We’re now under 50 days until it’s football time in the Bluegrass, and Big Blue Nation is eager for the start of the Will Stein era. All of us continue to look at the current roster and speculate about which players will be the stars and which will make certain impacts this upcoming season.
Let’s pause on all of that and talk about a new addition to the team. Yes, you heard that right, Kentucky is adding a new player on July 19 for this upcoming season.
JUCO transfer running back Ahmir Smith is now a Kentucky Wildcat. The 5-foot-10, 204-pound running back comes from Garden City CC, which may sound familiar to Kentucky fans. It’s the same place that Mark Stoops and company landed Terry Wilson and Lonnie Johnson Jr., who both ended up having pretty good careers in Lexington.
Smith is coming off a season at Garden City CC in which he rushed for 322 yards and five touchdowns on 74 carries and added 14 receptions for 183 yards and three touchdowns.
Prior to his days at Garden City CC, Smith spent one season with the Northern Illinois Huskies in 2024, which means he was on the team that knocked off No. 5 Notre Dame, 16-14, early in that season. Smith only spent one season with them, rushing for four yards on three carries.
Out of high school, Smith was ranked as the 120th-best running back in the class of 2024. He played for Calhoun County High School, racked up 1,700 rushing yards and 31 touchdowns as a senior. He earned All-Region honors in 2021, 2022, and 2023.
Now, Smith will be joining a backfield in Lexington this upcoming season that includes CJ Baxter, Jovantae Barnes, Jason Patterson, Tovani Mizell, and Delvecchio Alston as scholarship running backs.
A great day for a mid-July pickup!
