ESPN analyst names Kentucky football's 'top newcomer' for the 2024 season
ESPN published a list of top-newcomers every team in its way-too-early top 25 on Wednesday morning.
Kentucky lands at No. 23 on ESPN’s offseason ranking for 2024, just making the cut. Per ESPN’s Billy Tucker, the Wildcats’ best newcomer for this fall is transfer linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson.
Dumas-Johnson arrives in Lexington after a standout career at UGA. He was a big part of Georgia’s national championship team in 2022, but missed some of 2023 due to injury and would not have been guaranteed a starting spot in Athens if he had returned for his senior season.
UGA’s loss is Kentucky’s gain, as Dumas-Johnson now figures to be a pivotal piece of Kentucky’s front 7 in 2024. Here’s some analysis from Tucker on the fit in Lexington:
Dumas-Johnson transferred to Kentucky to start and could play multiple positions in Kentucky’s defense. He projects better as a weakside linebacker, which would allow him to chase rather than taking on blockers. Dumas-Johnson is a plug-and-play defender who will set the tone for one of the best front sevens in the SEC.
In his best season at UGA in 2022, Dumas-Johnson recorded 70 tackles, 9 tackles for loss and 4 sacks. He now joins a Kentucky defense that allowed just 5.22 yards per play last season — good enough for 4th in the SEC.
Dumas-Johnson headlines an intriguing group of newcomers to arrive in Lexington this offseason. Kentucky recruited top-25 classes from both the high school ranks and the transfer portal, according to 247Sports Composite rankings.
Bet365 currently has Kentucky’s 2024 regular-season win total set at 6.5. If you want to wager on that line, here’s a bet365 Kentucky promo code to help get you started.
Kentucky will open the 2024 season against Southern Miss on Aug. 31.
That’s kind of a no-brainer concerning he was an All-American.
what about the new QB? DJ is a really good player but I think I would have to go with the QB.
The QB is no doubt the most vital newcomer.
It really doesn’t matter Volfuzz
until Ky beats Tennessee the fans will be meh
Who are you talking about? I would love to beat Tennessee but if we don’t I can promise you me, and the majority of fans are not “meh”
Brock may prove to be the top newcomer eventually, but that remains to be seen. Jamon has already established a track record. This was probably the right selection for the time being.