiving group in Lexington this season. Expecting breakout seasons from both true sophomores, Kentucky could have one of the most dynamic wideout groups in the SEC this season, particularly in the vertical passing game.