Kentucky’s season is almost here, and the first real test arrives Saturday against Youngstown State, a top 10 FCS team. The early conversation around the Wildcats is easy to frame around the offense and the new look under Will Stein, but the running back room might end up being just as important as any receiver package when the ball starts flying.
That group comes with upside, but it also comes with a clear concern: health. Kentucky is leaning on CJ Baxter and Jovantae Barnes, two backs who have both dealt with injuries and are trying to use this stretch at Kentucky to get back to who they were before the setbacks.
Baxter flashed early as a true freshman in 2023 with 659 rushing yards, then sat out the entire 2024 season with a kneee injury before playing in eight games last season and battling a hamstring issue. Barnes brings a different resume, arriving as a former top 150 recruit who produced 1.469 yards and 13 touchdowns over three seasons with the Sooners.
His best year came in 2023, when he ran for 577 yards, scored five times on the ground, and added 17 catches for 123 yards.
Jason Patterson is also back and expected to be part of the primary committee rotation, giving Kentucky another piece to work with as the season opens.
On Tuesday, Stein didn’t sugarcoat where he thinks things stand. He was asked about the depth in the room ahead of the opener and gave a measured answer.
"I feel okay. I don't feel great, I don't feel bad," Stein said of how he feels about Kentucky's depth at running back.
"CJ's had a really good last three weeks. He's out there practicing every single rep.
I think Jason Patterson has gotten significantly better from when we first got him, especially within our scheme. He catches the ball well, and you know, Martels Carter has came along too.
We got to do things to get the ball on the edge and getting other players involved, but for the most part, I would say I feel okay."
That’s the tone Kentucky is carrying into the season: enough talent to believe in the room, enough uncertainty to keep the staff alert. The challenge now is simple. The backs have to stay available, the workload has to settle in, and the production should follow if that happens.
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