Josh Ali was the First Freshman to Pass "The Look Test" by Running Out of His Shoes

Your 2017-18 UK wide receivers (Ali is 82, bottom left)

Joshua Ali passed “the look test” long before arriving in Lexington.

The 6-foot 180-pound athlete form Chaminade-Madonna Prep in Hollywood, Florida earned quite the reputation after an incident at a training session this past March.  Known for his speed, Ali was too fast for his own shoes.

@FOOTBALLVILLETV

Unlike most receivers, the freshman did not brag about the incident in his first interview from Lexington.

“I actually had those cleats for like a year-and-a-half.  They were pretty torn up,” Ali told KSR.  “It was a hot day.  I guess my cleats go a little melted or whatever.  Made a cut and the whole bottom came up.”

Luckily, Ali had another pair of cleats to finish the hot spring workout.

Like all of his freshman counterparts, Ali passed “the look test” at UK Football Media Day.  A few guys are built like they could play right now.  Josh Paschal, Abule Abadi-Fitzgerald, Jamin Davis and Clevan Thomas would all have played immediately in previous years, but now they have the luxury of time to learn the system.

Where this class takes “the look test” one step further is between the ears.  Most Division I athletes share similar physical traits.  Whet separates the best from the rest of the pack are the intangibles.  Are they willing to embrace the daily grind and work on and off the field to be the most consistent contributor possible?  This group’s maturity and mental fortitude provides an affirmative answer to that question and an A++ in “the look test.”

Not all of them can run out of their shoes like Ali, but the 2017 recruiting class is creating a bright future for Kentucky football.