Kentucky running back Ray Davis signals he will play in Gator Bowl vs. Clemson after all

Kentucky football will apparently have star running back Ray Davis for the Gator Bowl versus Clemson after all. Ten days after declaring for the NFL draft, Davis signaled he will play in the Wildcats’ bowl game despite doing nothing to previously correct the assumption he had opted out of the bowl with his NFL draft announcement. UK coach Mark Stoops hinted earlier this week that Davis could still play in the bowl, but earlier Thursday Stoops told reporters no decision had been made. At 7:21 p.m. Thursday, Davis tweeted a video message thanking Kentucky fans for their support with the caption, “chapter started: Sep 2, 2023 > chapter ends Dec 29, 2023.” Sept. 2 was the date of Kentucky’s season opener. Dec. 29 is the date of the Gator Bowl. The video ended with the text, “See y’all December 29.”

Davis declared for the draft before UK’s bowl was announced. Since then the Wildcats landed a surprise invitation to the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida on Sunday after the College Football Playoff committee’s decision to leave undefeated Florida State out of the four-team playoff created a cascading effect that jumped the SEC teams each up a rung in the league’s bowl selection process. The chance to play in a Florida bowl game against a national powerhouse in Clemson appears to have changed the calculus on playing in the game for several Wildcats. Stoops said Monday cornerback Andru Phillips, who also declared for the draft before the bowl announcement, was likely to play against Clemson. By playing in the bowl game, Davis will have the chance to add to his UK single-season record for touchdowns scored (20). He has already topped the 1,000-yard rushing plateau for the season. In five college seasons that included stops at Temple, Vanderbilt and Kentucky, Davis has totaled 4,319 all-purpose yards with 40 touchdowns.

Davis playing provides a boost to Kentucky’s chances against Clemson, but it would still not be a surprise to see his normal workload cut in order to lessen the chances of an injury that would affect his pre-draft workouts. Davis will need to use those workouts and a possible NFL combine invitation to secure a mid-to-late-round selection. Stoops signaled earlier this week that backup running back Ramon Jefferson could see an expanded workload to help audition for NFL scouts after a knee injury prevented him from ever assuming a featured role in two years at Kentucky.

Kentucky’s Ray Davis (1) has rushed for 1,066 yards and scored a school record 20 touchdowns this season. Silas Walker swalker@herald-leader.com “He definitely needs that opportunity,” Stoops said of Jefferson. “He deserves that opportunity because I believe Ramon has a great opportunity to play in the NFL.” Backup running back JuTahn McClain is expected to play in the game despite already entering the transfer portal. Freshman Jamarion Wilcox could see his first carries of the season if he can show progress during the extra bowl practices.

“I would love to see Jamarion, because I think he has some super upside,” Stoops said. “I’ve been meeting with him often, and I like the young man a lot. I’m challenging him a lot, because I want to see some major growth. Because he has some real ability.” Like McClain, other Kentucky players who have already entered the portal are expected to stay on campus long enough to play in the game, but Stoops said those decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis. Quarterback depth could be a particular concern in the game with all three backups to starter Devin Leary announcing plans to transfer, but Stoops said Wednesday he will not know if any of those quarterbacks will suit up for the bowl game until later this week when he returns to Lexington after a recruiting trip. Sophomore tight end Jordan Dingle, who has caught 33 passes across the last two seasons was the latest Wildcat to enter the transfer portal Thursday.