Tuesday Headlines: Maxwell Hairston Edition

Hairston has been a pleasant surprise this season.

By John Morgan Francis@MonJorgan Sep 19, 2023, 6:40am EDT

There have been a few surprises already for Kentucky football through their first three games of the 2023 season, with some of those being good and some bad. But perhaps the best surprise so far this season has been the play of cornerback Maxwell Hairston.

Hairston, a sophomore DB and former three star prospect out of Michigan, has so far put on a defensive clinic for the Wildcats. He has 19 total tackles in his first three games as a starter, which has included a team-high seven total tackles this past Saturday vs. Akron.

Hairston is the fourth-highest-graded cornerback in the entire country by PFF.

Through three weeks, Kentucky's Maxwell Hairston is the fourth-highest-graded cornerback in the entire country.

87.3 PFF grade.

Not too bad for a first-year starter.
— Aaron Gershon (@agershon99) September 18, 2023

Hairston has played so well that he also earned praise from head coach Mark Stoops during the UK coach’s weekly press conference on Monday.

Stoops says really nice game from CB Maxwell Hairston. Very good in run support, some nice open-field tackles, and some critical passes defended.
— Jeff Drummond (@JDrumUK) September 18, 2023

Kentucky’s secondary is full of youth and Hairston has been a pleasant surprise from that group. He’s been able to show leadership and also be one of the team’s best defensive players. The team will lean on him as they head into conference play, starting this weekend at Vanderbilt.

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