2024 – Junior (Team Captain)
• Concluded his UK career as a three-year letterwinner and three-year starter
• Played in 38 career games with 35 starts
• Totaled 126 career catches for 1,870 career receiving yards with 14 touchdowns
• Finished his UK career fifth on UK’s all-time receiving yards list
• His 126 career receptions ties for 13th on UK’s career list with James Whalen
• Became just the 21st player in UK history to catch 100 passes in his career
• Had a streak of 19 straight games with at least one reception, dating back to his sophomore season in 2023
• Charted three 100-yard receiving games in his career, including two this season (also vs. Tennessee in 2023)
• Started in 11 of 12 games played in 2024 and led the team in receptions (47) and receiving yards (715) with two scores
• Fourth Team All-SEC (Phil Steele)
• Made 14 catches of 20 yards or more
• Ranked 10th in the SEC in receptions (47), receptions yards (715) and receiving yards per game (65.00)
• Notched a career-high eight catches for 105 yards and one touchdown in the win at then-No. 6 Ole Miss … In the first half alone, he caught six passes for 69 yards and a touchdown, while also drawing three defensive penalties in the first half
• Had a game-high and career-high-tying eight catches for 83 yards and a 22-yard touchdown receiving vs. Vanderbilt
• Second Team Preseason SEC All-Conference Team (Athlon)

2023 – Sophomore
• Named CSC Academic All-District
• Named to SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll
• Has played in 26 career games with 24 starts
• Has 79 career catches for 1,155 career receiving yards (No. 29 on UK’s all-time receiving yards list) and 12 touchdowns
• Played in all 13 games with 12 starts in 2023
• Had 42 catches for a team-high 636 yards and six TDs
• Averaged 15.1 yards per catch
• Had four catches for 83 yards and a five-yard touchdown reception in the bowl game vs. Clemson … His first catch of the game was a career-long, 58-yard reception, which set him up for a five-yard touchdown reception on the very next play to help Kentucky take a four-point lead over Clemson in the second quarter
• Hauled in two catches for 25 yards with a nine-yard touchdown in the second quarter at No. 9 Louisville
• Totaled a team-high 51 receiving yards at South Carolina
• Caught four passes for 36 yards and a 4-yard score in the win at Mississippi State
• Had a career-high seven receptions for a career-high 113 yards, including a seven-yard touchdown receiving vs. Tennessee … Marked his first 100+ yard receiving game of his career … His seven receptions were the most for a Wildcat in a game this season
• Caught a team-high three passes for a team-best 65 yards at No. 1 Georgia

2022 – Freshman
• Honorable Mention Freshman All-American (CFN)
• Midseason True Freshman All-American (247 Sports)
• Dean’s list (Fall 2022)
• Started in 12 of 13 games played
• Totaled 37 catches for 519 yards (third-highest on the team) and a team-high six scores
• Set a new UK single-season freshman record for touchdown receptions with six
• Recorded a TD catch in the first three games of his collegiate career, the first Wildcat to do so since La’Rod King in 2011
• Caught four passes for 53 yards and his first career touchdown, on a one-yard catch, in his college debut vs. Miami (Ohio) … Became the first true freshman to start the opener at wide receiver since Keenan Burton in 2003
• Hauled in three passes for 83 yards and a touchdown in the win at Florida … Caught a career-long 55-yard scoring pass
• Had season highs with six catches for 90 yards in the win over Youngstown State, including a three-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter
• Caught four passes for 53 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner, in Kentucky’s 21-17 win at Missouri
• Led UK with a career-high-tying six receptions for 47 yards vs. Iowa in the bowl game

High School
• Consensus four-star prospect
• The top prospect in Kentucky as rated by 247sports and ESPN
• One of the nation’s top 40 wide receivers and top 250 overall prospects by both services
• Paul Hornung Award winner as the Kentucky Player of the Year, selected by the Louisville Quarterback Club
• Class 5A Player of the Year as picked by the Kentucky Football Coaches Association
• Named to the Lexington Herald-Leader “Class of the Commonwealth” list of the top seniors in Kentucky
• Had 959 receiving yards and nine touchdowns as a senior
• Two-time first-team all-state selection by The Associated Press, Louisville Courier-Journal and Kentucky Sports Radio as junior and senior
• Caught 37 passes for 625 yards and 11 touchdowns as a junior, plus a kickoff return for a TD
• Helped lead team to a 34-5 record during his final three seasons, with trips to the Class AAAAA state finals as a senior and sophomore
• Coached by Nathan McPeek
• Also a centerfielder on the baseball team three seasons
• Earned Academic Freshman of the Year
• Chose UK over Oregon, South Carolina and Michigan

Personal
• Born in Lexington, Kentucky
• Son of Donte’ and Nicole Key
• Has one brother, Devon
• Father, Donte’, was a UK linebacker/defensive end from 1992-95, who was National Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in the 1994 inaugural Governor’s Cup game vs. Louisville
• Brother, Devon, played at Western Kentucky and with the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs, Atlanta Falcons and Denver Broncos
• Major is communication

Dane Says
• Nickname is “Ace”
• He chose Kentucky because it’s home
• One thing most people don’t know about him is he is a good skateboarder
• His sports hero is his brother because he taught him how to love the game and how to play it like it should be played
• Three words to describe him are determined, ambitious and motivated