2024 Kentucky Position Previews: Running Back

Kentucky’s fall camp is right around the corner. Before the Cats officially begin the 2024 season, KSR is taking a closer look at the roster and analyzing each position group. Personnel, storylines, questions, and one bold prediction will be included.

Tailback is up next where Kentucky is looking to replace another All-SEC player this fall.

Position Previews: Quarterback | Flipped QB room has unknown ceiling but should provide safe floor for offense (KSR+ column)

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Expected Starter: Chip Trayanum

After consistently recruiting and developing high school prospects into 1,000-yard rushers, Kentucky went looking for tailback help in the transfer portal last season. The Wildcats landed commitments from Ray Davis (Vanderbilt) and Demie Sumo-Karngbaye (NC State). The former became the program’s third All-SEC tailback in six years.

The Wildcats continue to pump out star running backs. The program went back to the portal to find the next RB1.

After beginning his career at Arizona State, Chip Trayanum spent the last two seasons at Ohio State. After playing some defense, the former four-star recruit settled in at tailback but has never rushed for more than 401 yards in a single season despite owning a good statistical profile. Kentucky will give the redshirt senior a chance to be a No. 1 tailback this season.

Kentucky’s Running Back Room

Jay Boulware is back for his second season as running backs coach at Kentucky. For the second year in a row, a first-year transfer will lead the way, but there is some intriguing young talent waiting in the wings with four other scholarship tailbacks on the roster along with Chip Trayanum.

Tovani Mizell (6-0, 215, Fr.)

The three-star recruit and former Georgia commit is coming off a knee injury that forced him to miss his senior season. Mizell will play his first football since 2022 during fall camp. The tailback has a track background and flashed good receiving ability on his junior tape. A redshirt season seems likely.

Jason Patterson (5-10, 206, Fr.)

The high three-star recruit led the state of Florida in rushing yards (2,721) as a junior and was getting first-team reps with Kentucky during spring practice. Patterson flashed great feel, good vision, and splash play potential as a runner on his high school tape. The first-year player will have a role in Kentucky’s offense this season.

Demie Sumo-Karngbaye (6-0, 210, Sr.)

The former NC State transfer rushed for 139 yards and reeled in 14 receptions while playing in all 13 games for Kentucky last season. Sumo-Karngbaye will enter the season as Kentucky’s clear RB2 and should have a big role this year. The New Jersey native will bring some needed passing game versatility to the position.

Jamarion Wilcox (5-10, 197, RFr.)

The Douglasville (Ga.) South Paulding prospect was a big recruiting win for Kentucky, but Wilcox failed to make any impact during his first year on campus. The redshirt freshman has some playmaking juice but will enter fall camp as Kentucky’s RB4.

Big Question: Can Chip Trayanum fill some big shoes?

Running the football has not been an issue for the Kentucky football program since their bowl streak began in 2016. The program’s leading rusher (at tailback) each season has put up some good numbers.

• Boom Williams: 171 carries, 1,170 yards, 6.8 yards per rush, 7 touchdowns (2016)
• Benny Snell Jr.: 262 carries, 1,333 yards, 5.1 yards per rush, 19 touchdowns (2017)
• Benny Snell Jr.: 289 carries, 1,449 yards, 5.0 yards per rush, 16 touchdowns (2018)
• A.J. Rose: 149 carries, 826 yards, 5.5 yards per rush, 6 touchdowns (2019)
• Chris Rodriguez Jr.: 119 carries, 785 yards, 6.6 yards per rush, 11 touchdowns (2020)
• Chris Rodriguez Jr.: 225 carries, 1,379 yards, 6.1 yards per rush, 9 touchdowns (2021)
• Chris Rodriguez Jr.: 175 carries, 904 yards, 5.2 yards per rush, 6 touchdowns (2022)
• Ray Davis: 199 carries, 1,129 yards, 5.7 yards per rush, 14 touchdowns (2023)

Remember that the 2020 season only included 11 games. Chris Rodriguez also only played in eight games in 2022. Kentucky’s leading rusher has been on a 1,000-yard pace (or close) each season. In 2019, Lynn Bowden Jr. played quarterback and ran for over 1,400 yards. One thing this program has done consistently well for the last decade is run the football.

Will Chip Trayanum meet the established program standard? Kentucky’s offensive line will be improved in 2024, but the standard is high. Kentucky needs Trayanum to be good and will ask a lot of the Big Ten transfer.

Top Storyline: Jason Patterson could be the program’s next great tailback

In 2016, Benny Snell Jr. arrived in the summer as a mid three-star recruit who every recruiting service had ranked outside of the top 25 in Ohio. Those rankings did not hold. Snell showed up on campus and immediately made an impact when the pads came on. That led to a 1,000-yard season as a true freshman before becoming this program’s all-time leading rusher.

We have not seen a true freshman tailback make a similar push. Jason Patterson could change that.

The true freshman out of Sneads (Fla.) High immediately earned first-team reps during spring practice and looked different than the other tailbacks on the roster in the spring game. Patterson is in a position to carve out real snaps with a good training camp.

You do not want to put the cart before the horse but there appears to be star potential with this young tailback. Throughout the year, we will be following closely to see what kind of confidence the coaching staff has in the young player. An emergence from Patterson would address tailback depth in a big way. That is currently one of Kentucky’s biggest on-paper concerns heading into 2024.

Bold Prediction: Jason Patterson is Kentucky’s clear RB1 heading into 2025

Kentucky brought in Chip Trayanum to be the No. 1 option this season. That will remain true throughout the season, but by November, we will see a Jason Patterson breakthrough. The development will put the Wildcats in good shape when the transfer portal window opens.

For the first time in two offseasons, Kentucky will not need to spend money on a starting tailback in free agency come December. Patterson was a strong recruiting win and will become Kentucky’s clear top option in the future after becoming a factor for the Wildcats as a true freshman.