"Dane Key, Dane Key, Dane Key... Number 6 for a reason," says Jordan Lovett

It’s no surprise that Dane Key is regularly named as a player expected to be a significant piece of Kentucky Football‘s offense next season. As a freshman, Key caught six touchdown passes while racking up over 500 yards on 37 receptions. His debut season earned him SEC Freshman of the Week and Freshman All-American Honorable Mention by College Football News. The six touchdown receptions are a school record for a freshman.

Needless to say, Key didn’t slide under the radar during fall camp. Expectations are high for the hometown star, and his name was written in marker on the depth chart before spring ball began.

Still, it was exciting to hear one of the team’s prized safeties, Jordan Lovett, raving about Key following Wednesday’s practice on campus. Lovett said Key’s name several times in a brief interview on the practice field, specifically when asked who to watch when Kentucky is driving toward the end zone.

“One name, man. Dane Key,” Lovett replied. “Dane Key. Dane Key. Dane Key’s going to get it done. We’ve seen it multiple times, going back to the Ole Miss game when we should’ve won. Dane Key. Florida? Dane Key. That’s all you gotta say. He’s number No. 6 for a reason.”

Lovett also named Kentucky’s other star sophomore receiver, Barion Brown, as a threat in Liam Coen’s pass attack.

“With eyes on Dane, it is going to open a whole lot more room for Barion. You have to have eyes on both them. If you don’t, they’re going to take the top off.

“Barion’s a speed guy. He’ll take the roof off. Dane, you have to worry about him grabbing the ball off the top of your head.”

The receivers talk their talk, too. It’s a constant physical and verbal battle between the pass-catchers and a new cornerback group still figuring out its rotation.

“They’re going at it,” said Lovett, before naming the biggest trash-talker on the team who, surprisingly, does not catch the passes.

He throws them.

“Devin Leary is always talking trash,” Lovett said with a smile.

Leary on Key and Brown

Yesterday, when Leary wasn’t talking trash to Kentucky’s defense, he talked to On3’s own Andy Staples about life so far as a Wildcat. Among the topics in the conversation, Leary explained his decision to transfer to Kentucky and the homework he did on Kentucky’s offense before committing to the move.

“Obviously, seeing guys like Dane Key, Barion Brown, Tayvion Robinson on the film, they just stand out at you. I mean, as a quarterback, that’s really what you want to do, you want to be the point guard, you want to distribute the ball to playmakers on the perimeter, and what they did last year, especially Dane and Barion at such a young age, I mean, it’s very promising to a quarterback.”

Leary added, “Kentucky was a no brainer having these guys here.”