Liam Coen evaluates the depth in Kentucky's running back room

Kentucky football and Mark Stoops may have a quarterback about to be picked in the top 10 of the NFL Draft, but make no mistake: the Wildcats are a ground and pound team at heart. Stoops likes to run it and run it a lot. If Kentucky ever has goal-to-go downs, you can expect a rushing attempt right up the gut — and usually for a score. At least, when guys like Benny Snell and Chris Rodriguez loom in the backfield.

And this past season, UK finally said goodbye to Rodriguez after five years with the program and four in which he played. C-Rod leaves behind 3,644 career yards in Lexington, which is good for third all time and less than 200 behind Benny Snell. Had Kentucky played a full schedule during the shortened COVID year or if he hadn’t been suspended for the first third of this past season, he would undoubtedly be your record-holder.

All that to say: Kentucky is losing an era of its backfield as they turn the page to 2024. Barack Obama was still president the last time neither Snell or Rodriguez lined up at tailback and Mark Stoops hadn’t even gone to a bowl game with the ‘Cats yet. As for who’s next in that tremendous recent lineage of UK RBs, well, offensive coordinator Liam Coen has a few names to monitor who are impressing him during spring practice:

 “You know, I really like (La’Vell) Wright. You know, I like Ray Davis, he’s consistent, dependable, good, solid runner. Missed a few on Saturday, which, you know, he’ll learn from those. I’ve always trusted JuTahn (McClain) as a guy that can come in and be steady and be on it and good in the past pro game. And then La’Vell just kind of hasn’t stayed healthy yet, you know. He just hasn’t been able to stay healthy, he’s practiced and then he’s out for, you know, five or six days. So it’s been hard to truly evaluate that room without consistent participation every day. But they’re coming along.”

Davis, McClain and Wright are likely the three primary guys for the ‘Cats along with incoming freshman Jamarion Wilcox. Davis is the Vanderbilt transfer and has by far the most pedigree of the bunch. Meanwhile, McClain is a veteran rotation piece that may finally get a bigger role and Wright has dealt with injuries but has always received rave reviews from the coaching staff. Then again, there’s also Ramon Jefferson coming off a season missed to injury, who will be in his seventh year at his fourth different school. Liam Coen has a deep room to work with.

Davis is the workhorse to hang your hat on and will likely be the lead back, but there’s some real depth to this room Kentucky did not have at times when they knew they had Snell and Rodriguez to carry the load. This time around, they can afford to suffer injuries (and it sounds like they already have) or other setbacks because they have so many options.