Kentucky's depth in the WR room continues to grow

Kentucky has a stable of wide receivers that is arguably more talented than anything the Big Blue Nation has seen in decades. Virginia Tech transfer Tayvion Robinson has quickly filled the gap left in the wake of Wan’Dale Robinson’s departure for the NFL while freshmen Dane Key and Barion Brown are more than living up to their four-star hype.

But it’s not just those three pass catchers making serious noise on offense. QB Will Levis has seemingly endless options surrounding him.

During Kentucky’s 31-0 shutout win over Youngstown State on Saturday, offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello made sure to get the bulk of his wide receiver room on the field at some point. Redshirt freshman Dekel Crowdus recorded his first-ever reception as a Wildcat, finishing the afternoon with a pair of catches for 17 yards. Fellow redshirt freshman Chris Lewis hauled in his first career touchdown off a two-yard fade near the goal line.

Back-shoulder @will_levis ➡️ Chris Lewis for his first career TD catch!

📺 – @SECNetwork 📲 – https://t.co/KlLaJXWxFv pic.twitter.com/ZQPe3x6BbR

— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) September 17, 2022

In total, 10 different wildcats caught a pass from Levis on Saturday.

“It was cool to see Dekel play,” Scangarello said postgame. “We got a lot of guys and we’re trying to get them all involved, trying to call a game and let them all play a little bit. But along the way we got to tighten the ship up. Those are the challenges with those, but I thought Dekel made a couple of nice plays. I like this demeanor on the field today. I thought he was really locked in. I thought he had a good week of practice. Dekel earned the right to play by practicing well for two weeks. That’s the deal. There’s great competition, and you do things right, we’re gonna reward you the right way.”

“I noticed Dekel, we got him in there, got him going,” Mark Stoops added. “He’s a guy that we still feel can really help us soon, help us this year. He’s got that — he’s got that juice that I talk about, that speed. And so it was good to get him some reps. And, of course, Dane and Barion continue to do good. Christian (Lewis) is a guy we feel like could definitely help us. And, of course, Tayvion, as well. So good to get him some touches again today.”

In an unusual twist under head coach Mark Stoops, Kentucky has multiple weapons on the outside who can all make plays in their own right. Through three games in the 2022 season, 13 ‘Cats have hauled in a catch from Levis, including 11 of them with at least two receptions. Key and Robinson are tied with 13 catches apiece while Brown isn’t far behind with nine. The tight ends are becoming more and more involved, too.

“I love seeing everyone in the room getting involved,” Key said after the win. “We’re so close in the receiver room it’s great when somebody else goes makes a play. When C-Lew (Chris Lewis) made his touchdown you could see all the other receivers on the sideline just excited for him because he got his touchdown.”

With a weakened running game to begin the season, Kentucky has needed additional help from the wide receivers in the worst way. Luckily, there is plenty of budding talent to go around.