Kentucky RB Jamarion Wilcox Lost a Shoe, Again

The funniest thing happened last night at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Narrowing it down to one specific thing is a challenge because the Kentucky offense was not great. We couldn’t really appreciate the comedy while laughing through the tears, but you can’t make this stuff up.

In the fallout from the loss to Vanderbilt, Jamarion Wilcox was one of the biggest stories. The redshirt freshman running back averaged 11.7 yards per carry, but his number was called only three times. When a reporter asked why, Mark Stoops said this:

“Here’s a simple thing, tie your shoes,” said the Kentucky head coach.

“Tie your shoes. He doesn’t tie his shoes, so he runs it, but his shoe falls off, so he’s got to come out. That would help.”

Wilcox’s shoe fell off after he gained about 15 yards on his first carry, which opened the final series of the second quarter in the loss to Vanderbilt. Stoops meant it literally in that instance, but it was meant to be used as an example. They’d love to play him more, but this guy can’t do anything to gain the trust of his coaches, not even tie his shoes.

Here’s where the comedy comes into the picture.

If I were Jamarion Wilcox, I would be double and triple-knotting my shoelaces after my coach publicly called me out to the entire fanbase. Hell, I’d ask the training staff to tape my ankles to make sure the shoes didn’t fall off.

Guess what happened.

The coaching staff relented and called Wilcox’s number in the second quarter. On the first carry, he gained 25 yards, lost his shoe, and had to come out of the game. You can’t make this stuff up.

From my vantage point at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, I did not notice his shoe on the ground. When fans began to circulate the news online, I didn’t believe it initially. “There’s no way.” Then I saw the video evidence. “You gotta be kidding me.”

Yes 😭 https://t.co/hnshx0edQe pic.twitter.com/vTqYtepnwu

— Tristan Pharis (@TristanUda) October 20, 2024

When people said the Kentucky offense can’t do anything right, not even tie their shoes, they really were right. It’s such a dumb, silly thing. A college athlete should be able to keep his shoes on his feet, yet Kentucky’s most explosive running back can’t.

We really can’t have any nice things. Just laugh through the tears.

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