First Down Kentucky: Closer Look at the Running Backs in 2024

Ohio State running back Chip Trayanum made it official Tuesday morning and announced his commitment to Kentucky. A powerful back in the trenches, the UK coaches are betting that higher volume will increase production.

Folks in Lexington are exited about the addition. Shortly after the commitment, Ray Davis Tweeted, “RBU.” He makes a good point. The Cats have had a 1,000-yard rusher in six of the last eight seasons with five different players. Who could continue that trend into 2024?

Chip Trayanum — Trayanum has the pedigree and athleticism of a bell cow back, however, he’s primarily played in short yardage situations throughout his career.

Demie Sumo-Karngbaye — Kentucky’s leading returning rusher spent much of the season lined up at wide receiver. As Kentucky invests in more pass-catchers from the transfer portal, the versatile athlete could expect more carries as an explosive change-up. DSK should be a solid contributor, but a starring role seems unlikely.

Jamarion Wilcox — The Kentucky coaching staff had high hopes for the former four-star talent that picked the Cats over Clemson during the second signing period last spring. There’s plenty of production and big-play pop on his resume, but he needed a year to develop strength to withstand the physicality of the SEC. The light bulb has not turned on during his redshirt season. More reps during spring practice could expedite the process, but that might be wishful thinking.

Tovani Mizell — Once a top 100 recruit committed to Georgia, Mizell transferred schools multiple times, then suffered a season-ending injury to sideline him for his entire senior season. Even though his ACL recovery appears ahead of schedule, it’s difficult to see a path to significant playing time for him next fall.

Jason Patterson — The 210-pound Florida athlete is built like a bell cow. Flipped from Cincinnati, Patterson will arrive in January and compete for reps right away. If he has the right motor, you could see him play a prominent role in 2024.

Spring Transfer Portal Player — If Liam Coen and Jay Boulware don’t like what they see in spring practice, there will be another wave of runners entering the portal. The market during the first wave of transfers has been light. That may change and bring Kentucky unexpected fortune, as it did when Jacquez Jones was a late addition in June of 2021.

Another Kentucky Commit on Flip Watch?

For the second time in a week, Kentucky lost a commitment from the 2024 recruiting class. Jadon Lafontant announced Monday evening that he’s flipped from Kentucky to Boston College. Even though he was the lowest-ranked position player in the class, there was a lot to like about the IOL’s tape. In the middle of a numbers crunch in Lexington, this feels like a mutual parting of ways ahead of the Early Signing Period.

He may not be the only casualty in this numbers crunch. Lorenzo Cowan, a three-star Edge from Savannah, GA, spent his weekend officially visiting USC. He shared a glowing review of the trip with 247’s Steve Wiltfong. Even though his brother is UK freshman DL Tavion Gadson, Cowan said he’ll be making a decision on signing day. This feels like a late flip to USC, but a lot can change in the next eight days.

Quaysheed Scott’s Star Continues to Rise

It was a pretty big deal that Mark Stoops convinced Quaysheed Scott to cancel his trip to South Carolina. He detailed how it all went down with KSR’s Zack Geoghegan. He recently received a big ratings bump from On3 and I anticipate that will also happen at 247 Sports after Andrew Ivins took a trip to the Carolinas to watch Scott prepare for the Shrine Bowl, a prep all-star game between players from South Carolina and North Carolina.

“There are plenty of fans of Scott behind the scenes at 247Sports and he has those individuals smiling after an impressive showing during both 1-on-1s and 11-on-11 play for South Carolina. Scott was not only able to redirect multiple wide receivers at the line of scrimmage, but he also produced one of lone takeaways of the day when he jumped in front of a post route,” Andrew Ivins wrote.

“Scott, who is cousins with Miami Dolphins cornerback Cam Smith, should offer plenty of versatility on the backend at the next level with his instincts and coverage skills. He racked up 63 tackles and three interceptions as a 12th grader at Marion while also doubling as a running back.”

Kentucky commit Quaysheed Scott impressed during Monday’s opening Shrine Bowl practice in 1-on-1 coverage. Also had this takeaway. pic.twitter.com/WdTARS3UmX

— Andrew Ivins (@Andrew_Ivins) December 11, 2023

Jamin Davis Out for the Year

While a couple of former Cats had the best performances of their young careers, another received some unfortunate news. Jamin Davis suffered a shoulder injury in last week’s 45-15 loss to the Miami Dolphins. The Washington linebacker will undergo surgery and end the season on injured reserve.

Davis was the Commanders’ second-leading tackler with 89 this fall. He also tallied 3.0 sacks and 8.0 tackles for loss. This offseason will be a big one for the former Wildcat. It will be the first for the Commanders under new ownership, who will likely move on from Ron Rivera. Davis’ fourth year in the NFL will determine if the former first round pick can secure a lucrative contract in free agency.

The Unusual Recruitment of Dylan Raiola

Dylan Raiola is one of the top quarterback prospects in the 2024 recruiting class. He initially committed to Ohio State where he would’ve shared a spot in the QB room with Kyle McCord. Raiola reopened his recruitment, then pledged his allegiance to Georgia and moved to Buford to play his final high school football season closer to Athens.

Now he may be with McCord next year at Nebraska. How is Nebraska potentially landing this top five passer? His uncle is the offensive line coach. His Dad also played for the Huskers in the 90s. Uncle Donavan is the only holdover from the Scott Frost era and he received a significant raise this offseason ahead of his nephew’s potential high-profile flip. This could only happen in college football. What a sport.