Kavosiey Smoke has a love-hate relationship with the name his mother chose for him almost 20 years ago in Montgomery, Ala.
Kentucky's redshirt freshman running back says explaining his unique given name can get as tiring as a steamy mid-August practice on the gridiron.
"I really don't know," Smoke said, shaking his head with a grin when asked about the origin story. "My mom somehow came up with it."
Ever since that day, his patience has been tested as friends and teammates, teachers and coaches, and reporters alike have asked for the proper spelling and/or pronunciation. For the record, it's "Kah-VAH-see-ay."
He's got a mental database of the butchered attempts, including the all-time worst: "Kay-VOE-see-an."
And then there are those who attempt to spell it like the French cognac, Courvoisier, in fairness, because that's how it sounds.
Or when others know how to say it, and still botch it for laughs.
"Why couldn't I just have a common name?" he said. "This name is so hard, so complicated."
It's not all bad, though.
"I am one of a kind," Smoke conceded.
He's hoping to be one of a kind on the field for the Wildcats, where his preferred name -- "Just call me Smoke" -- conjures images of breakaway runs for touchdowns.
"I'm so ready to ball," said Smoke, who was redshirted last year as Benny Snell Jr. served as a record-setting workhorse for UK.
A three-star prospect out of Wetumpka High School in Alabama, Smoke was rated the No. 29 running back in the country by Rivals. As a senior, he helped his team advance to the first 6A state championship game in the school's 115-year history by rushing for 1,508 yards and 28 touchdowns.
When it came time to choose a college program, Smoke picked UK from an offer sheet that also included Auburn, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia Tech, Missouri, and Virginia Tech.
Smoke is expected to be one of the Cats' main rushing threats this season alongside junior A.J. Rose and fellow redshirt freshman Chris Rodriguez.
"We've got three running backs who can carry the load, but for me, I feel like I can bring a lot of juice to the backfield," he said.
That could mean both in the running and passing attacks, the UK staff says. Offensive coordinator Eddie Gran recently singled out Smoke for possessing "outstanding hands," and says the Cats will be throwing to all of their backs much more than they have in recent seasons.
In order to prepare for that challenge, Smoke spent a lot of time during the off-season throwing with UK's quarterbacks and catching balls from the Jugs machine.
He also put in a substantial amount of work in the strength and conditioning program. He begins the 2019 season at a streamlined 215 pounds on his 5-foot-9 frame. He weighed as much as 225 pounds last year.
"This year, I gained some speed," Smoke said. "Last year, I was kinda heavy-set, I had some baby fat, a little chubby on me. I trimmed down. Coach (Corey) Edmond, they did really great with me this summer, trimmed me down. I feel like I'm light on my feet, I can move better, get north and south."
Smoke gave a sneak peek of some of that explosiveness in the Blue-White Spring Game, racing 87 yards untouched for a touchdown for the Blue squad as part of his five-carry, 132-yard performance. (See that run at the 1:39 mark of the video below.)
His quarterback, Terry Wilson, raved about his potential during media day.
"Kavosiey Smoke,he's going to be a difference-maker," Wilson said. "The way he runs the ball, it's crazy. His legs are huge, and he can squat a lot. He's one of those guys you need to watch out for."
