Dane Key is "Blocking Out the Noise" after Fast Start in Spring Practice

Dane Key is no stranger to lofty expectations. The son of a former Wildcat, an All-State performer and four-star receiver living in the city of Lexington, he’s heard the good and the bad throughout his teenage years. In the midst of the mania, Key has thrived, culminating with a touchdown on his first reception as a Wildcat at Kroger Field.

“It feels good. Putting that Kentucky blue on for the first time in the spring game, it was something special,” Key said Tuesday morning. “Just walking through the crowd, I know it wasn’t as packed as it will be for that first home game, but it’s something special to be able to suit up for my hometown and being able to go out there and show what I can do.”

In his Blue/White Game debut he caught two passes for 43 yards and that touchdown reception. “It’s something special, being in that end zone, the blue end zone in my state, it’s really just unbelievable and a great feeling.”

High Praise for Key

Few players received more praise this spring season, both on and off the record, than Key. As Mark Stoops has created a program that has gotten old and stayed old, the expectation brakes are typically pumped for early enrollees. That has not stopped the head coach from tipping his cap to the young receiver.

“He has a really good feel for the game. For a guy that could be playing spring sports in high school right now, he’s very mature in his approach. He’s been very consistent. With young guys you have a tendency to see them have some ups and some downs, and of course that will be the case with him, but he’s more consistent than most younger people I’ve seen,” Stoops said after Saturday’s spring game.

“I like the way he approaches it, he’s very mature, and he also has a very good feel for it. The talent is there, but there’s also some things that — the understanding of the game that you can tell very early that he has that.”

After only 15 practices, quarterback Will Levis believes Key could be a starter when the season opens Sept. 3 against Miami (Oh.).

“We obviously have vacancies at the receiver position and had a lot of guys that weren’t established. He was able to come in here and show that he’s a guy who should definitely be considered to be a starter,” Levis said Saturday. “Obviously, there’s not going to be a definitive depth chart until we get to the season, but I’m going to keep bringing along all of those guys and just make sure they’re at the level they need to be once camp rolls around.”

“Stay in the Circle”

Distractions come in many forms. Sometimes the positive rat poison can be just as harmful as online criticism from the haters.

“I was raised by a good family. I always heard from them, block the noise out, go out there and ball like I know how. That’s what I try to do is just go out there and forget about everything and just lock into what play I have. I block all of the noise out there and show what I can do,” he said.

“It is hard to block it out sometimes. If I do see something that I don’t like or see something that I do like, I go talk to my parents, talk to my brother a lot to try to get things off my mind, so if I do have something to say, I will go talk to my family about it. They always revert back to — stay in the circle. Everybody in my circle — my Mom, my Dad, my brother — just stay between them and everything will be good.”

Dane is lucky to have an older brother who has already been through the college football wringer. Devon Key ended his career at WKU as the school’s FBS leader in career tackler. Currently a member of the Kansas City Chiefs’ practice squad, his wisdom and offseason training have accelerated Dane’s maturation process. Dane Key knows what it takes to be successful and it is so much more than having one successful spring practice.

“I feel like I made a good amount of progress, but there’s always room to work… ” said Key. “… I can’t be satisfied with where I’m at now. I want to get even better than where I was today.”

Key is blocking out the noise, while embracing the lofty expectations. “I want to show myself that I can do what they thought I can do, and possibly even better.”