Many of you have asked about the defensive line in the 2017 recruiting cycle.
Bearing in mind that it's still possible that James Hudson could be a defensive lineman (and he's a four-star player at that), and in fact proved himself more than ever on the defensive line this year, I think there are a lot of good options at this point.
There's still four-star defensive end Joshua Paschal on the board. The Olney (Md.) Good Counsel prospect is someone we've reported on extensively before. Tommy Mainord was his recruiter but Kentucky is going to continue to recruit this kid. Andy Buh will take over those duties. As of Jan. 20, Buh was telling Paschal that he will be visiting Good Counsel. Not sure if he has yet but Paschal will remain a priority and he is telling me that he's still open to taking future visits. I think he liked Mainord but beyond his relationship with Mainord his brother's history with Kentucky and his own history of visiting ensures that UK will be in it throughout. Buh is a good match for him as a recruiter because he's good at building relationships, I think.
Jacob Lichtenstein (6-foot-5, 240 pounds) is planning to attend Kentucky's spring game on April 16 and the Cats seem to have made a splash with him by offering.
Jonathon MacCollister (6-foot-4, 253 pounds) has always spoken highly of Kentucky and I suspect that if he remains open long enough to visit/camp/whatever, that UK will have a real puncher's chance with him as well.
Kelton Dawson (6-foot-4, 235 pounds) picked up his first Power Five offer from Kentucky and the Georgia player attended the Cats' junior day. He seems to be increasingly a focus of the UK staff and we profiled Dawson and his visit recently in a story that has to make a fan optimistic about the Cats' chances.
Chris Whittaker (6-foot-4, 245 pounds) told me a few weeks ago that Eddie Gran visited his school, Chaminade Madonna in Hollywood, Fla., and he seems to be really looking into UK. Not sure about visit plans as that might prove more tricky but Kentucky is definitely in the mix.
J'Bril Glaze (6-foot-3, 245) told me back in early December that Kentucky was his favorite. That was a couple of months ago, yes, but more importantly that was when Chad Scott was his recruiter. I do think Kentucky will continue to recruit this kid, just as they'll probably stay in touch with former Scott recruiter and former commit DeMarco Artis, but it'll all come down to the kind of relationship they're able to build and sustain with him post-Scott.
6-foot-6, 210-pound pass rushing specialist Jordan Wright told Cats Illustrated that UK is one of the visits he's planning to take. Might not be an easy trip for the Fort Lauderdale prospect, but he seems genuinely interested.
Alex King is more of a weakside guy (6-foot-3, 224 pounds) than those mentioned already. The Macedonia (Ohio) player has a pretty long early offer list and my understanding is that Kentucky will probably have a pretty solid shot here. I'm told Kentucky really likes this guy and they'll put the full court press on him. Started recruiting him a long time ago.
I can also confirm that Javon Provitt is a possibility as is the JUCO route. In fact, it would be a bit of a surprise if they didn't find a JUCO defensive lineman as it's become a pretty customary course at this position.
The following players are probably more of a long shot
Logan Rudolph: Kentucky offered him early but that was when Shannon Dawson was handling his recruitment. He hasn't heard from UK as much lately and he's really blown up.
Guy Thomas: Eddie Gran offered Thomas and several
Bearing in mind that it's still possible that James Hudson could be a defensive lineman (and he's a four-star player at that), and in fact proved himself more than ever on the defensive line this year, I think there are a lot of good options at this point.
There's still four-star defensive end Joshua Paschal on the board. The Olney (Md.) Good Counsel prospect is someone we've reported on extensively before. Tommy Mainord was his recruiter but Kentucky is going to continue to recruit this kid. Andy Buh will take over those duties. As of Jan. 20, Buh was telling Paschal that he will be visiting Good Counsel. Not sure if he has yet but Paschal will remain a priority and he is telling me that he's still open to taking future visits. I think he liked Mainord but beyond his relationship with Mainord his brother's history with Kentucky and his own history of visiting ensures that UK will be in it throughout. Buh is a good match for him as a recruiter because he's good at building relationships, I think.
Jacob Lichtenstein (6-foot-5, 240 pounds) is planning to attend Kentucky's spring game on April 16 and the Cats seem to have made a splash with him by offering.
Jonathon MacCollister (6-foot-4, 253 pounds) has always spoken highly of Kentucky and I suspect that if he remains open long enough to visit/camp/whatever, that UK will have a real puncher's chance with him as well.
Kelton Dawson (6-foot-4, 235 pounds) picked up his first Power Five offer from Kentucky and the Georgia player attended the Cats' junior day. He seems to be increasingly a focus of the UK staff and we profiled Dawson and his visit recently in a story that has to make a fan optimistic about the Cats' chances.
Chris Whittaker (6-foot-4, 245 pounds) told me a few weeks ago that Eddie Gran visited his school, Chaminade Madonna in Hollywood, Fla., and he seems to be really looking into UK. Not sure about visit plans as that might prove more tricky but Kentucky is definitely in the mix.
J'Bril Glaze (6-foot-3, 245) told me back in early December that Kentucky was his favorite. That was a couple of months ago, yes, but more importantly that was when Chad Scott was his recruiter. I do think Kentucky will continue to recruit this kid, just as they'll probably stay in touch with former Scott recruiter and former commit DeMarco Artis, but it'll all come down to the kind of relationship they're able to build and sustain with him post-Scott.
6-foot-6, 210-pound pass rushing specialist Jordan Wright told Cats Illustrated that UK is one of the visits he's planning to take. Might not be an easy trip for the Fort Lauderdale prospect, but he seems genuinely interested.
Alex King is more of a weakside guy (6-foot-3, 224 pounds) than those mentioned already. The Macedonia (Ohio) player has a pretty long early offer list and my understanding is that Kentucky will probably have a pretty solid shot here. I'm told Kentucky really likes this guy and they'll put the full court press on him. Started recruiting him a long time ago.
I can also confirm that Javon Provitt is a possibility as is the JUCO route. In fact, it would be a bit of a surprise if they didn't find a JUCO defensive lineman as it's become a pretty customary course at this position.
The following players are probably more of a long shot
Logan Rudolph: Kentucky offered him early but that was when Shannon Dawson was handling his recruitment. He hasn't heard from UK as much lately and he's really blown up.
Guy Thomas: Eddie Gran offered Thomas and several
