By Josh Ellis

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@_jEllis

Plagued by injury last season, two UK wide receivers are now fully recovered and ready to make an immediate impact for the Cats in 2015.

Redshirt sophomores Jeff Badet and Alexander Montgomery were forced to watch UK from the sidelines in 2014, after Badet suffered a broken leg in spring practice and Montgomery tore his ACL after celebrating a touchdown against Alabama State in Nov. 2013.

Both battled many setbacks on the road to recovery, and sat out longer than expected. However, the two redshirt-sophomores are now “100 percent” and anxious to get back on the gridiron.

“I’m 100 percent – no bumps, no bruises. I’m ready to go,” said Badet, who had 22 receptions for 285 yards and one touchdown in 2013. “I just have to come in and bring my A game every day.”

Montgomery, who was a very reliable pass catcher his first year at UK, grabbed 16 passes for 136 yards and two touchdowns his freshman season. After nearly two years of sitting out, Montgomery reassured he’s ready to go.

“I had a few hiccups in the spring, just because I felt a little nervous. (But) then the summer came around and now I feel fine.”

Not only are the two playmaking wide receivers ready to return to the field, but they also feel like they haven’t missed a beat with new offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson.

“I’m loving coach Dawson’s offense, I’m real comfortable with it. I’ve already learned the offense, I’m just ready to go,” Badet said. Montgomery went on to add, “(Dawon’s) a very laid-back guy and he lets you play your game. He’s just different – and we needed different.”

Dawson is getting two different types of receivers in the Badet-Montgomery duo. Badet, a 6-foot, 182-pound slot receiver, is a speedster who has a great first step off the line and can get behind nearly any defense in the country.

Montgomery is more of a possession receiver whose bigger frame — he’s 6-foot-2, 210-pounds — and physique allow him to get good position against defenders.

Dawson knows this tandem of redshirt sophomores can bring valuable depth to the wide receiver position, but their lack of experience may limit their playing time early on.

“We have depth, but we don’t have a lot of experienced depth. We’ve got kids that are capable of great things – like 100 reception years like we’ve had in the past,” Dawson said. “I think we’ve got numbers – (But) they’re young depth, but inexperienced depth.”

The ex-West Virginia offensive coordinator went on to say that he believes there are two or three guys from this year’s group of wide receivers that he feels extremely comfortable putting on the field right away.

While Badet can’t control how much he plays, his plan for the season is to help the team as much as he can when he gets the opportunity. In doing that, he hopes to accomplish his plan when he signed with UK.

“The goal now is to just get back out this season and make an impact,” Badet said. “I want to help turn the program around like I set out to do when I first got here.”