Kentucky’s opener against Youngstown State gave the Wildcats plenty to feel good about, but the biggest boost may have come from two freshmen who wasted no time making themselves part of the conversation.
In a 45-13 win to launch the Will Stein era, Kenny Darby and Prince Jean each found the end zone in their first game action and helped calm one of the offseason’s biggest concerns: the wide receiver room. Kentucky entered the year with very little proven production back at the position beyond DJ Miller, and the situation got even thinner when Hardley Gilmore IV was dismissed before fall camp. Nic Anderson arrived as the most established addition, but he spent much of the offseason limited while recovering from injury.
That left a lot of uncertainty about who would emerge. By Saturday, some of that doubt had already started to fade.
Jean was the first freshman to leave his mark. In the third quarter, after Kentucky’s tight ends had handled all of the passing touchdowns to that point, Jean hauled in his first collegiate target and turned it into a 26-yard touchdown. He finished the play with a burst that carried him straight into the record book.
"They're really good," Stein said postgame. "We've had unproven players in that room because of their youth, but very talented."
Stein was even more direct when talking about Jean.
"Prince Jean, guy's the real deal," Stein said. "He's got one-cut mentality, catches the ball in traffic, he's smart, he's tough. Dependable."
Jean only played eight snaps, but he made those snaps count. The touchdown showed more than just speed; it showed the kind of poise Kentucky needs from a young receiver right away.
Darby’s moment came a little later, early in the fourth quarter, when he caught a Kenny Minchey pass and turned it into a 37-yard touchdown. That score ended up being Kentucky’s last of the afternoon.
"Oh man, it felt exciting," Darby recalled later. "That was my first touchdown. When he called the play, I knew it was coming to me, so I knew I had to get in the end zone."
Darby played 18 snaps, the most among Kentucky’s young receivers and third-most on the team behind only Miller, who logged 32, and Anderson, who had 34.
For Stein, Darby’s performance fit what he had already seen throughout the offseason.
"Kenny Darby's done it since he showed up," Stein said. "First day he ever got here, winter, watching them throw some routes, like, that guy can play football.
You can just see it. (He's) got twitch.
Loves the game. He never wants to come out.
He's the real deal."
Darby said he felt he had something special brewing as soon as he got to campus.
"When I first got here," Darby said regarding when he knew he'd have a good year. "I had a couple little bruises and scratches, I was home sick, but I made it happen. I worked my tail off for this."
Minchey, who delivered the ball to Darby on the long touchdown, echoed the same confidence in both freshmen.
"Very impressed (with their performance). I wouldn't say I'm surprised with what they did today, they've been doing that since they got here in spring, but it was great," Minchey said. "Put the ball in their hands, they make plays."
Kentucky will need that kind of production to keep coming as the schedule gets tougher, and Saturday showed that Darby and Jean are ready to be part of the answer.
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The footprint gets even more noticeable when you look at the team-by-team spread. Six NFL clubs have multiple former Wildcats, with Buffalo and Jacksonville carrying the largest contingents, and the Jaguars connection carries an extra Kentucky angle because former offensive coordinator Liam Coen is entering his second season as head coach there. For a fan base that tends to measure success in SEC standings and bowl games, it is another sign that Kentuckys influence is showing up in more places than many realize. [Read more 🡒]