Senior tight end Izayah Cummings played a big role for Kentucky football in 2021, playing in all 13 games, catching 14 passes for 195 yards and 3 TDs. He was able to contribute during the most crucial moments of the season, but last season, saw virtually no production under Rich Scangarello.
Even though Cummings made an appearance in all 13 games last season, his only means of offensive production was a single 23-yard run. Feeling underutilized, Cummings nearly transferred to Louisville, where he is originally from. However, a conversation with Coach Vince Marrow had Cummings sold on playing his senior year in Lexington.
Following August 22nd’s practice, Marrow answered questions from the media, and he was asked about Izayah Cummings and how he is feeling with Liam Coen back at UK.
Marrow responded, “There was a lot of people that wanted Izayah because they remember seeing him in ’21, the plays he made. There was one particular school down the road that I think he was really considering going to.”
Marrow then dove into what exactly he pitched to Cummings to keep him at Kentucky.
“Me and Zay got a really good relationship, and I told him, ‘Hey, man, there’s probably gonna be a change,’ and we had an idea who the coordinator was. It was like Christmas Day, whole attitude just changed.“
Despite Izayah Cummings not getting the playing time he wanted, he bowed his head, showed up with a positive mindset, and worked his tail off.
“It was very unfair for him,” Marrow said. “He was such a big factor in that offense and just to go to nothing. What I love about Zay, he kept his character right, he was very supportive of other guys.”
With Liam Coen back on the sidelines and a renewed confidence for Cummings, 2023 is shaping up to be a much better season for the senior. Based on practice reports and multiple comments from the staff, expect him to produce similarly, if not better, than he did in the 2021 season.
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