Fresh Start for Kentucky Running Backs Kicks Off Life After Chris Rodriguez

Kentucky football fans have been spoiled. From 1997-2007 three historic local quarterbacks orchestrated the offense: Tim Couch, Jared Lorenzen and Andre Woodson. Many assumed the state would continue to produce elite arms to join them in the record books. Instead of getting easier, it’s actually more difficult now than ever to find talented high school passers to play for the Wildcats.

History is repeating itself at a different position. Four of the top six, and five of the top ten rushing seasons in Kentucky football history have happened since 2016. Expecting another Benny Snell or Chris Rodriguez to walk through that door is wishful thinking.

“I’m not trying to find the next C-Rod,” new running backs coach Jay Boulware recently told KSR. “I’m trying to find the next La’Vell Wright, I’m trying to find the next JuTahn McClain, I’m trying to find the next Ray Davis. For me each runner is different. I just want to maximize whatever ability those guys in our room have. I want to maximize their ability level and make them the best possible player they can be.”

“A Clean Slate” for Kentucky Running Backs

To forecast the future, the simplest way is to look to the past. That is difficult when three of the five players expected to be in the running back rotation most recently played at another school. That’s why Jay Boulware is taking a different approach to create a running back rotation for the 2023 season.

“That’s not really in my thought process… What factors into my thought process going forward is what I’m seeing in our winter workouts, our conditioning drills. What are we doing now? How are they standing up in my meeting room and being able to conduct themselves? What are they doing going forward? Everybody has a clean slate with me, so I’m coming into this and they’re approaching it the same way.”

Production in Most Recent Full Season of Football

Ramon Jefferson suffered a ton ACL in his second carry as a Wildcat. Injuries limited JuTahn McClain to only 10 games in 2022, while La’Vell Wright was featured almost exclusively during Chris Rodriguez’s four-game suspension. Ray Davis is the most proven playmaker at this level, but Jamarion Wilcox showed plenty of playmaking ability as a high school recruit. Shortly after joining Mark Stoops’ staff, Boulware helped close the deal and secure a commitment from Wilcox near the end of 2023 recruiting cycle.

“I saw a tough runner, a guy that plays the way we’re used to running backs playing here at the University of Kentucky,” said Boulware. “That’s the first thing that you look for, you look for toughness. You look for guys that are able to finish the runs and he possessed those skills.”

Important Offseason for Kentucky Running Backs

“You don’t obtain the winning edge during game week. You obtain the winning edge right now.”

Just because he can’t coach his running backs directly until spring practice begins March 6, doesn’t mean Boulware is taking it easy on his players. The UK running backs are being pushed to stretch their limits during offseason workouts.

“There’s characteristics that make up a great player and I’m trying to get that through our guys and instill that in our kids, in our young men and let them know this is what it looks like to be great. If this is what you want, this is what you have to do,” he said. “You have to start there because you’re certainly not going to do less and be more, right? You gotta do more to expect more out of it.”

There are similar characteristics in great players, but no two are alike. This group features a few specialists — McClain is an excellent receiver and Davis is a physical runner between the tackles. They will certainly be used in specific scenarios, but how the rest of it shakes out is far from being determined. That’s for the Kentucky running backs to fight for over the next six months to ensure the Wildcats’ legacy of elite runners does not go by the wayside.

“Our head coach has been here a decade and we’ve had some successful football teams here and a lot of the teams are better than what this place is used to in the past in terms of consistency. I want to continue building on that, I build on what Coach Stoops has built here and I want to make it better,” said Boulware. “I want to bring something to the table.”