Kentucky running back ready for seventh season of college football after injury heartbreak

Kentucky football’s offensive players have varying degrees of experience with coordinator Liam Coen.

There are still 15 offensive players on the roster who played for Kentucky in 2021, Coen’s previous season as coordinator. Seven second-year Wildcats on offense committed to Kentucky as recruits while Coen was on staff. Four freshmen enrolled early to participate in spring practice after Coen returned to Lexington

But one Wildcat’s relationship with Coen is much longer.

Coen helped recruit running back Ramon Jefferson to Maine as a member of the high school class of 2017. He was offensive coordinator there during Jefferson’s freshman season that fall.

As Jefferson prepares for his seventh season of college football, the two have been reunited.

“It’s just cool when life comes full circle like that,” Coen said. “The fact that he’s still playing is crazy, but I’m really glad that he is.”

Had things gone according to plan for Jefferson the reunion never would have happened.

Jefferson redshirted as a freshman at Maine, an FCS program, during Coen’s last season on staff there in 2017. He would go on to make stops at Maine, Garden City Community College and Sam Houston State before transferring to Kentucky in 2022 to use the extra year of eligibility granted all players in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Just when it looked like Jefferson would finally have the chance to prove himself against the top tier of college football competition, injury struck.

On his second carry as a Wildcat in UK’s 2022 season opener, Jefferson tore the ACL in his right knee. His season was over and his future was in doubt again.

“Got real sad, but I feel like after that it was like, OK, then what?” Jefferson said. “I reached out to some friends who had the same injury as me. They were able to pick me up early on and say, ‘Hey listen, it won’t be easy, but this is what it is.’”

Jefferson immediately knew he wanted to pursue a waiver from the NCAA for a seventh year of college football, but Kentucky could not file the paperwork until after the 2022 season.

Meanwhile, Jefferson had to begin his rehabilitation work with no guarantee the NCAA would grant his waiver request. Even after he received confirmation he would be able to return to UK for the 2023 season there was work to be done.

Jefferson did not participate in spring practice as he continued his rehabilitation. At the time of his injury, Jefferson had a chance to secure a featured role in the offense with star running back Chris Rodriguez facing a four-game suspension. Rodriguez had since moved to the NFL, but Kentucky added two Power Five conference transfers to a running back room that featured two other returners and a four-star freshman.

The start of preseason practice has marked Jefferson’s return to the field, but he wore a red no-contact jersey during Saturday’s open Fan Day practice.

“I’ve been through knee injuries before,” Kentucky Coach Mark Stoops said after the Fan Day practice. “I understand when he’s coming back from it you just see him getting comfortable each and every day. With that, he gets more confidence. You start to getting back being fluid.

“I can tell he’s feeling better. We’ve just got to be smart and cautious and get him better and get him through it. We do have a month. It’s a long season, so I’d like to see him back at full strength.”

Where Jefferson fits in the running back rotation when healthy is uncertain.

Vanderbilt transfer Ray Davis, who topped 100 yards against four SEC opponents last season, is expected to start. North Carolina State transfer Demie Sumo-Karngbaye has been a standout in the first week of practice thanks to his ability to play both running back and wide receiver. Senior JuTahn McClain was a consistent target of praise for his versatility from Coen during his previous stint at UK in 2021.

The 5-foot-10, 210-pound Jefferson could pass the 4,000-yard plateau for his college career this fall, but only 10 of his 3,948 rushing yards have come against an FBS foe. Jefferson has won an FCS national championship but has yet to play in a game against a Power Five conference opponent in his college career.

“All he wants to do is do something right to help this team win games,” Coen said. “... All he’s done is just put his head down and work. He just comes to work every day, gets right in the training room. I really hope that he can help us out this fall.”

Jefferson is quick to note he and Coen have both changed dramatically since their previous season together at Maine.

“Obviously as a freshman, all I really knew was running the ball and a few little pass routes,” Jefferson said. “Really being able to grasp the whole offense and see how he’s able to put together, it’s almost like a work of art.”

But there is also something poetic in Jefferson’s seven-year college career coming full circle.

Jefferson will wear the No. 26 jersey made famous by Kentucky’s career rushing yards leader Benny Snell, but the agony of getting so close to have a chance to prove himself in the SEC only to have the opportunity taken away by injury has Jefferson focused on much more practical goals than emulating the last Wildcat to wear No. 26 in the backfield.

The day-by-day approach that propelled Jefferson through his rehab will continue. Returning to practice with his teammates has provided a mental boost, but no one needs remind Jefferson that nothing is guaranteed in football.

“Ultimately, patience is what it taught me,” he said. “Sometimes you don’t get instant gratification. It kind of taught me just to slow play certain things and really set aside certain things in my life. It allowed me to look at things from a better perspective now.

“Ultimately me being back on the field, you appreciate everything a little bit more than obviously you did before.”

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