It’s expected that a pair of incoming transfers, Seth McGowan (New Mexico State) and Dante Dowdell (Nebraska), will take over as Kentucky’s two primary ball carriers this season. However, minor injuries have kept both of them from playing in either of the Wildcats’ two summer scrimmages this month. They’re still expected to be ready for […]
It’s expected that a pair of incoming transfers, Seth McGowan (New Mexico State) and Dante Dowdell (Nebraska), will take over as Kentucky’s two primary ball carriers this season. However, minor injuries have kept both of them from playing in either of the Wildcats’ two summer scrimmages this month. They’re still expected to be ready for Week 1, though.
And while that’s not exactly great news for the likely bell cows, the situation has provided a good opportunity for the backups to prove their value.
“The other backs got a lot of work done,” Head coach Mark Stoops said after Saturday’s second and final scrimmage ahead of the season-opener on August 30. “I feel better about our run game. When we put it all together, I’m looking forward to that, with everybody healthy and everybody in there… We still have a couple of weeks to put it all together.
Redshirt freshman Jason Patterson and redshirt sophomore Jamarion Wilcox assumed the top running backs roles in both scrimmages, Patterson establishing himself as one of the team-wide standouts along the way. Both have flashed plenty of promise during their time in Lexington, but have yet to put it all together for various reasons. Patterson looked like a potential contributor last season, but only appeared in four games before redshirting while dealing with injury.
He’s used the summer scrimmages to his advantage, establishing himself as Kentucky’s clear-cut RB3 going into the Toledo game.
“JP has looked good,” Stoops said. “Going back to the spring, you can pull up a few quotes that I’ve been impressed with him. He’s a good player. He is very physical, very tough. And he’s been very reliable through this camp.”
But what about Wilcox? Although he led Kentucky in rushing yards in 2024 (590 yards on 92 carries) and is among the most promising talents on the roster, inconsistency both on and off the field has hurt his chances of receiving more snaps. At this stage in the offseason, Wilcox appears to be behind McGowan, Dowdell, and Patterson on the depth chart, but Stoops has faith he can find a groove.
“Just working. Like we’re all trying to do,” Stoops said of Wilcox. “Just put your head down and work and get better, and he’s doing that. With Jamarion, and a lot of our younger players as we develop them, it’s a lot of little things. Just doing the little things. He’s doing those things. He’s maturing, he’s growing, and we’ll continue to work with him.”
Kentucky’s running back room couldn’t live up to expectations last season. But if everyone is healthy for 2025, there should be more than enough talent and depth to make for a productive rushing attack.
Category: General Sports
