(TNS) Kentucky football fans are likely to get their first look at freshman quarterback Destin Wade in the Music City Bowl versus Iowa, when he is expected to make his college debut.
But many of the fans in the Nissan Stadium stands in Nashville will already be familiar with Wade, who starred at Summit High School in nearby Spring Hill, Tennessee.
“Destin Wade is looking pretty good,” UK associate head coach Vince Marrow, who will call offensive plays for the Wildcats in the bowl game, said after a pre-bowl practice last week. “Getting an opportunity. All three quarterbacks, but Destin stood out to me today.”
Kentucky has not named a starting quarterback for the game after probable NFL Draft first-round pick Will Levis opted out of the game. Wade and redshirt freshman Kaiya Sheron are both expected to see time in the bowl. Former Iowa quarterback Deuce Hogan, who transferred to UK last winter, is another option.
Wade was the highest-ranked recruit of the trio but he was rated as a four-star athlete amid questions about whether he would stick at quarterback in college. After his senior season at Summit High School, Wade was named Tennessee Mr. Football for Division I, Class 6A, the largest classification in the state. He rushed for 2,308 yards and 30 touchdowns and threw for 1,436 yards and 18 touchdowns.
“He’s a winner,” Marrow said of Wade. “That’s what people don’t realize: He’s a winner. He won at a very high league. He can make every throw. He’s athletic.”
While most Kentucky players might have been hoping for a warmer destination for their bowl game, playing in Nashville will be a highlight for several Wildcats.
Freshman All-American receiver Barion Brown, Destin Wade and freshman outside linebacker Keaten Wade, Destin’s twin brother, all trained at the same Nashville gym in high school. Brothers Jordan and Justice Dingle, who graduated from Bowling Green High School, also have family in the Nashville area.
“It really doesn’t get no better than having a bowl game in your hometown,” Brown said. “Man, I honestly just can’t wait for it.”
Keeping Brown in the fold after months of rumors that traditional college football powers might try to lure him into the transfer portal after he caught 45 passes for 604 yards and four touchdowns in the regular season was a top priority this offseason. Brown told reporters he’d already made up his mind to return to Kentucky before the Wildcats’ bowl was announced, but the chance to play in his hometown could not have hurt Kentucky’s efforts to retain the dynamic freshman.
The chance for Brown and Wade, who trained together but attended different Nashville-area high schools, to connect with each other in the bowl game could make the experience even more special.
“Nashville always wanted to see me, Destin and Keaten play on the same team,” Brown said. “Having the opportunity to play in front of them and let them see how hard we have worked for this, it’s going to be great playing with them in Nashville.”
Nashville has become an important base for Kentucky’s recruiting efforts the last two years.
On Wednesday, UK signed four-star wide receiver Shamar Porter from the city. Kentucky is also recruiting four-star Nashville prep receiver Demetrius Bell, who did not sign with a program in the early signing period.
“Destin really started coming on probably the last four weeks of the regular season,” Marrow said. “Then Barion and the other Wade played a lot this year. It is a message because we recruit Tennessee very well. I know a lot of them guys want to go play well in front of a lot of family. I know they’ve got a lot of people there.”
For Kentucky to beat Iowa in a second consecutive bowl game, the Wildcats will likely need contributions from each of the Nashville natives, but especially Destin Wade and Brown.
Their presence could add some local intrigue to a game that faces challenges in attracting widespread interest as it starts at the same time as the Sugar Bowl and the Kentucky-Louisville men’s basketball game.
“I think that’s always great for the local support and engagement,” Music City Bowl president and CEO Scott Ramsey said. “I think that’s a real credit to Nashville and Tennessee high school football. I remember back when we started the game 25 years ago, that was a big thing.
“… Not really an area kids are coming out of, that was one of the things I heard a lot when we were going through the selection process. I just don’t hear that anymore now. I think that’s a great tribute to what high school football in Nashville and Tennessee has done.”
Jon Hale, Lexington Herald-Leader via Tribune News Service
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