On3 Roundtable: Kentucky's Dane Key, Barion Brown among best receiver duos in the country

Devin Leary is stepping in as the next Kentucky quarterback and is going to have quite a few weapons around him. Two really stand out at wide receiver, with Dane Key and Barion Brown returning for their second season in Lexington. Both are coming off stellar freshman seasons and have impressed plenty around the program.

In fact, Drew Franklin of On3’s Kentucky Sports Radio believes Brown and Key are among the best wide receiver duos in the country. He joined the On3 Roundtable to discuss the possibility. At the very least, Franklin likes the duo’s odds when stacking up against SEC opponents — something Kentucky fans are not exactly used to.

“You know, I don’t know every roster in the country,” Franklin said. “I kind of stick to the SEC bubble, but I can’t imagine there are many sophomores out there that can compete with that two-pack. Heck, at Kentucky just those guys by themselves, regardless of class, Kentucky doesn’t normally have many playmakers like that at all, let alone two on one roster.”

Brown finished as Kentucky’s leading receiver, bringing in 50 catches for 628 yards and four touchdowns. Key was not too far behind, having 519 yards on 37 receptions. He did, however, best Brown in the touchdown department, hauling in a team-high six.

While the overall numbers are impressive, Franklin says some of the individual performances stick out between Brown and Key.

“Last year they were complete surprises as rookies, about 10 touchdowns between them,” Franklin said. “Each had huge games, Dane in the win at Florida, Barion Brown almost helped him beat Ole Miss, something like 250 yards touching the ball five times in that game.”

Improvement is going to be expected from both, even with a new quarterback jumping into the program. Excitement is building throughout Big Blue Nation as everyone hopes Franklin’s projection of Brown and Key come to fruition.

“So, the fan base and Kentucky football is very excited to have them leading the charge,” Franklin said. “That’s a crowded receiver room too for Leary, so it’s just unique circumstance to have those weapons around Kentucky football.”

The 2023 campaign will kick off on Sept. 2 but the first SEC game will take place on Sept. 23 against Vanderbilt. An overall bounce back season is needed by Kentucky after a disappointing 2022. And the two wide receivers avoiding the sophomore slump will be crucial.