The 2024 Kentucky football recruiting class was filled with star power, particularly in the front seven. A month into the season, the true freshman who’s opening the most eyes isn’t one of those Blue Chip talents. It’s the undersized, unheralded Steven Soles.

On 3rd and 8, No. 35’s number was called. Even though he did not live up to his nickname, “Sack Em,” he made the play Kentucky needed to get off the field by pressuring the quarterback to an incompletion.

Later in the third quarter, Ohio was back in another clear passing situation on 3rd and 14. Instead of getting to the quarterback, he bounced off his blocker and tackled the screen pass at the line of scrimmage.

“Soles is just relentless. He plays extremely hard. He’s got some natural pass-rushing ability,” Mark Stoops said after the win.

Saturday wasn’t the first time we’ve seen the true freshman make a big play for the Kentucky defense. He had four pressures and tallied his first career sack against South Carolina.

“He’s tenacious,” said defensive coordinator Brad White. “His twitch and his get-off is elite caliber and he plays with a reckless abandoned and an edge that puts tackles on their heels. I’m really proud of him. He’s accepted his role on this team and it’s a big role. It’s a guy that’s gotta help when we get to third down and we got to get off (the field). He’s shown that he’s got a natural pass-rush ability.”

Size Doesn’t Matter for Sack Em Soles

At 6-foot-2, 215 pounds, Soles was viewed by many programs as a tweener during his recruiting process. Could he play EDGE in the SEC? The production was there. He had seven sacks, 38 QB hurries, an interception, a fumble recovery, and a pair of blocked kicks as a senior for Powell (TN) High School. Kentucky took a chance on his traits, and it appears to be paying off.

“Obviously, we want some guys that are Deone’s size,” said Stoops. “We want some guys that just have some attributes and he certainly does have that looseness, that wiggle. He has a good feel for the game and he’s relentless. There’s been some great ones that have been on the shorter end too.”

Soles was given the nickname “Sack Em” by his father early in his high school career. He just had a knack for getting to the quarterback. Even if there were doubters, Soles is happy to prove them wrong.

“I don’t really pay attention to my size or what people said about my size,” he said. “I just go hard and play 100 percent every time I’m on the field.”

Only a month into his career, he’s proving doubters wrong as a valuable weapon for Kentucky’s third down defense. Once a weakness for Brad White’s unit, Soles is creating havoc and hearing his name called over the loudspeakers at Kroger Field.

“It feels great. Honestly, I know my family is up there cheering hard. They’re excited for us… When they call my name, I want there to be energy,” said the freshman.

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