Four Wildcats to Participate in Reese’s Senior Bowl
Kentucky football boasts four players in the 75th annual Reese’s Senior Bowl slated for Saturday, Feb. 3 at Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile, Alabama. Senior running back Ray Davis, senior offensive lineman Jeremy Flax, junior defensive back Andru Phillips and junior inside linebacker Trevin Wallace all will suit up for the American team.
All three days of practice, which begin today, will be televised on both NFL Network and ESPN and the game itself will be aired live on the NFL Network at 1 p.m. ET.
Davis, a graduate transfer from San Francisco, transferred to Kentucky in 2023 after two seasons at Vanderbilt and two at Temple. In his lone season with the Wildcats, he had one of the best single-season performances in school history with 199 carries for 1,129 yards (11th on UK’s single-season list) and 14 rushing touchdowns. He also caught 33 passes for 323 yards and seven scores, totaling 21 touchdowns, a single-season school record. Davis became the 11th player in school history to reach 1,000 rushing yards in a single season and his seven receiving touchdowns are the most touchdown catches in a season by a running back in school history. His 126 points also were a single-season school record.
Davis is believed to be the only player in NCAA history to total at least 1,000 rushing yards in a career at three different Division I schools (also Temple and Vanderbilt). He also became the first player in Southeastern Conference history to have 1,000-yard seasons at two league schools, also running for 1,042 for Vanderbilt in 2022. He had the fourth-most career rushing yards among active players in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (3,563).
In the classroom, Davis graduated in 2022 from Vanderbilt with a degree in in communications studies. He earned an undergraduate certificate in business from UK in December of ‘23.
Flax, a Detroit native, was a three-year letterwinner who saw action in 36 career games with 24 starts on the offensive line. He was a key cog on the Big Blue Wall who was listed on the midseason honor roll for the Joe Moore Award, given to the nation’s best offensive line, in five of the last six seasons.
In 2023, Flax was named the Outland Trophy National Player of the Week and SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week after grading at 87 percent with five knockdown blocks in the 33-14 win over No. 22 Florida.
Flax graduated in December of ’22 with a degree in community leadership and development and completed an undergraduate certificate in social work in December of ’23.
Phillips, a native of Mauldin, South Carolina, was a three-year letterwinner who played in 38 career games with 16 starts for the Wildcats. He declared for the draft after an impressive junior season that saw him chart 47 tackles with 1.5 tackles for loss and five pass breakups (second on the team).
He graduated in December of ’23 with a degree in integrated strategic communication.
Wallace, of Jesup, Georgia, also declared for the NFL Draft after his junior season. He was a three-year letterwinner for the Wildcats who saw action in 36 career games with 19 starts. In his career, he totaled 166 tackles, 18.0 tackles for loss, 10.0 sacks, five quarterback hurries, three interceptions, two forced fumbles and a pass breakup.
His best season came as a junior in 2023 as he totaled 80 tackles (second on the team), 8.5 tackles for loss (tied for second), 5.5 sacks (second), three quarterback hurries, a forced fumble and an interception in 12 games played. He had four of his five double-figure tackle games in 2023, including a career-high 12 tackles twice vs. Ball State and Mississippi State. Wallace ranked 13th in the SEC in tackles per game (6.67).
The Reese’s Senior Bowl has long been the nation’s most prestigious college all-star game because it is the only one coached by entire staffs from two National Football League clubs. This year’s game will be coached by Tennessee Titans’ assistant head coach/defensive line coach Terrell Williams (American team) and New York Jets’ defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich (National team).
Since 1950, Kentucky has had 52 players participate in the Senior Bowl, including 20 in the Mark Stoops era (2013-present).
The Reese’s Senior Bowl is the nation’s most prestigious college all-star game, as it annually serves as the first step of the NFL Draft process. The Reese’s Senior Bowl had 100 total players drafted and 40 selected in the first three rounds of the 2023 NFL Draft, representing 40% of the entire Draft.
Tickets for the Senior Bowl are on sale at 888.736.2695 or online at seniorbowl.com.
