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Kentucky Football: Alvin "Bud" Dupree One Of The Most Underrated Players

Dupree continues to receive preseason kudos

By wamarsh
John Sommers II

Alvin Dupree ("Bud") originally committed to Kentucky's football team late in the 2011 recruiting cycle. Coming out of high school he was considered a "jumbo athlete" and I'm not sure if UK thought more of him as a tight end or defensive end. They eventually chose the latter. With the hire of former defensive coordinator Rick "Nuclear" Minter, and the installation of his 3-4 defense, Dupree also played outside linebacker which speaks to his versatility. In three seasons Bud has accomplished quite a bit, and his senior is poised to be his best yet.


Dupree was named by Sports On Earth as the fourth most underrated college football player. This is on top of being on several preseason All SEC teams. What he's done the last three seasons justify the recognition he's starting to receive. Dupree has consistently been the best player on UK's defense the last three seasons. Two years ago he seemed to be the only player reliably executing his assignments on the defense.

He has 16 career sacks, and will likely pass Jeremy Jarmon's 17 career sack record this season placing him third on UK's career sack list. If he manages to get 10 sacks this season he will tie Oliver Barnett's 26 career sack record which is the UK record. That is a high number to achieve but Dupree has increased his season-to-season sack numbers every season. Meanwhile, he's averaged 13 tackles for loss the last two seasons.

Not only has Dupree performed on the field, but he's been noted as the type of player to stay after practice to put in more work. He's been labelled as one of the team's leaders this off-season. One can also see his physical transformation to know what he's accomplished in the weight room. He's in great academic standing, and has never had any discipline issues. More than all that though, he's hungry for more:

That's a 270 pound guy talking about running a 4.4 forty time and an over 40 inch vertical. His teammates also expect big things:

This year could see Bud's ascension if he continues to put in the level of work and dedication he's proven capable of over the last three years.  I can't think of anyone more deserved. Enjoy him while you can BBN.

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