Light might be turning on for Jamarion Wilcox

Kentucky has depth questions to answer at tailback after Ohio State transfer Chip Trayanum suffered a hand injury during fall camp. With true freshman Tovani Mizell still recovering from a knee injury suffered last season, the Wildcats are now down to three healthy scholarship tailbacks. Demie Sumo-Karngbaye and true freshman Jason Patterson appear to be the next guys up.

But a redshirt freshman could be the biggest wild card in the room.

Douglasville (Ga.) South Paulding product Jamarion Wilcox went from an unheralded recruit to a prospect who picked Kentucky over Auburn and Clemson after a huge senior campaign in the Peach State. The high three-star recruit came to Lexington with high expectations but never made an impact in year one. After a quiet spring, Wilcox is pushing for playing time and made a positive impression in Kentucky’s first scrimmage of fall camp.

“There’s always been a level of toughness with him and there’s always been a level…he’s got explosive play potential that we just mentioned,” Kentucky offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan said. “Now it just comes down to, again, the scheme. Knowing what to do on every play, not just some of those plays for him.

“Had a really good day today,” Kentucky quarterback Brock Vandagriff said.

On his senior tape, Jamarion Wilcox flashed excellent contact balance, some explosive play speed and acceleration, and a potential fit in a zone scheme. In Hamdan’s pistol run game, outside zone figures to be a common concept and Wilcox has the traits to thrive in that run scheme.

Now he must master the IQ part of football.

“He’s always gonna have the talent, he’s always going to have the speed. It’s just getting deeper into the playbook and understanding football as a whole football player,” Sumo-Karngbaye said about Wilcox. “Freshman year that was a freshman year — be on the scout team and understand things.”

“I’ve seen a growth in his mindset.”

That improved mindset and a commitment to understanding the playbook could get Jamarion Wilcox on the field. Some more snaps just became available following the loss of Trayanum. In Kentucky’s new no-huddle operation, players will not have time to sit and think about the play calls. Wilcox must be ready to go when his number is called.

The redshirt freshman is making a move and had a chance to become a sneaky contributor for this offense in September. This is a player that Mark Stoops called a “lightning bolt” back on national signing day in the 2023 recruiting cycle. There is no denying that Jamarion Wilcox is a true wild card and now the proof of concept is showing up in fall camp.

KSR’s instant reaction to Jamarion Wilcox’s commitment

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