Given how big the class already is it seems like Stoops & Co. are planning to sign 25-30 recruits again this season. Granted it's incredibly early, but it appears he is well on his way to signing a class ranked around 25 or 30. Does anyone know exactly how many spots will be available in 2016? I know that's somewhat of a guessing game with blue-shirting and gray-shirting.
2016 Recruiting
- Thread starter footballfanatic77
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Your math might not add up. If everyone signed last February makes it into school in August, Kentucky's 2015 roster has 85 players on scholarship, including 17 seniors. That means Stoops can sign 17 new players in his 2016 class, plus an additional number equaling however many 2015 signees don't enroll and however many underclassmen leave the program this year. To put it another way, 8 players who are expected to be on our 2015 roster will have to leave or not report for Stoops to sign 25 next February. Every year, 1 or 2 February signees don't make it to enrollment and a couple of academically borderline players leave. A couple of underutilized 4 year juniors will take early graduation. So I expect Stoops will sign 22-25 in February. But like you say, it's incredibly early.
Nice analysis, but it is all a guessing game right now. UK has had a great retention rate on commits and players since Stoops took over, something that destroyed Joker's classes, but there is reason for a lot of concern with the number of freshmen not here yet this year. Probably caused in large part by the late rash of defections.
Anyone have an update on the status of the players not here yet, there was about five the last I read about it.
I do love the redshirts we have becoming eligible this year, to have one four star redshirt is very unusual at UK lately, to have four (three for obvious reasons) this year is great news for the future. They should give us a big boost this year.
Anyone have an update on the status of the players not here yet, there was about five the last I read about it.
I do love the redshirts we have becoming eligible this year, to have one four star redshirt is very unusual at UK lately, to have four (three for obvious reasons) this year is great news for the future. They should give us a big boost this year.
He will adjust roster and encourage some to leave like the rest of the coChes in the league. Room will be mad to sign as many as possible
One of the problems is that UK hasn't had decades of practice in running players off. I don't think we came close to signing 25 last year, and haven't taken 30 or more commits in a long time-----unlike some programs.
That said, it is better for both the player and the program when a lot of players leave, even with a little encouragement, Mobley seems to have found a great situation for himself. The DT that also transferred there probably not so much. My personal preference would to be to play a lot at a smaller school than to sit on the bench at UK, or even Bama.
That said, it is better for both the player and the program when a lot of players leave, even with a little encouragement, Mobley seems to have found a great situation for himself. The DT that also transferred there probably not so much. My personal preference would to be to play a lot at a smaller school than to sit on the bench at UK, or even Bama.
It's easy for fans to say such things when you are only watching football games on TV and don't have to answer to the parents about their sons' futures. I infer from your screen name that you are a Tennessee fan, which may explain your perspective. Our 2013, 2014, and 2015 classes were signed by Stoops. As long as they obey team rules and make their grades, Stoops will not encourage his own recruits to leave. Some coaches do that, but then they have to explain that to parents of future recruits. Stoops lives by his own ethical standards, not anyone else's. Only 17 Joker recruits are still on Kentucky's roster, and 14 are seniors. Of Joker's players, only Towles, Zack Blaylock, and Zack Myers are juniors. Blaylock and Myers are the 2 players I was thinking about when I mentioned 4 year juniors near the bottom of the depth chart take early graduation every year. But Stoops will not force them out. Krok and Tubman are already gone. Others may go. Players get hurt, get in trouble, give up football. When you are dealing with 85 young athletes, stuff happens. But Stoops will not dump on current players to make room. That isn't his nature, and it doesn't look good to future recruits either.
15 redshirts from Stoops' 2014 class. Barker, Dubose, Edwards, Firios, Hendrix, LaRubbio, Long, Middleton, Richardson, Snodgrass, Stallings, Tucker, Walker, Ware, West. Like you said, some big team needs addressed there especially on the defensive side.
No need to fabricate a high horse to climb up on. UK is playing from behind as it is. Now you want to act like we are going to all of a sudden compete for titles against teams who have owned us for years and we are going to also do it without breaking any rules or pushing dead wood out early like everybody else does. Hopefully we will compete for titles in the near future but don't think we aren't going to have to get down and dirty in the process.
Stoops has only been here 2 years so it is impossible to know what he will do and how he will react when some of these kids don't live up to expectations. If he wants to compete, he will do what every other successful coach in the league does. He will support them in everyway he can but he will explain to them that if they have a future in football it will be at a smaller school. He will most likely make calls for them and find them a spot. He will be polite and gracious but he will push their ass out of here and make room for another kid who can help the team. As the coach of all the kids, he owes it to the ones who can compete to surround them with teammates who can also compete. Sometimes it is ugly but that is the way it is in big time college athletics.
This is the correct answer. Anyone who has been watching has observed how Stoops as "quietly" parsed down the roster to make room for his own recruits. Yes they were all Joker guys, but he didn't have any of his own guys here long enough to start making moves with them. I think when the time comes, if he has guys that are juniors and seniors that will, for whatever reason, likely never see the field he will sit down with them and help them make a decisions that's in their own best interest and that of the team.
You have the right idea. And if they leave early that is even more impressive to recruits.
I noticed ESPN currently has UK's 2016 class ranked 22nd with 18 commits. We may have 17 seniors, but there is bound to be some attrition due to guys transferring, quitting, etc. And of course of those 18 at least a few are probably not going to end up signing. I'd say there's room to get several more verbal commits.
You and the Tennessee fan seem to agree. Yes, competition can get ugly. Of course, our coach wants players who compete and succeed. Exactly who do you think selects and signs Kentucky's players in the 1st place? While I agree that Stoops does everything in his power to help our players succeed, including state of the art nutrition and conditioning, he also surrounds them with teammates who can compete by recruiting those players. This staff is more careful than most about recruiting intangible qualities. How many times have our fans complained here because a 4 star player lacking the intangibles Stoops wanted did not receive an offer? Players can fall behind if they get hurt or develop problems off the field. But anyone who has actually been watching (borrowing Deeefense's language there) knows this has occurred much less commonly with players recruited and signed by Stoops than any other Kentucky coach since Claiborne. I will let the high horse comment go because it has nothing to do with the thread and isn't worth addressing.
I agree with everything you just said. However, I still disagree with your original statement that he won't push some out the door. As he brings in more top classes the bar will be raised and even some of his recruits will not live up to expectations. He may push gently but he will push them into other programs that will benefit the player and the team. You may not think you are on a high horse when you say that Stoops can do what other SEC coaches are doing without the baggage but the fans of the other teams are right to laugh at such absurdity.
He may, but I doubt it. I have yet to see a player that he signed be asked to leave
He will. His players have only been here for two years. If they all work out he will keep them but we both know that is not going to happen. If they haven't shown him anything by their junior year, they won't be here for their senior year. It is just the way it works. No coach can afford to pass up on a promising recruit because he is holding a spot on the bench for a senior who will never contribute.
I'll believe it when it happens. You bring it up when it does, but I don't believe that is the way he works. Integrity is something you don't want to lose in coaching.
Not sure if anybody has seen this, but I found it interesting. It's a list of attrition for all SEC schools, last updated 2/14/2015. For 2013 and 2014, Kentucky's attrition has been possibly the lowest in the country. I'm not sure if I think that is necessarily a good thing or a bad thing--I think some is necessary if you want to achieve a quick turn-around, but there are benefits of keeping attrition low when you have the perfect players to fit your system. It would seem, given the attrition, that Blue Decade is right and that the class can hold around 20-25 players meaning that unless there are some decommits (and I'm sure there will be a few), the 2016 class is nearly full.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dPjOctLHmlJ8__ub8ZqwTVz9DRRnCINjNZqjUmfm1s0/edit?pli=1
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dPjOctLHmlJ8__ub8ZqwTVz9DRRnCINjNZqjUmfm1s0/edit?pli=1
My guess is without attrition UK'll sign 21-22 in the '16 class. They want Daniel and Leavitt, a JUCO DL named Aime and maybe a WR and that will put them where they want to be. The '17 class will be even smaller, maybe just 17-18 before returning to a full 25 in '18. As stated, that is without mass attrition.
Big thing now will be trying to close strong and hold the '16 class together.
Big thing now will be trying to close strong and hold the '16 class together.
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2009-12 killed Tennessee. That's why the program has been in its decline until this year. We had good recruiting classes but with all the coaching issues the turnover was extremely high. When Jones got here we had no talent.
We signed 73 of possible 75 in the last three classes & put Mosier on scholarship. To me that says there was plenty of room for better quality and numbers when Stoops got here so no need for attrition. Things might start to change some now though.
