Covington Catholic Star Cash Harney is Betting on Himself at UK

Cash Harney had 6,855 passing and rushing yards combined playing quarterback for Covington Catholic and Beechwood. (Covington Catholic Photo)

He’s not a four-star player and will not even play the same position he did in high school, but Covington Catholic quarterback Cash Harney believes in himself and was not afraid to accept a walk-on offer from Kentucky.

Harney was a dual threat quarterback for Covington Catholic. In his senior year he threw for 1,648 yards, rushed for 754 yards, and had 63 yards receiving. He scored 22 touchdowns. As a junior during the 2024 season, he completed 86 of 148 passes for 1,303 yards and 13 scores and also ran 150 times for 1,476 yards and 19 scores to help Covington Catholic reach the Class 4A state title game.

Over the last four years, Harney had 6,855 passing and rushing yards combined playing quarterback for Covington Catholic and Beechwood where he started five games as a freshman for the Class AA state championship team.

“Kentucky had been interested in Cash but I don’t know if they would have offered,” said Newport Catholic coach Eddie Eviston. “It had a lot to do with his position. He played quarterback and safety for us but that is not what he will be at the next level and that makes it hard to offer.”

Harney went to a camp at Louisville last summer and worked out at receiver. The 6-foot, 185-pound Harney impressed the Cardinals and when director of recruiting Pete Nochta left the Cardinals to join new UK coach Will Stein’s staff at Kentucky, that opened the door for Harney to have a spot at UK.

“Pete really wanted him at Louisville. He saw something in Cash and wanted to give him this chance,” Eviston, a standout quarterback who won national championships at Georgetown College, said.

Eviston thinks Stein might see similarities between Harney and himself. Stein was a standout quarterback at Trinity who started his prep career as a receiver. He went to the University of Louisville as a walk-on quarterback, earned a scholarship and became a starting quarterback.

“Cash is a bit  undersized but he just has a knack for getting the job done,” Eviston said. “He has a pretty dynamic skill set. We have had some really good receivers come through here. He never played that position but he’s one of the best receivers I have seen. It’s just that he could do so many things at quarterback that allowed us to be in every game. Him getting so many touches allowed us to be in games.

“He’s a tough kid who wants to do well. He really works on his craft. He’s an incredible basketball player (he averaged 15.8 points per game last season) as well. He set school records in football and will in basketball, too. He’s just a talented kid with more room to grow. He had opportunities to go to a lower level  to play, but he sets high goals and believes he can do it and so do I.”

Jordan Nevels, a former football standout at Highlands High School and the University of Kentucky, is a personal trainer who works with athletes of all ages and skill levels. His clients currently include Kentucky tight end Willie Rodriguez, a former Covington Catholic star.

Nevels believes walking on at Kentucky is a “great move” for Harney.

“I think having Willie there really sealed the deal for him,” Nevels said. “But I also know it has been a lifelong dream of his to play for Kentucky and be a part of BBN. He loves the culture and tradition. I think it is going to be a great fit for him. He’s a kid that’s very explosive. He’s super athletic.”

Nevels was a defensive back known as a ferocious hitter at UK. He believes Harney will make an easy transition to playing in the secondary at Kentucky.

“I believe if he has the right people around him, he will have the ability to transition to play that safety position at a high level once he learns the ins and outs of how to play it,” Nevels said. “He’s a kid that’s not afraid to bet on himself, and thinks he’ll come in there and not just be part of the team, but he’ll actually contribute.

“I believe he understands the reality of where he is and that there are scholarship kids that are coming in above him. I think that excites him and he can work to try to make himself into a player that can contribute on that level and eventually earn his way into hopefully a starting position down the road.”

Nevels is “preaching” to Harney that he will have to outwork others if he wants to succeed as a walk-on player.

“It doesn’t matter where you are, where you come in, you have to be willing to outwork every single kid that’s going to be in that program and stay consistent because a lot of people will fall off,” Nevels said. “It doesn’t matter where you start, it’s about where you finish. I believe he has the character and the makeup that’s needed to be successful at Kentucky and will surprise a lot of people with what he can do.”