Keidron Smith picks Kentucky; comments from Mark Stoops

UPDATE

The University of Kentucky has confirmed the addition of Ole Miss Rebels defender Keidron Smith, including a statement from head coach Mark Stoops.

“We are very excited to have Keidron (Smith) join our Wildcat family,” Stoops said in a press release. “He is a veteran player who started and saw a lot of snaps at corner and safety in the Southeastern Conference. He’s versatile, he’s intelligent, and he’s mature. I like his competitive nature, and he’s a great addition to our defense.”

Welcome to the Bluegrass!

As we’ve become accustomed to in recent years, the Kentucky Wildcats have made a big splash within the college football transfer portal.

With the secondary in desperate need of veteran help, Kentucky has landed a pledge from one of the top defensive backs to enter the portal this offseason in Keidron Smith, who will be transferring to Lexington.

Smith made the announcement on Friday. He will have one more year of NCAA eligibility by utilizing his free COVID season.

The Missouri Tigers, Indiana Hoosiers and Virginia Tech Hokies were among the other schools in the running for Smith, who is arguably the best available DB currently in the portal.

A 3-star recruit in the 2018 class, Smith originally picked the Rebels while holding offers from the Oklahoma Sooners, Baylor Bears, Tennessee Volunteers and LSU Tigers among others.

The Florida native went on to play in 45 career games during his time in Oxford, totaling 224 tackles, five forced fumbles, and five interceptions while playing safety and cornerback.

This past season, Smith recorded 65 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, three pass deflections, two forced fumbles and two interceptions while playing throughout the secondary.

Back in September, Smith was named the winner of the 2021 Chucky Mullins Courage Award, which is given annually to an Ole Miss upperclassman defensive player that embodies the spirit of the late Chucky Mullins in courage, leadership, perseverance and determination (read more about it here).

As of now, Smith figures to fill the void left by Vito Tisdale suffering a season-ending ACL and MCL tear in spring practice. Tisdale was set to play significant snaps at both cornerback and safety next season, so Smith looks like an ideal replacement for that role.

My guess is Smith will open the 2022 season as one of Kentucky’s starting cornerbacks.

Get to know the newest Wildcat with these videos below.

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