Broke down the recruiting class on my blog and decided to drop the information here. This could be the class that officially turns the corner for the UK football program.
Jaylin Bannerman OLB 6-5 220 Pickerington, OH/ Central
The slim pass rushing specialist comes from Pickerington located in the Columbus area. Bannerman continues the Ohio pipeline that Vince Marrow has built to Lexington and has a very solid amount of potential. Bannerman has the tools to be a really good pass rusher and he'll play outside backer in Kentucky's 3-4 scheme. Bannerman will redshirt in 2016 and try to add 15-25 pounds before the season kicks off in 2017. He's the type of pass rusher UK needs but is a few years away from making a significant contribution. OLB coach Andy Buh must do a good job in development with Bannerman. This is one of my favorite players in the Kentucky 2016 class.
Jordan Bonner OLB 6-5 220 Lyndhurst, OH/Brush/Northeast Oklahoma A&M
Bonner is another Marrow recruit who made a quick stop at JUCO before making his way to Lexington. Since Bonner redshirted in his first JUCO season, he'll have three seasons of eligibility remaining and will immediately compete with redshirt sophomore Denzil Ware for the starting spot at the "Jack" LB position. Bonner already possesses strong pass rushing skills as he has the speed to run by OTs and the strength to run over RBs. He'll be an instant player for the Cats on passing downs, but he has quite a bit of work to do to be a every down player. However, UK will be counting on Bonner heavily for an edge pass rush. I think him and Hatcher could combine to be a solid duo coming off the edge and open up some gaps for Kentucky's LBs/Safeties to have more success in blitz packages.
T.J. Carter DE 6-4 245 Mableton, GA/Whitfield Academy
The biggest surprise of the class could be Carter as he was a late commit and really came under the radar for UK. He's a guy you won't see on the field for Kentucky for a couple of years, but he has the body to be a productive 5-technique DE in Kentucky's 3-4 scheme. Carter played at a very small school in GA, so you have to keep that in mind when watching his film, but the kid looks to have potential. Carter has a tremendous first step and very good hands. He'll need to be coached up, but this could be a contributor for UK in about three seasons. He fits in well with the scheme and has the size you need to take on SEC offensive tackles.
Ja'Quize Cross DT 6-3 315 New Market, AL/Buckhorn
Kentucky dipped into the south to get another interior lineman who was one of the lower ranked players in the class. However, Cross has the chance to be a very versatile lineman for D.J. Eliot's defense and I could see him playing at any of the three positions along the UK front. Cross had interest from a couple B1G schools, so he wasn't as lowly regarded as Carter. Cross will redshirt and needs a couple years of development, but he has the size and quickness to contribute at some capacity before his time in the Bluegrass is up.
Kash Daniel LB 6-1 235 Paintsville, KY/Paintsville
Kentucky's Mr. Football committed to Mark Stoops over the summer and did not ever look back even as his stock started to soar. Daniel was an early enrollee to Lexington and I expect him to appear on the two-deep by the time UK's depth chart comes out prior to the season opener against Southern Miss. Reports out of Lex already have Daniel as one of the hardest workers on Kentucky's team and Daniel should be Nebraska transfer Courtney Love's backup. Daniel will contribute on special teams and is the future of the Kentucky defense.
Luke Fortner OL 6-6 305 Sylvania, OH/Northview
Most years, Fortner would've been Kentucky's best offensive lineman, however things changed quickly in 2016. Fortner heads to Lexington under the radar, but he'll be a very effective offensive lineman before his eligibility runs out in Lexington. Fortner has the potential to play all five positions along the line and that versatility could help him see the field very quickly. He will redshirt as he should in 2015, but do not forget about this kid. Jackson, Leavitt, and Young will get all the attention, but Fortner is a solid football player. This offensive line class of 2016 could be a program difference maker.
Tobias Gilliam DB 5-11 190 Dayton, OH/Wayne
Gilliam heads to Lexington after a long career at Ohio powerhouse Wayne High School. I project Gilliam as a safety, even though he played corner his entire prep career. He lacks the size you would like to see, but the dude hits like an absolute truck and has good coverage skills. I feel he matches up best covering RBs and TEs and his physicality will be best suited as a safety coming down to stop the run. Because of UK's depth at secondary, it's a very good chance that Gilliam will redshirt, but he could be an immediate special teams player. Cash Gilliam will have to wait his time to play in the secondary, but he'll be a productive force in the back four for Kentucky.
Jordan Griffin DB 6-0 175 Jonesboro, GA/Jonesboro
Keeping the higest rated commit not from the state of Kentucky was quite the battle for UK, but it was a huge win for the Big Blue. Much like Gilliam, Griffin could very well redshirt in 2016 as he needs to put on some weight and Kentucky already has very solid depth in the secondary. He is projected as a CB and had a very successful high school career on both sides of the football. Griffin will certainly have the opportunity to compete with J.D. Harmon and Kendall Randolph for that third CB spot. Nickel back Blake McClain is going into his senior season and I fully expect Griffin to take over that role in 2017. Griffin seems to be best covering slot receviers, but could develop into a solid field cornerback.
Gunnar Hoak QB 6-4 190 Dublin, OH/Coffman
Another Ohio kid, Hoak will make the short drive south to Lexington to continue his college career. I have my doubts about Hoak as he sems to be a very shy kid and did not have a very productive senior season. However, the kid can absolutely spin it and might be Kentucky's best deep ball passer on the roster. Hoak needs to add some weight and learn the game under QB coach Darin Hinshaw before he even thinks about stepping on the field. He is pro-style QB, but is not a statue in the pocket. He will be able to use his legs if ever pressed into action. Kentucky had to get a high school QB in this class for depth purposes.
Dakota Holtzclaw WR 6-7 215 Columbus, OH/Worthington Kilbourne
Another early entry for Kentucky, Holtzclaw arrived on campus last month and Kentucky is immediately going to try him out at outside receiver. Holtzclaw was a guy with multiple P5 offers, but he'll have the challenge of finding a true position. Holtzclaw seems to be a tweener as he does not have the frame to become a TE and seems to lack good enough foot speed to be an outside receiver. However, the way he produces in college will be in the redzone and as a 3rd down target. Kentucky's coaches will need to isolate Holtzclaw on smaller DBs and just play pitch and catch. He'll be heading to a certain redshirt year, but the way Eddie Gran and Darin Hinshaw use Blake Bone this season will tell a lot about the future plans for Holtzclaw.
Jaylin Bannerman OLB 6-5 220 Pickerington, OH/ Central
The slim pass rushing specialist comes from Pickerington located in the Columbus area. Bannerman continues the Ohio pipeline that Vince Marrow has built to Lexington and has a very solid amount of potential. Bannerman has the tools to be a really good pass rusher and he'll play outside backer in Kentucky's 3-4 scheme. Bannerman will redshirt in 2016 and try to add 15-25 pounds before the season kicks off in 2017. He's the type of pass rusher UK needs but is a few years away from making a significant contribution. OLB coach Andy Buh must do a good job in development with Bannerman. This is one of my favorite players in the Kentucky 2016 class.
Jordan Bonner OLB 6-5 220 Lyndhurst, OH/Brush/Northeast Oklahoma A&M
Bonner is another Marrow recruit who made a quick stop at JUCO before making his way to Lexington. Since Bonner redshirted in his first JUCO season, he'll have three seasons of eligibility remaining and will immediately compete with redshirt sophomore Denzil Ware for the starting spot at the "Jack" LB position. Bonner already possesses strong pass rushing skills as he has the speed to run by OTs and the strength to run over RBs. He'll be an instant player for the Cats on passing downs, but he has quite a bit of work to do to be a every down player. However, UK will be counting on Bonner heavily for an edge pass rush. I think him and Hatcher could combine to be a solid duo coming off the edge and open up some gaps for Kentucky's LBs/Safeties to have more success in blitz packages.
T.J. Carter DE 6-4 245 Mableton, GA/Whitfield Academy
The biggest surprise of the class could be Carter as he was a late commit and really came under the radar for UK. He's a guy you won't see on the field for Kentucky for a couple of years, but he has the body to be a productive 5-technique DE in Kentucky's 3-4 scheme. Carter played at a very small school in GA, so you have to keep that in mind when watching his film, but the kid looks to have potential. Carter has a tremendous first step and very good hands. He'll need to be coached up, but this could be a contributor for UK in about three seasons. He fits in well with the scheme and has the size you need to take on SEC offensive tackles.
Ja'Quize Cross DT 6-3 315 New Market, AL/Buckhorn
Kentucky dipped into the south to get another interior lineman who was one of the lower ranked players in the class. However, Cross has the chance to be a very versatile lineman for D.J. Eliot's defense and I could see him playing at any of the three positions along the UK front. Cross had interest from a couple B1G schools, so he wasn't as lowly regarded as Carter. Cross will redshirt and needs a couple years of development, but he has the size and quickness to contribute at some capacity before his time in the Bluegrass is up.
Kash Daniel LB 6-1 235 Paintsville, KY/Paintsville
Kentucky's Mr. Football committed to Mark Stoops over the summer and did not ever look back even as his stock started to soar. Daniel was an early enrollee to Lexington and I expect him to appear on the two-deep by the time UK's depth chart comes out prior to the season opener against Southern Miss. Reports out of Lex already have Daniel as one of the hardest workers on Kentucky's team and Daniel should be Nebraska transfer Courtney Love's backup. Daniel will contribute on special teams and is the future of the Kentucky defense.
Luke Fortner OL 6-6 305 Sylvania, OH/Northview
Most years, Fortner would've been Kentucky's best offensive lineman, however things changed quickly in 2016. Fortner heads to Lexington under the radar, but he'll be a very effective offensive lineman before his eligibility runs out in Lexington. Fortner has the potential to play all five positions along the line and that versatility could help him see the field very quickly. He will redshirt as he should in 2015, but do not forget about this kid. Jackson, Leavitt, and Young will get all the attention, but Fortner is a solid football player. This offensive line class of 2016 could be a program difference maker.
Tobias Gilliam DB 5-11 190 Dayton, OH/Wayne
Gilliam heads to Lexington after a long career at Ohio powerhouse Wayne High School. I project Gilliam as a safety, even though he played corner his entire prep career. He lacks the size you would like to see, but the dude hits like an absolute truck and has good coverage skills. I feel he matches up best covering RBs and TEs and his physicality will be best suited as a safety coming down to stop the run. Because of UK's depth at secondary, it's a very good chance that Gilliam will redshirt, but he could be an immediate special teams player. Cash Gilliam will have to wait his time to play in the secondary, but he'll be a productive force in the back four for Kentucky.
Jordan Griffin DB 6-0 175 Jonesboro, GA/Jonesboro
Keeping the higest rated commit not from the state of Kentucky was quite the battle for UK, but it was a huge win for the Big Blue. Much like Gilliam, Griffin could very well redshirt in 2016 as he needs to put on some weight and Kentucky already has very solid depth in the secondary. He is projected as a CB and had a very successful high school career on both sides of the football. Griffin will certainly have the opportunity to compete with J.D. Harmon and Kendall Randolph for that third CB spot. Nickel back Blake McClain is going into his senior season and I fully expect Griffin to take over that role in 2017. Griffin seems to be best covering slot receviers, but could develop into a solid field cornerback.
Gunnar Hoak QB 6-4 190 Dublin, OH/Coffman
Another Ohio kid, Hoak will make the short drive south to Lexington to continue his college career. I have my doubts about Hoak as he sems to be a very shy kid and did not have a very productive senior season. However, the kid can absolutely spin it and might be Kentucky's best deep ball passer on the roster. Hoak needs to add some weight and learn the game under QB coach Darin Hinshaw before he even thinks about stepping on the field. He is pro-style QB, but is not a statue in the pocket. He will be able to use his legs if ever pressed into action. Kentucky had to get a high school QB in this class for depth purposes.
Dakota Holtzclaw WR 6-7 215 Columbus, OH/Worthington Kilbourne
Another early entry for Kentucky, Holtzclaw arrived on campus last month and Kentucky is immediately going to try him out at outside receiver. Holtzclaw was a guy with multiple P5 offers, but he'll have the challenge of finding a true position. Holtzclaw seems to be a tweener as he does not have the frame to become a TE and seems to lack good enough foot speed to be an outside receiver. However, the way he produces in college will be in the redzone and as a 3rd down target. Kentucky's coaches will need to isolate Holtzclaw on smaller DBs and just play pitch and catch. He'll be heading to a certain redshirt year, but the way Eddie Gran and Darin Hinshaw use Blake Bone this season will tell a lot about the future plans for Holtzclaw.
