Ray Davis Not Looking to Follow Former Kentucky Running Back's Footsteps
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LEXINGTON, Ky. — Of all seven of Kentucky football's transfer additions for the 2023 season, former Vanderbilt running back Ray Davis may have the biggest shoes to fill.
The Chris Rodriguez era is finally over at UK. The power-runner was a fixture in the Wildcats' offense from 2018-22, climbing up the all-time ranks in Lexington year after year. Before him, it was Benny Snell Jr, who topped the history books with three seasons from 2016-18, all of which saw the current Pittsburgh Steeler eclipse 1,000 rushing yards.
For most of the Mark Stoops era at Kentucky, there has never been a single worry about who was taking handoffs in the backfield. Despite all of the offensive struggles over the year, a serviceable back has often been in blue and white.
That leaves a lot to be desired from the next heir to the throne. Davis — while praiseful of the two workhorses before him — isn't trying to follow any footsteps. He's at Kentucky to carve his own path:
"At the end of the day I got to be Ray Davis. That's just what it is. I was born to be Ray Davis. I wasn't born to be C-Rod, I wasn't born to be Benny Snell. What those guys did was historic, Benny's in the history books, C-Rod's in the history books, but right now I gotta focus on just getting my foot in the door," he told reporters on Wednesday. "Once i'm able to establish that, then Lexington is going to know who Ray Davis is and i'm going to be able to put myself in that category with those guys, but I can't think that far into it."
Though he's looking to make a name for himself, Davis understood the opportunity to come play for the Wildcats to round out his collegiate career. His first two seasons out of high school came at Temple, where he accumulated over 200 carries and 27 receptions, equaling 1,487 yards and 11 touchdowns.
He made the move to Nashville to play for the Commodores in 2021, but reaped the benefits a year later, cracking over 200 carries and 1,000 yards in the 2022 campaign alone. Kentucky fans were all too aware this season, as the San Fransisco native tallied 129 yards in Vandy's 24-21 streak-breaking win over the Wildcats in Lexington on Nov. 12.
The past is the past, but Davis joked that he isn't afraid to air out the laundry if one of his new teammates brings up his tenure as a 'Dore.
"I always joke around and said 'if anybody wants to talk crap during practice I'm gonna bring up the game when they played us against Vandy,' and just talk about 129 yards. We laugh and we talk and some of the guys talk about the game, but I don't really talk much about it, i'm a Kentucky Wildcat, i'm not a Vanderbilt Commodore anymore, so that's in the past."
Following the 2022 season, Davis reevaluated. He earned his degree at Vanderbilt — an amazing accomplishment of its own — but knew that the next road he needed to get on was one that leads toward the NFL. While Vandy is under the SEC banner, it hasn't exactly been a school that has churned out professional talent in the pros.
The new transfer portal opened, providing a freebie for all collegiate athletes. Davis has seen the uptick in NFL output from UK, knew there was a new absence at running back and saw his chance to make a big leap in the most dominant conference in the nation.
It made sense, but it wasn't easy.
"The decision was very, very hard. I cried. Talked to a lot of family members because again, I enjoyed my two years at Vandy," Davis said. "But I had to do what's best for my family, had to put myself in the best position to try to get to that next level. Kentucky is the place to be as you can see, Benny Snell, C-Rod, Wan'Dale (Robinson), (Josh) Paschal, like there's countless guys who came from Kentucky and are in the league today. So I knew if that's what if that's my goal, and that's my dream, then this is where I got to be to achieve that." "
He isn't the only newcomer, however. Kentucky landed multiple high-profile transfers, including Devin Leary, who's joining Davis for one final ride after playing four seasons at NC State.
Before residing in San Fransisco, Davis started in Philadelphia and was close in proximity to Leary — who hails from Sicklerville, N.J. — as the two rose in the high school ranks.
Now the two are acclimated with one another in the Bluegrass, and both have dreams of making it to Atlanta for the SEC Championship game in 2023. All it took was a chat in Davis' vehicle for the pair to begin to connect.
"Funny thing is, me and Dev actually, like we knew each other but we didn't know each other. Being from Philly. I mean, going to school in Philly and him being from Jersey, we kind of have some ties together. We knew a lot of the same people," he said. "So the first day we got here, we actually sat in my car for about 10-20 minutes and we just talked and we chopped it up, and I knew this guy was gonna be a very close friend of mine because we have the same goals and we want to get to where we need to get to so, I think we gelled pretty fast."
Davis still has a starting gig to win, but the impression around UK is that there's no worries about a drop-off in talent at the running back position for the upcoming season.
WATCH: Kentucky football's transfer portal signees speak to the media
Former Wildcat Kiyaunta Goodwin has found a new home in the SEC. More HERE.
Devin Leary discusses his decision to transfer to Kentucky HERE.
Kentucky's transfer portal tracker can be found HERE.
Want the latest on national football and basketball recruiting, including Cats targets? Head over to SI All-American for the latest news, blogs, and updates about the nation's best prospects.
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