The 2022 football season hasn’t gone as expected for the Kentucky Wildcats, but Mark Stoops has produced another winning season in Lexington, and the Cats will have a chance to improve their stock before they enter a pivotal season.
The 7-5 Wildcats are set to head to the Music City Bowl to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes in Nashville. The match will begin at noon on December 31st, EST.
The United Kingdom and Iowa played each other last season in the 2021 Citrus Bowl.
This matchup will be an opportunity for Kentucky to build depth and value the younger players heading into the off-season. The Wildcats will enter the game without starting quarterback Will Levis, who announced earlier this month that he was giving up the game.
The cats have also been whacked through the transfer portal with many players announcing their intentions to enter so far. Below is our transport tracker list.
Chauncey is on leash
Site: wide future
Transfer date: November 28, 2022
6ft 198lbs from Albany, Georgia
Maggood has caught only seven passes this year, though he was one of only seven players to total 100 yards (104). His lone touchdown came in the season-opening win over Miami (Ohio).
The sophomore has been a consistent backup for the Wildcats this season.
DeMarcus Harris
Site: wide future
Transfer date: November 28, 2022
6ft-1, 183 lbs. From Vero Beach, Florida
Harris was part of the wide receiver position in 2020 and 2021 for Kentucky, starting a total of eight games over those two seasons. In 2022, he caught only four passes for 90 yards.
Kentucky’s junior career would likely end with 30 receptions for 327 yards and 1 touchdown. With players like Barion Brown, Dane Key and Tayvion Robinson entering the fray this year, Harris has been a third-rate receiving option.
Chris Lewis
Site: wide future
Transfer date: November 28, 2022
6-foot-4, 202 lbs. From Pleasant Grove, Alabama
Lewis missed the final four games of the 2022 regular season after being assisted off the field in the second half against Tennessee, and did not pressure his right leg or foot. The freshman caught only two passes in eight games, totaling 22 yards and a touchdown, which came against Youngstown State.
Like Maggood and Harris, Lewis was unable to find set pieces all season, even before he sustained an injury.
Cavusi smoke
Site: running back
Transfer date: December 1, 2022
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5-foot-9, 209 lbs. From Wetumpka, Alabama
Smoke’s workload faded in the second half of the season for the Cats, but during his Lexington career he’s been a running back, getting competitive touchdowns over the past four seasons.
His most productive season came in 2019, when he carried the ball 101 times for 616 yards and six touchdowns. He has one year of eligibility left.
With 1,583 career rushing yards, Smoke ranks 20th all-time in program history. He found the end zone 13 times during his long spell in the UK. He averaged 5.4 yards per carry. He should be gaining a lot of attention once he’s officially in the transfer window.
Rahsan Lewis
Site: wide future
Transfer date: December 1, 2022
5ft-11, 187 lbs. From Orlando, Florida
Lewis was at Kentucky for three seasons, catching a total of eight passes across the Wildcats’ last two seasons, totaling 69 yards and a touchdown.
Kentucky was already the third destination for son Ray Lewis in the NFL Hall of Fame. Rahsan spent his freshman season at Central Florida before transferring to Florida Atlantic for the 2019 campaign. He then left to join UK, where he has spent the past three years. He just trained with the Cats in 2020.
Just like other UK wide receivers in the gate, Lewis was late in the offside order.
KEATON UPSHAW
Site: tight end
Transfer date: December 2, 2022
6ft 2, 246lbs. From Lima, Ohio
Upshaw is the first tight end to hit Kentucky’s transfer gate after spending five seasons at Lexington. He started the redshirt freshman season in 2019, making two starts. He caught seven passes for 78 yards and a score that season.
He broke out the following year, finding the end zone three times on 16 receptions, for a total of 198 yards. He then missed the entire 2021 season after suffering an injury in the fall.
His senior year in 2022 was not as productive as the others, as he caught only four passes for 50 yards.
Upshaw was a victim of injury and conditions, which saw his productivity decline in his final year as a Wildcat. Will definitely look at it as a transition to grad.
Tay Tay Chromes
Site: wide future
Transfer date: December 2, 2022
6-foot-1, 187 lbs. From Louisville, Kentucky
Crumes is the fifth UK wide to hit the gate after barely playing in four seasons. Rated one of the top 10 players in Kentucky by Rivals.com and 247sports.com after an incredible senior season at Butler High School with 42 receptions for 877 yards.
He would still wear a new jersey in 2019, train with the team in 2020, and play in just four games in 2021, but he hasn’t seen any action this season.