** Given the Maclin family name at Mizzou it seemed like a foregone the Tigers would target Maclin
** However there may have been some pressure for Missouri to recruit him because of the family name. Of course, now he has proven himself as someone capable of playing at a very high level but he was not there yet at Mizzou
** Have heard only good things about Maclin from his time at UNT. Spoke with a few people and the only drawback I heard is not necessarily elite in speed or athletic qualities
** Footwork and release at LOS are strengths. Important for a slot
** Sense I get is that Maclin will be the starting slot but they are not going to be confined to keep him there, not going to be strictly a slot. Remember when UK brings these guys in they are showcasing them in contract years like Wan'Dale so to speak. Didn't work out like that for Tayvion Robinson but Maclin is not only coming to make an impact for UK, he is coming to be showcased for the next level
** Maclin committed to Mizzou on April 18, 2019. He was the third player from the '20 class to commit to the Tigers, citing "the family feeling and its close to home." He said that he had made his decision after a junior day in February
** Not surprisingly, Mizzou was Maclin's dream school. Jeremy Maclin is his cousin. So for those who knew the younger Maclin, the only drama was whether he would have the opportunity to go to MU
** Blast from the past: One of Maclin's main recruiters at Mizzou was AJ Ofodile, the father and former coach of Alex Ofodile, a one-time UK target who played at Oregon and Missouri
** Brady Cook was one of the players who committed before Maclin, so he was expecting to be tied at the hip to the player who has developed so much for MU now
** Arizona State and Indiana were the two other schools really targeting Maclin at the end of his process out of HS
** Maclin became a big recruiter for Mizzou after he committed. Obvious reasons, name carries weight
** Iowa, Kentucky, Arizona State, Iowa State, Kansas, New Mexico, and Western Michigan had also offered.
** At one point Kentucky, Mizzou, and Arizona St were the three schools recruiting him the hardest and he was very serious about checking UK out. Kentucky was recruiting him during their 10-3 season in 2018 and that really caught his attention. He noticed their strong early start, saw their win against Missouri on the last second touchdown pass to CJ Conrad, and liked Lynn Bowden, but a big drawback for UK was how much they were running the ball. But he did start to wonder if he could be like Bowden himself
** Maclin's offer from Mizzou came before his junior year of high school after he camped in CoMo.
** He was a second team All-STL Metro pick as a HS senior
** Also played basketball for Kirkwood and was one of the better players on the team
** Maclin missed the most of that senior season due to injury
** He stuck with the Tigers after Odom was fired in favor of Drinkwitz
** Picked No. 9 to wear, same number that Jeremy wore at Mizzou. Also wore No. 19 there.
** Flashed really nice ball skills at Mizzou even without making a splash on the field. One-handed grabs at open practices were reported
** Maclin's first year at Missouri was probably not the kind of prep that you want to see given the COVID year
** When he talked more about the Maclin name at Mizzou, he said it's hard to say. He admitted that at first the comparisons to Maclin and the expectations bothered him. So he focused as much as possible on the team and blocking out that noise
** Jeremy Maclin advises Ja'Mori all the time and he's been in coaching. Has helped him through a lot of things on and off the field
** He says that Jeremy is faster, taller, probably has better hands by a little. Ja'Mori says he's more shifty and a better route runner. "We're both dogs and we have fun," he has said
** Even as a HS prospect Maclin was regarded by Mizzou as a slot who can also play outside receiver, and that seems to be back where he will be at UK after being outside at UNT
** In the spring of 2021, Maclin was interviewed by Mizzou media. He said he was working on his speed, loosening his hips, his hamstrings, and just trying to become as explosive as possible
** Before the 2021 season, his final year at Mizzou, Maclin broke his forearm. Drinkwitz has misstated it as a broken orbital bone and it was later clarified. That's a 3-6 month return timetable for a high impact sport like football. Maclin played 3 snaps over two games in the middle of the season but that was it.
** Maclin is a very emotional player but not in a bad way as in drawing flags. In an interview with Power Mizzou years ago his HS coach said, "Jay is a player with a very high IQ on the field. The fans of Mizzou will see a player that has dreamed of wearing black/gold and will wear his heart on his sleeve for his team. ... He has been a very integral part of our team the past three years and has been part of a program that is 30-7. He has played all four wide receiver positions, defensive back, punt returner and punter. His take off burst has gotten better due to track. ... In order to compete with older players he will have to get a lot stronger especially playing in the SEC. A very good power cleaner and has worked tremendously on his flexibility. ... This year he will need to improve the top of his route running. He will draw a lot of attention so he can not get lazy in the details of his blocking and route running."
** He wasn't regarded as a leader so much as a younger player in HS but his senior year his coaches put more on him in that regard. I do think there was a lot of maturation that happened at UNT when he was able to get out of the Maclin shadow at Mizzou and forge his own path
** Maclin has even said that he considered quitting football when things didn't work out at Mizzou
** Going into UNT he told folks he wanted to be called Ja'Mori
** Asked about portal recruiting after he committed to UNT, Maclin said in HS you have years and years to make a decision or inform yourself. You really take your time. In the portal it's all happening quick. Maclin said he the schools come hard and fast after the portal. It moves quickly
** Maclin said he thinks Littrell, UNT's coach at the time, had briefly recruited Jeremy Maclin at one point and so there was a small familiarity from when Littrell was at Texas Tech
** UNT offered him on Day 1 out of the transfer portal. Maclin visited over Thanksgiving break and things moved quickly
** Still had four years of eligibility when he got to UNT in 2021. If that's true, would seem that he could have two years of eligibility at Kentucky. He said he was willing to play RB, slot, outside, whatever it takes to get on the field
** Back in '21 he said that he will play slot, but there's a lot of traffic inside so he really likes 1-on-1s on the outside. Cooper Kupp was one of the players he cited as a pro he models his game after and we've heard that comparison for other players UK has recruited
** Said at the time that after football he might join back up with Jeremy and coach with him
** Had modest numbers his first year at UNT but did help them to the C-USA championship game.
** This year was the first UNT receiver with 100+ yards and two TD in a season opener since Brelan Chancellor did it at LSU in '12 according to UNT game notes
** NFL Network analyst Matt Hamilton broke down Maclin for PowerMizzou.com when he was a HS recruit. His takeaways: "Maclin is a sound all-around receiver with good athleticism and fundamentals. While nothing necessarily jumps off the tape as outstanding, he does everything well. ... Has quick feet off the line and is agile in his releases. Shows good speed and attacks the ball in the air on his vertical routes. Shows a wide catch radius and will make difficult grabs outside the frame of his body. Can do some damage after the catch, but doesn't show that extra gear -- not really a "home run hitter." ... Doesn't shy away from contact, will make plays in traffic and shows excellent effort when blocking downfield in the run game. Clearly takes pride in being physical. Would like to see him run a wider array of routes, most of his tape consists of vertical routes. ... Overall, I would urge Mizzou fans not to put the weight and expectations of Jay's last name on his shoulders -- he isn't the explosive and dynamic playmaker that Jeremy was and it's unfair to demand that of him. If they are able to take him for who he is, however, I think they'll fall in love with a guy who will be a dependable, hard working, and well-rounded threat in the passing game for years to come."
** LSU, Notre Dame, Colorado, Florida, Auburn, Florida State, Oregon, Washington, Cincinnati, Mississippi State, Indiana, Oklahoma, K-State, Ole Miss, Arkansas, Penn State, Texas A&M, Baylor, UCF, Penn State, Texas A&M, Louisville, Cal, Arizona State, West Virginia, Utah, Kentucky, Liberty, and South Carolina are the schools Maclin told Hayes Fawcett had reached out after going into the portal for a second time
** As Maclin's second time in the portal he had to have a better idea of how the process would work but in terms of sorting through all the interest it was night/day compared to when he landed at UNT
** Brock Vandagriff helped to recruit Maclin to Kentucky
** Maclin's QB at UNT this year, Chandler Rogers, is transferring to Cal as of a few days ago. Maclin probably had a hand in helping him get there. The center for that UNT team, Ethan Miner, just committed to Mississippi State. So UNT had three guys who may be P5 starters on offense next year. Just keep that in mind when you watch HS recruiting. The line between who "can play" at this or that level is a lot finer over years of development than we typically factor
** Maclin's OV to Kentucky began on Dec. 8, the first big visit weekend UK has had post-regular season, so it moved quickly. He was one of the first players LSU offered in the portal
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