Report: Kentucky RB Chip Trayanum to miss 3-4 weeks, 1-2 games with broken hand
Per sources speaking with Kentucky Sports Radio, Kentucky RB Chip Trayanum will be missing time to open this season.
In a tweet on Tuesday morning, Matt Jones shared that Trayanum will miss three to four weeks, including likely one to two games as part of that, due to a broken hand.
This is significant news with Trayanum being the Wildcats’ starting running back going into the fall. Part of that is due to how much Mark Stoops and their offense has previously relied on the run game. It’s specifically so this season too with the team’s depth and ceiling at that position not being what it has been in years past with names like Benny Snell, Chris Rodriguez, and Ray Davis.
Trayanum transferred to Lexington this offseason following two seasons apiece at Ohio State and Arizona State. He did so as the No. 12 RB and at No. 149 overall per On3’s 2024 Transfer Portal Top Players. That made him the third-highest rated addition this offseason for Kentucky after LB Jamon Dumas-Johnson (No. 32, No. 1 LB) and QB Brock Vandagriff (No. 34, No. 8 QB).
In his career as a Sun Devil and Buckeye, Trayanum has rushed 227 times for 1,156 yards and 13 touchdowns. 100 carries for 373 yards and three scores came over his past two seasons in Columbus. He has finished top-five in rushing on each of his four teams, including in first as a freshman and then in second last year.
Now, for the remainder of the month and apparently into the season, Kentucky will look to backs, coached by Jay Boulware, like Demie Sumo-Karngbaye, Jamarion Wilcox, and Jason Patterson. Sumo-Karngbaye is the most experienced with this being his second year with the team and fourth overall. Wilcox is also there in year two there as a redshirt freshman. As for Patterson, he arrives for his freshman season as a three-star, Top-40 RB recruit that could be in a more crucial role now with this news.
Regardless, though, Trayanum’s injury is not a good development for Kentucky coming out of fall camp and to open the season. That leaves it to those other backs to carry the load as a committee until he can return in September.
Kentucky CB DJ Waller Jr. misses first scrimmage with slight injury
Kentucky CB DJ Waller Jr. was unable to go in the team’s first scrimmage of fall camp on Saturday.
Mark Stoops discussed Waller’s absence after the Wildcats’ game this weekend. He said the transfer corner suffered an injury. following practice on Friday. It was to the extent of not playing the following day but with him set to be back this week.
“Waller wasn’t able to play today. He has a slight injury,” said Stoops. “Should be back early this week. Got hurt yesterday late I think yesterday after practice doing some extra work but nothing major.”
This was a notable development both for Waller as well as the team’s secondary. UK is currently looking for a second cornerback to pair alongside Maxwell Hairston. This intra-squad game could have settled some of that between him along with names like Jantzen Dunn and JQ Hardaway. As KSR’s Adam Luckett described it in a preview on Friday, this was “a huge opportunity” for Waller.