One of the nation's top receiver recruits, Dane Key, will be staying home and playing for the Kentucky Wildcats. The Frederick Douglass (KY) standout announced a final ten in May, before settling on a final four of South Carolina, Oregon, Kentucky, and Michigan.
Key is a Wildcat legacy as his dad played football at Kentucky years ago. His brother played at Western Kentucky and is currently with the Kansas City Chiefs. The effort that Kentucky has put into recruiting the state, combined with Key's family ties to the the program, make this a great fit. Keeping a player of Key's caliber at home should only booster Kentucky's recruiting success moving forward.
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CLASS OF 2022 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2023 RANKINGS: Rivals100
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What the Wildcats are getting:
Dane Key is a long and rangy receiver who also happens to be bigger than he looks on film. He has deceptive speed, impressive ball skills, and the ability to win every 50/50 ball that comes his way. Key has added a lot of muscle mass over the past year as well, and his physical traits should allow him to be a college contributor from day one. His upside is one thing that really stands out about him as a prospect. Key is still growing into his frame, and even with that being said, he already has great body control and spacial awareness. Once he is in a college weight and meal program, these traits will continue to improve, and he really has a chance to flourish. Many players rated this high can be close to topping out, but Key is just getting started, and has his best football in front of him. That is just one of many reasons that Kentucky fans have to be excited about. This is a big time recruiting victory for the Wildcats, and he is a great fit for their offensive scheme to boot.
Why it's big for Kentucky:
It is important for Kentucky to capitalize on the great season they are having. Many teams that have breakout years become so fixated on the season, that recruiting takes a back seat. Way too often these teams fail to use their success as an advantage on the recruiting front, but that is far from with case with this year's Kentucky team. With Key's commitment, the Wildcats now have three of the top four in-state prospects committed. He is also their seventh four-star commit which will surely move them higher in the recruiting rankings. This is also a momentum builder for their recruiting efforts moving forward.
Coach's Take:
Frederick Douglass head football coach, Nathan Mcpeek, had this to say about his star receiver.
"Obviously his ranking is really high when you look at all of the receivers across the country," Mcpeek said. "He is a great player. People think he isn't fast because he is 6'3" and long, but he is faster than you think. He maneuvers his body to where he doesn't take a lot of shots. He's very elusive and hard to tackle one on one. He's got big hands and he's a good route runner as well. He comes from a football family. His dad played at Kentucky and his brother is currently with the Kansas City Chiefs, so he studies the game a lot. He's been in a situation where he was brought up around football. His dad is my linebackers coach and does a great job. I think he has a chance to play early on because of those intangibles."
Mcpeek on what Kentucky is getting with Key.
"Number one, he is going to be a great culture kid for what they have built there," Mcpeek said. Kentucky has done a great job of recruiting the elite prospects in our state, and they have made it a priority. I think he will immediately fall in line with what they want to do. He also has some former Broncos that he will be with who they signed from our team last year. We also have a safety in the class of 2023 that is committed to Kentucky and they are really good friends. It is a situation where he will be playing with a lot of buddies who are already with the program. Key will bring great culture and play making ability. One of his best attributes is that he can really go up and get the ball when he is covered. A DB can be in great position, covering him perfect, and he still goes up and catches a touchdown pass because of his strong hands and how tall he is. That is something that he can bring to the table immediately."
