Shane Beamerhas been at South Carolina briefly but it did not take long for his new coaching staff to lock horns with Kentucky on the recruiting trail when the Gamecocks heavily pursued Lexington (Ky.) Frederick Douglass wideout Dane Key.
Defensive coordinator Clayton White coached Dane’s older brother, Devon, at WKU, and the Gamecocks had a fresh start with new facilities to sell the blue-chip prospect. However, Vince Marrow worked very hard to keep Key home, and the allure of playing in Kentucky’s new NFL offense was a big selling point for the Cats.
As decision time neared during the 2021 football season, there was a critical moment in the recruitment that revealed where Key was leaning.