What to know about Ja’Mori Maclin, Kentucky football’s latest transfer wide receiver

Kentucky football’s wide receiver room makeover continued with a commitment from North Texas transfer Ja’Mori Maclin on Wednesday. Here is what you need to know about the newest Wildcat.

Ja’Mori Maclin has played in the SEC before

A Kirkwood, Missouri, native, Maclin began his college career at Missouri, but he caught just one pass in two seasons there. He played in three games as a freshman in 2020 but missed the entire 2021 season due to injury.

Maclin’s first transfer landed him at North Texas. He caught 16 passes for 380 yards and two touchdowns in his first season there in 2022. Maclin ranked second nationally in yards per catch (24.7).

In his second season at North Texas, Maclin developed into one of the most productive receivers in the country with 57 catches for 1,004 yards and 11 touchdowns. He was one of just 25 receivers to top the 1,000-yard plateau during the regular season. Maclin tied for ninth nationally in receiving touchdowns.

Maclin is eligible to play immediately at Kentucky next season despite transferring once already in his career because he graduated at North Texas. The 5-foot-11, 183-pound receiver has two seasons of eligibility remaining.

Ja’Mori Maclin was one of the most popular wide receivers in the transfer portal

Since officially entering the transfer portal on Nov. 29, Maclin has reported scholarship offers from Penn State, Ole Miss, Michigan State, Cincinnati, Kentucky, South Carolina, California, Texas A&M, Colorado, Central Florida, LSU, West Virginia, Baylor, Arizona State, Mississippi State, Arkansas and Louisville.

Despite the interest in Maclin from multiple traditional powers, Kentucky, which also offered Maclin a scholarship in high school, landed his first visit after entering the portal. Maclin was on campus at the same time as other top offensive transfer targets Donaven McCulley and Chip Trayanum.

At Kentucky, Maclin could step into the starting spot vacated by Tayvion Robinson alongside Barion Brown and Dane Key, but UK coaches have sent a clear message they are searching for receivers who can push the returning starters, not just provide depth. Only three returning wide receivers caught a pass in a game last season. Kentucky has already added Texas A&M wide receiver transfer Raymond Cottrell to the room and continues to pursue McCulley and Houston wide receiver transfer Matthew Golden.

Ja’Mori Maclin is former All-American Jeremy Maclin’s cousin

The Maclin name brings plenty of expectations for Ja’Mori.

His cousin Jeremy was a two-time All-American at Missouri in 2007 and 2008. In 2007, Jeremy Maclin broke an NCAA freshman record with 2,776 all-purpose yards. The next season, he broke the Missouri record with 2,833 all-purpose yards. He scored 33 touchdowns in his Missouri tenure before declaring for the 2009 NFL draft.

The Philadelphia Eagles drafted Jeremy Maclin in the first round in 2009. He spent parts of nine seasons in the NFL before retiring. He is now the coach at his alma mater, Kirkwood High School, where Ja’Mori also played.

Ja’Mori, who has 14 siblings, lived with Jeremy during part of his high school career. His father is Jeremy’s first cousin.

In an interview with the Denton Record-Chronicle, Ja’Mori credited Jeremy with keeping him motivated to continue playing football when he lost his passion for the game during his stint at Missouri.

“It’s been a blast,” Jeremy Maclin told the newspaper of watching Ja’Mori’s breakout 2023 season. “My big thing for Ja’Mori was for him to be happy. The hope was for him to be in a spot where he could be a college student and enjoy playing football at the same time. He made the right decision to transfer to North Texas. That’s for sure.”

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