CarringtonValentine

Career
• A three-year letterwinner who played in 35 career games with 25 straight starting assignments at defensive back
• Totaled 119 career tackles along with 3.0 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, 16 pass breakups, one interception, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery
• Excellent in the classroom as a two-time SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll member (2021 and 2022) and two-time member of the Dean’s List (Fall 2020, Fall 2021)
• Also named to the 2020-21 First-Year SEC Academic Honor Roll|

2022 – Junior
• Led UK and ranked ninth in the SEC in passes defended with 11 (10 PBU, 1 INT)
• Totaled 48 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 1.0 sack, one interception and 10 pass breakups
• Had five tackles and a career-high three pass breakups in the win at No. 12 Florida
• Recorded his first career interception vs. Youngstown, helping keep the Penguins off the scoreboard, UK’s first shutout since 2009 … Also had two pass breakups and a quarterback hurry
• Had a team-best six solo tackles and one sack, and tied for the team best with one tackle for loss in the win over No. 16/17 Mississippi State
• Had six tackles and a PBU in the win over Louisville
• Elected one of three representatives for UK football on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC)
• Named to SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll

2021 – Sophomore
• Started in 12 of 13 games played in 2021
• Dean’ List (Fall 2021)
• Named to SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll
• Ranked fourth on the team with 61 tackles … Also has 1.0 sacks, 1.5 tackles for loss, five pass breakups (Ɵ ed for third on the team) and a QBH
• Had the second-most tackles on the team in the win at Louisville with seven
• Had eight tackles and a tackle for loss in the win over No. 10/9 Florida
• Made four tackles, including a seven-yard quarterback sack that forced a punt in the road win at South Carolina … Marked the first sack of his career
• Totaled a career-high 11 tackles vs. UTC

2020 – Freshman
• Saw action in 10 games with one starting assignment vs. NC State in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl
• Totaled 10 tackles, a PBU and a forced fumble
• Made a career-best six tackles and caused a fumble in the win over NC State
• Got his first career PBU in the win at Tennessee and his first tackle in the win over Vanderbilt
• Dean’s List (Fall 2020)
• 2020-21 First-Year SEC Academic Honor Roll

High School
• One of nation’s top-100 cornerbacks as rated by Rivals.com, 247sports.com and ESPN
• Rated as high as No. 23 in the state of Ohio by Rivals
• A versatile athlete, he began his career as a wide receiver before moving to cornerback as a junior
• Named first-team All-Southwest Ohio as a senior by area coaches
• Made 32 tackles, had five pass breakups and blocked two kicks
• Speed showed on his kickoff returns, averaging 31.7 per runback, including two for touchdowns
• Played at Moeller High School for Coach Todd Naumann, John Rodenberg, and Doug Rosfeld
• Also an outstanding basketball player, winning a state championship in 2019
• Fielded many offers, narrowing his choices to Kentucky, Michigan State and Pittsburgh before tabbing the Wildcats

Personal
• Born in Cincinnati , Ohio
• Son of Ericka and Jerry Valentine
• Siblings are Shala, Jerry, and Jerrick
• Sister, Shala, played basketball at UMass Lowell and brother, Jerrick, played soccer at Bellermine
• Major is pre-journalism

Carrington Says
• His nickname is “Carri”
• He chose Kentucky because he wanted to be developed
• One thing most people don’t know about him is before coming to UK, he only played the defensive back position for one year
• The person he admires the most is his mom because she pushes him to reach his goals
• Three words to describe him are athlete, respectful, and funny