Kentucky Adds Wake Forest Transfer Jaquez Keyes
Mark Stoops and company are right in the thick of fall camp but the staff is always looking to upgrade the roster when they can. Jaquez Keyes announced that he would be transferring to Kentucky this morning after enrolling at Wake Forest. He will join the team as a walk-on with a chance to earn a scholarship after this season. Keyes will play running back at UK. Lets take a look at who Mark Stoops is getting in the Wake Forrest transfer.
Jaquez is from Ironton, Ohio where he was recruited primarily as a running back while also playing linebacker. At one time, he was even rated as a 4-star recruit and committed to Paul Chryst at Wisconsin. Chryst was then relieved of his duties at Wisconsin and they brought in former Cincinnati head coach Luke Fickell. Fickell began going through and hand picking the recruits he wanted and the ones he wanted to part ways with to go in another direction. Unfortunately for Keyes, his style of running did not fit the new system and he was ultimately dropped from Wisconsin. He needed to make quick work to find a new home before signing day. After de-committing from Wisconsin on December 5th, he received an offer, visited, and ultimately signed with Wake Forest in 16 days. The Demon Deacons recruited him as a linebacker due to his size but Keyes ultimately entered the transfer portal on July 30th to look for a new home.
In comes Kentucky. When Keyes was committed to Wisconsin, the Wildcats kept in constant contact with him in hopes he would flip but things ultimately fizzled out when they focused their effort on future signee, Jamarion Wilcox. Keyes stands in at 6'1 and 205lbs and is a bruising running back. He's not a guy who has home-run hitting speed but he will drag tacklers with him. The running back room right now features a lot of speed and versatility but is missing a true short yardage power runner. Kentucky has always had an elite power back under Stoops and this could be the next one.
This is a very good late pickup for Stoops and company as the Wildcats are a few weeks away from kicking off their 2023 campaign.