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Kentucky had a great day on the field, which hasn’t usually been the case in 2024, as it easily took down Murray State, 48-6, on Saturday in Lexington.
The Wildcats improved to 4-6 as they scrap to get to 6 wins and become bowl-eligible, which will be anything but easy the next few weeks with ranked teams Texas and Louisville left on their schedule.
But Kentucky’s task got even harder on Saturday, as head coach Mark Stoops announced after the game that redshirt senior linebacker D’Eryk Jackson would miss the rest of the season with an undisclosed injury suffered 3 weeks ago against Auburn.
Mark Stoops on D'Eryk Jackson: "He's out for the year."
— Adam Luckett (@AdamLuckettKSR) November 16, 2024
Jackson led the Wildcats defense in tackles in 2022 and ’23, and he looked like one of Kentucky’s best players this season, too, recording 38 tackles, 5 tackles-for-loss, 3 pass breakups, 1 sack and 1 interception in 354 snaps through 8 games.
Unfortunately, now Jackson’s season is officially over, leaving a huge hole in Kentucky’s defense that won’t help matters against the Longhorns and Cardinals. Jackson might be gone for good, too, after spending 5 years in the program, as a move to the NFL looks likely.
The multi-year starter recorded 216 tackles, 17 tackles-for-loss, 9 pass breakups, 5 interceptions, 3 sacks and 1 forced fumble during his excellent career in Lexington. Because he only played 4 games in 2021 due to an Achilles injury, Jackson could still conceivably receive a medical redshirt if he wanted to return for a 6th season.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
