Kentucky freshman Dekel Crowdus avoids surgery after initial scare

After initial reports that Kentucky freshman wide receiver Dekel Crowdus suffered a significant knee injury on Thursday, Kentucky Sports Radio’s reported Crowdus will not need surgery.

“Great news from my man (Dekel Crowdus) this afternoon,” Lemond tweeted. “No surgery on his knee. Prayers answered. He’s a great kid who has worked his ass off. This is just a minor setback, and he’ll be back better and faster than ever!”

The news comes as a relief for the Wildcats, after original reports that Crowdus had suffered a significant knee injury, which could have sidelined him for at least the 2021 season.

Losing Crowdus for an extensive period could have been devastating for a Kentucky team that has dealt with it’s fair share of bad news this offseason.

The Wildcats have dealt with some unfortunate injury luck this offseason. Wide receiver Clevan Thomas, linebacker D’Eryk Jackson, and tight end Keaton Upshaw all went down with season-ending injuries.

Off the field, chief of staff Dan Berezowitz was arrested in late June and charged with fourth-degree assault. He has been suspended and is the subject of an investigation. Wide receivers coach Jovon Bouknight plead guilty to speeding and open container charges earlier this month, stemming from a DUI arrest earlier this year. Bouknight was suspended for over a month during the summer.

Crowdus was a four-star prospect coming out of Frederick Douglass High School in Lexington, Kentucky. As a senior, he had 25 catches for 331 yards and nine touchdowns. He owns the school record for career touchdown receptions with 22 as well as career receiving yards with 1,505. He committed to the hometown Wildcats over the likes of Auburn, Ole Miss and Texas, among 21 total offers.

At 5-foot-10, Crowdus had been making waves in fall camp, showing off his speed and route-running ability that made him such a highly-coveted recruit.

.@CrowdusDekel ran a post 🙌#ForTheTeam 😼🏈 pic.twitter.com/HPa0q3RlBl

— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) August 10, 2021

Crowdus was expected to have an impact in the Wildcats’ offense as a freshman. Kentucky looks to turn around their passing offense significantly. In 2020, the Wildcats ranked in the bottom ten nationally in passing yards among D1 schools. Among Power 5 schools, they were the worst, averaging just 124.4 passing yards per game.

Depending on the extent of the injury and his recovery, he might still be able to contribute in 2021. If Crowdus misses extensive time, additional pressure will be on starting receivers Wan’Dale Robinson, Izayah Cummings, Josh Ali and Isaiah Epps.