Jordan Anthony already successfully juggling two sports at Kentucky

Like many top-notch college recruits, Jordan Anthony played multiple sports in high school. Some believe they can continue playing each at the collegiate level, but few succeed. Anthony has only been on Kentucky’s campus for a few months and he’s already successfully juggling two collegiate sports.

The Kentucky freshman wide receiver is one of the nation’s top sprinters. This spring he posted 20.52 in the 200-meters, the fastest in the country. Anthony moved to Lexington in May to begin preparing for the 2022 football season. He worked out, ran sprints and got acclimated with college life, but did not step foot on a track. Even though he was out of the game, Anthony decided to compete in the USA Track and Field U20 Championships.

“I just wanted to go out there and see where I stand, if I can still compete without training,” he told BBN Tonight.

Not only did he compete, he won.

Anthony ran 200 meters in 20.34 seconds to win the U20 National Championship. He left with a gold medal, and a little remorse after slipping out of the blocks in the 100-meter final. Regardless, Anthony proved he can conquer challenges in both sports at the same time.

“It’s like another walk in the park, just like I’m playing in my backyard.”

Football and Track Differences

Just because someone is fast in a race, doesn’t mean they can succeed on a football field (but don’t tell that to Forrest Gump). When competing on the track, Anthony can completely open up and unleash everything he has to run as fast as possible. Not only is he wearing heavy equipment on a football field, the sport requires more agility and acceleration in and out of routes.

“It’s like zero to 60 instead of 100 to 200,” he said. “There’s more control instead of just zip speed.”

However, that speed will come in handy against opponents. Projected to play in the slot, Anthony’s speed alone can create mismatches against bigger linebackers and safeties. Anthony only needs one small crease and he can turn it into a score.

Anthony is still Learning

Anthony is already performing at a high level, but his brain is catching up with his feet.

“It’s been quite a rodeo trying to learn this offense coming from high school. In high school you just run the regular route tree. You gotta learn defenses out here, certain steps to run routes. It’s not basic offense,” he said.

“It’s been a quicker, faster pace, more efficient than high school. But it’s been great overall. The people are loving and caring, so if anybody else is trying to come to UK, you should come.”

Anthony has another month to dive into Rich Scangarello’s playbook ahead of preseason training camp. Before he completely commits to football for the fall, he’s got one more competition on the calendar. Anthony will spend the final week of July at the U20 World Championships in Colombia. If all goes well, you’ll see Anthony racing past tacklers at Kroger Field in the fall and sprinting in the spring past opponents on a track.

“There is a chance I will be doing both,” Anthony said. “I don’t think it’s going to be that difficult because I’ve been doing it for so long. It’s just a higher level. The collegiate level is a little bit faster. The work ethic might be a little bit different, but overall I can maintain it.”