Kentucky to honor 19 players on Senior Day

Saturday will serve as Senior Day for the Kentucky football program. The Wildcats will salute 19 players who are playing in their final game at Kroger Field, maybe.

Every college athlete that was on campus during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 gets an extra year of eligibility. That extra year has thrown a wrinkle into Senior Day ceremonies in all sports across the college athletics landscape. It’s an issue we’ll be dealing with until at least 2025.

Five players on this year’s roster were honored at last year’s senior day — IOL Kenneth Horsey, TE Brenden Bates, EDGE J.J. Weaver, K Chance Poore and WR Tayvion Robinson. This will definitively be their last game at Kroger Field. Most of the following 19 players could give it another go, even though they will be joined by their families on the turf before Kentucky hosts Alabama for 2023 Senior Day.

2023 Senior Day Roster

Sam Anaele, Defensive Lineman, Lagos, Nigeria (retired from football)
Isaiah Beasley, Defensive Lineman, Radcliff, KY
Michael Bernard, Kicker, Clayton, MO
Eli Cox, Interior Offensive Lineman, Nicholasville, KY
Marques Cox, Offensive Tackle, Peoria, ILL
Ray Davis, Running Back, San Francisco, CA
Justice Dingle, Fullback, Bowling Green, Kentucky
Izayah Cummings, Tight End, Louisville, KY
Jeremy Flax, Offensive Tackle, Detroit, MI
Luke Fulton, Linebacker, Youngstown, OH
Ron Gaines, Longsnapper, Chicago, Illinois
Jalen Geiger, Defensive Back, Columbia, South Carolina
D’Eryk Jackson, Linebacker, Dublin, GA
Ramon Jefferson, Running Back, Bronx, New York
Devin Leary, Quarterback, Sicklerville, New Jersey
JuTahn McClain, Running Back, Fairfield, Ohio
Clay Perry, Longsnapper, Upton, KY
Andru Phillips, Cornerback, Mauldin, South Carolina
Jack Varga, Fullback, Louisville, KY

*OLB Jase Bruner is a late addition to make it 20 players on the Senior Day roster.

Players Who Do NOT Have Another Year of Eligibility

Running back Ramon Jefferson is probably the oldest player on the team. A recruit of Liam Coen’s back when he was an offensive coordinator at Maine, Jefferson needed a medical waiver to receive an additional year of eligibility this fall.

Mark Stoops shared on last week’s call-in show that Leary does not have an additional year of eligibility. However, he was injured early in the pandemic plagued 2020 season. Most players who missed a significant amount of time that year due to injury are receiving an extra year to play from the NCAA. It could be something for the Kentucky quarterback to consider at the conclusion of the 2020 season.

Candidly, I believe Flax may also be able to return for another year, but it’s difficult to discern. We’ll hold off on predicting too many ‘stay or go’ decisions, particularly on the offensive line, until the regular season reaches a conclusion.

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