Bio Blast: Jaquez Keyes

The 2023 season is quickly approaching, but Kentucky is not done making additions to the roster. On Wednesday morning, running backs coach Jay Boulware officially welcomed another player into his position room at the Joe Craft Football Training Facility.

Wake Forest signee Jaquez Keyes entered the transfer portal on July 30 and landed at Kentucky less than three weeks later. The Ironton (Ohio) High product will be a true freshman this season with four years of eligibility remaining.

Now it’s time to learn more about Kentucky’s latest additions after Vince Marrow helped Kentucky land another Buckeye State prospect. Keyes was a multi-positional prospect that could give the offense a needed downhill rushing element.

Power Five recruit

Jaquez Keyes was the No. 695 ranked prospect in the 2023 On3 Industry Ranking. The three-star recruit was a top-25 player in Ohio that got legitimate recruiting interest from multiple power conference programs.

Iowa, Kentucky, and Michigan each issued offers to Keyes after his junior season at Ironton. The recruit took an official visit to Wisconsin in May and took an official visit in June. After a coaching change in Madison, Keyes re-opened his recruitment in December and immediately scheduled official visits with Pittsburgh and Wake Forest. Keyes would sign with the Demon Deacons in December before deciding to leave the program just 12 months later.

This is a player that had legitimate options when choosing a college destination.

Jaquez Keyes was a two-way prospect

Jaquez Keyes was added to the Kentucky roster to play tailback. Paul Chryst‘s staff also liked the Ohio native at tailback. However, Wake Forest recruited the 2023 prospect to play off-ball linebacker in the ACC.

Last season for Ironton, Keyes rushed for 1,063 yards (6.1 yards per rush) and 21 touchdowns. On defense, Keyes recorded 56 tackles and four tackles for loss. However, it appears that the true freshman preferred to play offense.

At 200-plus pounds, Keyes will give offensive coordinator Liam Coen a bigger tailback to work with in the future.

Redshirt year coming for the walk-on addition

This offseason featured the first iteration of transfer portal windows. The NCAA set time frames where college football players could enter the portal and maintain immediate eligibility as a first-time transfer. The second portal window closed on April 30. Jaquez Keyes did not enter the portal until three months after the final windows.

That means that Keyes will have to take a redshirt season in his first season at Kentucky. However, this was not a scholarship addition.

KSR has confirmed that Keyes will be a walk-on at Kentucky. Why might that matter? The NCAA has also entered a rule that states that any school adding a first-time transfer will be on the hook for the duration of that player’s four-year scholarship no matter if the player stays or leaves the program. The only thing that can get the school out of it is graduation. Adding Keyes as a walk-on may get Kentucky out of that in this current situation, but that still needs to be confirmed.

The ACC transfer will sit out this year while being given the chance to earn a scholarship after some scholarship tailbacks leave the program.

Luckett’s scouting notes

After reviewing the tailback film of Jaquez Keyes’ senior year at Ironton, it appears that the newest addition to the Kentucky roster should be able to address the team’s need for an inside runner.

I’ve put together a scouting write-up of the prospect.

Jaquez Keyes is a big tailback with a strong lower half. Playing in Ironton’s under center, pro-style scheme, Keyes operates quite often out of a two-back structure with a heavy dose of gap scheme. The tailback runs with good pad level and almost always runs through first contact. Elusiveness in the open field is not shown and there appears to be a lack of breakaway speed, but Keyes consistently creates yards after contact and runs behind his pads. That should allow him to fall forward and potentially be a pile mover at the next level. Willing blocker in pass protection. A one-cut, north/south runner that makes quick decisions and gets downhill. Shows a good overall feel and flashes more than adequate vision. Build and play style of an old-school bell cow tailback.

After losing Chris Rodriguez Jr., Kentucky enters 2023 without a definite north/south pile mover that can grind out first downs in a four-minute offense and move the chains in short-yardage situations. We are still unsure who fills that void for the offense this season. However, that’s the type of role Jaquez Keyes could fill in the future.

The big tailback runs with no frills physicality, and there will always be a role for that in Kentucky’s pro-style scheme. Keyes seems best suited for a vertical run game plan that includes inside zone and gap schemes. The addition should be able to give the first-team defense excellent looks if used on the scout team and could start to push for playing time at UK in 2024.