The Kentucky defense will have to replace its most productive player in 2021.
Junior linebacker Jamin Davis, who led the Wildcats and ranked third in the SEC with 102 tackles this season, announced Friday afternoon that he will forgo his senior season and enter the NFL Draft.
Davis announced the decision via his Twitter social media account:
Davis was a relatively unheralded prospect out of Long County, Georgia, in the Class of 2017. He came to Lexington as a 6-foot-2, 189-pound athlete but developed into a star defender.
Now 6-foot-4 and 234 pounds, Davis came on strong as a reserve inside linebacker during the second half of the 2019 season. He became a major impact player in 2020, leading the Cats in tackles while also recording four tackles for loss, three interceptions, two pass break-ups, 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble, and a blocked kick.
He had interceptions in two of the Cats' most memorable wins this season, one returned for a touchdown in UK's first victory at Tennessee since 1984 and another to help the Big Bule seal its Gator Bowl win over NC State.
Davis is projected by some scouts to go as high as the second round in this year's NFL Draft.
His departure leaves the Cats a bit thin at the position group for 2021. Junior DeAndre Square is expected to return, but the rest of the inside linebackers will be considerably inexperienced.
