8 Lessons Learned from the Kentucky Football Media Guide

The Kentucky football media guide that you grew up with is no longer a media guide per se. Instead of one giant printed volume, it’s split into two enormous online publications: the Kentucky Football Fact and Record Book and the Player Bios. Thanks to the transfer portal, number changes and more, the latter is continuously updated.

As the team begins practice at the Joe Craft Football Training Facility, let’s get you better acquainted with the Cats in the most ridiculous manner possible.

Kentucky Wildcats come from 21 Different States (and Australia)

Mark Stoops has assembled players from San Francisco (Ray Davis) to New York City (Ramon Jefferson), spanning 21 different states. That does not include Australian punter Wilson Berry. The most remarkable new additions are in the northeast, with three players from New Jersey: Devin Leary, Demie Sumo-Karngbaye and Nasir Addison. The states with the most Kentucky Wildcats:

• Kentucky: 35
• Ohio: 16
• Georgia: 11
• Tennessee: 6

Kentucky Signed 15 Players from the Transfer Portal

Three of those players are now a part of Jay Boulware’s special teams unit. Michael Bernard was the kickoff specialist at Fordham last fall, Alex Raynor handled place-kicking duties for Georgia Southern and Ron Gaines was Temple’s long-snapper. As of Aug. 1 there are 29 seniors on the roster, 12 juniors, 30 sophomores, 8 redshirt freshmen and 34 freshmen.

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Ray Davis and Ryan Lemond are going to be BFFs

Ryan Lemond will go to bat for war for anyone who adopts kids, or supports those who participate in foster care. Born Re’Mahn Walter Zhamar Jamar Davis, the new UK running back grew up in the foster care system. One of only 10 Vanderbilt football players to rush for 1,000 yards in a single season, he uses his platform give back and inspire kids in the foster care community.

Ray Davis is a fifth-year senior, however, as Adam Luckett noted on 11 Personnel, he suffered a season-ending injury in week 3 of the 2021 season. If he desires, the grad student could use a medical waiver to get an extra season of eligibility at Kentucky.

Kentucky DB Alex Afari is Bilingual

Alex Afari is the middle child in an athletic family. His older brother, David Afari, was Lakota West’s (Oh.) second all-time leading rusher. He played a couple seasons at Miami (Oh.) before transferring to Northern Colorado. His young brother, Sam Afari, is a rising recruit in the 2025 class with an offer from UK.

The Kentucky defensive back that excelled as a true freshman in 2022 was born in Pordenone, Italy. His mother, Mary Acheampong, is originally from Ghana. That’s why Alex fluently speaks Twi, his mother’s native tongue, a dialect from the Akan language that is widely used in central and southern Ghana. His favorite meal that his mother makes: jollof rice, a West African rice dish that typically includes a meat, tomatoes, onions and spices like ginger and garlic.

A Married Man

Wilson Berry is likely the last Aussie-style punter to suit up for Kentucky in the foreseeable future. He’s also one of the first players to wear a wedding ring on the team in quite some time. He married Courtney Stewart, of Paducah, and the two have a son, Leo. In unrelated news, the 25-year-old says before games he calms down the butterflies by watching Max Duffy highlights.

Kentucky has a player named Cannon Coffee

I repeat: THERE IS A KENTUCKY FOOTBALL PLAYER NAMED CANNON COFFEE.

The name of the walk-on defensive back sounds like the brand of a beverage the KSR crew needs in the pressbox for every 7:30 SEC Network kickoff. “This stuff isn’t doing it for me. Do y’all have any Cannon Coffee in the storage closet?”

Mr. Coffee — the player, not the appliance — is a product of Indianapolis North Central. He has a twin sister, Kendall. He’s not the only Cannon on the team. Darius Cannon is a walk-on wide receiver from Gainesville, Ga.

Big Tennessee Whiskey Fans

The song by Chris Stapleton, not the garbage brown water the Volunteers serve.

To create these extensive bios, UK’s media relations department issues questionnaires to each player. One of the asks is, “What’s your go-to karaoke song?” Chris Stapleton’s Tennessee Whiskey was the choice for Daveren Rayner and Jamarion Wilcox. A few other interesting songs that were included:

• Tyler Childers’ “Nose on the Grindstone” for IOL Tanner Bowles
• Jon Pardi’s “Night Shift” for K Alex Raynor
• Otis Redding’s “Sittin on the Dock of the Bay” for Keeshawn Silver
• “Billie Jean” for punter P Heath Jehu
• “Careless Whisper” for long snapper Ronald Gaines

Famous Family for Freshmen

We’ve previously discussed Anthony Brown and the relationship with his EGOT uncle, John Legend. He’s not the only freshman with a famous relative. Jaremiah Anglin is cousins with Derwin James, the Florida State star safety who was a first round pick by the Chargers in the 2018 NFL Draft.

Jaremiah Anglin also has an unusual nickname, Grady Judd. The notorious Polk County, Florida sheriff is on TV screens more than John Morgan, Morgan & Morgan. Why has he taken this nickname? I’m not entirely sure, but I am sure that this is my favorite part of the entire 59-page document.