Mark Stoops got a needed backup when Demie Sumo-Karngbaye transferred from North Carolina State. (Vicky Graff Photo)
The addition of running back Demie Sumo-Karngbaye of North Carolina State via the transfer portal last week might be a bigger addition than it seems for Kentucky football.
He had 55 carries for 305 yards and three touchdowns in a limited role last year along with 12 catches for 148 yards and one score. The 6-0, 210-pound Sumo-Karngbaye picked UK over South Carolina, Missouri and Colorado and will have two seasons of eligibility left. He was a three-star prospect in high school and No. 23 player in the state of New Jersey according to Rivals.com. His junior season his high school team went 12-1 when he ran for 648 yards and 11 touchdowns while averaging 10 yards per run. He also had 53 tackles and two interceptions. His senior season the team played only three games due to COVID.
Apparently South Carolina was “hoping” to land Sumo-Karngbaye because it has only one returning scholarship running back and a Division II transfer going into the 2023 season. The Gamecocks had been targeting Sumo-Karngbaye and Logan Diggs of Notre Dame, who committed to LSU a few hours after Sumo-Karngbaye picked UK.
South Carolina “Fansided” writer Kevin Miller called it a “massive blow” for South Carolina losing both potential running backs in such a short period. He wrote it “would be disingenuous to say that things were looking good for the fall with where things stand today” for the Gamecocks.
So not only does Sumo-Karngbaye give Kentucky’s backfield needed depth, it also kept an SEC rival from adding a player it needed.
