No. 14 Josh Ali – Kentucky Wildcats (Senior – Hollywood, Florida)
Following a season-ending knee injury for starter Terry Wilson and wrist and shoulder injuries to backup Sawyer Smith that forced him to miss six games, Kentucky moved versatile wide receiver/running back Lynn Bowden, Jr. to quarterback and became one of the most run-heavy offenses in America for most of 2019.
Despite serving as the team’s signal-caller for the final eight games, Bowden, who was drafted by the Raiders at No. 80, finished as the program’s leading receiver a year ago with 348 yards on 30 catches (11.6 avg).
The Wildcats’ second-leading pass-catcher, Ahmad Wagner, exhausted his collegiate eligibility and signed with the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent, leaving Ali, who totaled 233 yards on 23 receptions (10.1 avg) in 2019, as the top returnee.
A three-star prospect out of Chaminade-Madonna Prep in 2017, Ali has steadily increased his production each year on-campus and Mark Stoops’ program is hoping for another step forward in 2020.
NEXT: No. 13 Cam Johnson – Vanderbilt Commodores