Not encouraging…
The Kentucky Wildcats are coming off one of the biggest wins in the Mark Stoops era, a 20-17 thriller at No. 5 Ole Miss.
The Cats entered the game as 17.5-point underdogs while facing arguably the hottest offense in college football. And they did so without arguably their second-best defender and easily their best defensive back in Maxwell Hairston, who was a late scratch in the week due to an unknown issue.
The standout cornerback had been previously battling a shoulder injury, but it sounds like whatever kept him out vs. Ole Miss was a new development.
After the win in Oxford, fellow starting corner JQ Hardaway revealed that Hairston had to stay in the hospital due to his new issue.
“He texted us from the hospital telling us, ‘Man, just continue to work, continue to do what we put in the work for.’ So we really played for Max today. We played for Max and had him in the back of our head. He was our motivation, for sure,” Hardaway said of Hairston.
Then, following today’s practice, head coach Mark Stoops gave a brief update on Hairston while indicating the DB would miss some time.
“He’s doing better. He’s recovering,” said Stoops of Hairston. “He’s doing better, but he’ll be out…I’ll update you later, but he’s out right now.”
Mark Stoops gives an update on CB Maxwell Hairston pic.twitter.com/TOA5yjJjfr
— Dylan Ballard (@DylanBallard_UK) October 2, 2024
That certainly makes it sound like Hairston will not be back when the team hosts Vanderbilt on October 12th.
If Hairston remains out, it will be a significant loss for a defense that’s playing like one of the best units in college football. It’s also the latest setback for a secondary that’s battled several injuries already.
With Hairston out, Michigan transfer DJ Waller Jr. got the start in his place. Waller missed most of fall camp and the opener vs. Southern Miss due to injury.
True freshman Terhyon Nichols also got extended playing time in Oxford with Hairston out. Nichols suffered a dislocated shoulder in the game but managed to play through it. Still, his status will be something to monitor moving forward.
Next man up.