Maxwell Hairston's 5 INTs leads the Southeastern Conference

Searching for silver linings from Saturday night’s demoralizing loss to Missouri, the play of cornerback Maxwell Hairston is certainly an easy one to spot. Against the Tigers, the redshirt sophomore tallied his fifth interception of the season and fourth against Southeastern Conference opponents. Hairston picked off Missouri quarterback Brady Cook midway through the first quarter (with a cast on his right hand, mind you), the ensuing offensive drive for Kentucky resulting in a touchdown. That shift in momentum made it 14-0 in favor of the Wildcats.

We know how the rest of the night went though…

But Hairston’s play through seven games this season should not be overlooked. The West Bloomfield (MI) High product continues to perform at a high level against the country’s top level of competition. His five interceptions lead the entire SEC and is tied for first in all of Division I.

It wasn’t all that long ago Hairston was tabbed SEC Defensive Player of the Week following his pair of pick-6s against Vanderbilt a few weeks back. His five interceptions on the year are the most by a Kentucky player since Sam Maxwell had six in 2009. There are still five more regular season games left for Hairston to surpass that mark. He has more interceptions this season than some of Kentucky’s pass-catchers have receptions. TE Josh Kattus (four receptions), WR Anthony Brown-Stephens (three), and TE Brenden Bates (two) all trail Hairston in “catches” this year.

.@mhairston22 INT. Go Cats. pic.twitter.com/vDkeP0q0hX

— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) October 15, 2023

Had it not been for the massive club dangling off his right hand, Hairston likely would have come down with a second interception against Missouri, too. He’s been everywhere for Brad White’s defense this season, not just when it comes to turning the ball over. Hairston is tied for the team lead in total tackles with 44. His 35 solo tackles lead the ‘Cats by seven. He’s also recorded 1.5 tackles for loss, three pass deflections, and one forced fumble. Again, this is a redshirt sophomore we’re talking about.

Hairston is still a ways away from tying the school’s all-time single-season interception record of nine, which was set by Jerry Claiborne all the way back in 1949. Only four Wildcats in school history have come down with at least six interceptions: Claiborne (nine; 1949), Paul Calhoun (seven; 1984), Marcus Jenkins (six; 2003), and Maxwell (six; 2009). Hairston is more than capable of pulling it off though, even with the giant mitt on his hand.

Arguably the most impressive part about Hairston’s INT number this season is how he’s pulling them off against SEC opponents. Four of his five interceptions have come against Kentucky’s four intraconference foes. Only one has come against the three out-of-conference teams. He picked off Vandebrilt’s AJ Swann twice, Georgia’s Carson Beck once, and now Missouri’s Brady Cook. That’s a pretty respectable trio of quarterbacks to outsmart.

Another impressive number to consider with Hairston’s turnover-forcing habits? He’s helping the Kentucky offense with a short field. His INT against Missouri was the one against SEC teams that he didn’t get a chance to return. Against Vanderbilt, his two pick-6s came as a result of 83 combined return yards. He ran one back 48 yards against Georgia.

Amid all the recent issues for Kentucky football, Hairston has been a clear bright spot.

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