** Troy Stellato is down to Kentucky, Michigan, and West Virginia. There has been some talk that the Wolverines are a very strong contender. Stellato is somewhat familiiar with Kentucky. He was at Cardinal Gibbons as two years younger than former UK QB Nik Scalzo. We saw him at camp at Kentucky years ago. Funny story, he was kind of giving then 4-star UK OL commit John Young a hard time for his ranking and performance. Stellato said he left Clemson because he doesn't know why his playing time dipped after the Virginia game. Dabo said he was dealing with an injury to his finger for a couple of weeks and then it kept him out the last month of the season. Stellato said he didn't see himself growing as a player at Clemson. There, he was very frequently targeted with short passes over the middle of the field. He is a very reliable pass catcher who can make the throw game more efficient but TBD on where he ends up.
** UK did not land DL Chris Murray, who visited last month. He's Auburn-bound. The thinking was that if Kentucky landed Marshall ILB Landyn Watson then they would have a great chance at landing Chris Murray, but earlier connections aren't as important as they used to be in the NIL era. Would have been a nice addition.
** That brings us to South Dakota EDGE Mi'Quise Grace, who visited Kentucky and left folks feeling like they had a good shot. He visited Wisconsin straight after that and now there are reports that he's visiting Georgia Tech one more time. The thing I like about Grace is he's a mature, complete football player who is a true difference maker. He has an array of moves to get after the quarterback. The strength to go inside. He can set the edge. Would be a really solid player if he picks Kentucky. If you could add Grace up front to the two transfers they have from defensive linemen already and you bring back the guys you already have I wouldn't really look at defensive line as a question mark. They have enough bodies there now that you could feel like they can hold their own. Again, we heard that UK felt good after the visit but I didn't hear that a commitment had been made. I spoke with Kelly Quinlan. He's the publisher of the GT site on Rivals. The most either of us know is he's a big-time coveted guy for both schools and for both Wisconsin and Cincinnati (hometown school) as well.
** What I've heard about NC State cornerback Tamarcus Cooley is that he really is a talented kid. Can be an NFL player. However, as a young guy, he has been a little flakey. Decommitting, transferring once after his first year, transferring again. Folks in Raleigh believe he is probably going to the best NIL situation. Raleigh was moving back to a state school for him last year so to leave that after one year is a little puzzling but he had a great season and it opened some doors that were not open before. So he will very likely end up at one of the SEC schools that he's visiting between now and the weekend (at Kentucky on Saturday). Will probably depend on how much UK is able to allot and the same is true for others.
** Can confirm UK has been in contact with and has had some interest in App State WR Kaedin Robinson. Nobody has told me that it has gotten the point of being imminent but some of this stuff is kept under wraps. I haven't heard of a visit so that's noteworthy. Michigan, UCF, Cal, UCLA, Wake Forest, Florida State, Virginia Tech, Auburn, West Virginia, and USC are the offers he has announced since going into the portal. The only concrete info I've heard rumored is that the west coast schools have a real shot based on how it has played out so far. Then this year the 6'2, 205-pound senior had 53 catches for 840 yards and two scores in only nine games played. He did that in 2023 as well (67 catches, 905 yards, 10 TD). One of the more proven players UK has been linked to but right now wouldn't predict it.
** Yale WR David Pantelis signed with Stanford yesterday. That's not a surprise. When I looked at his offer list you had to feel like Michigan or Stanford was in good shape. Same guy turned down a P5 offer (Wake Forest) to go Ivy League for undergrad so you knew something about where his head has been at in the past. Pantelis has used sufficient football skill to make an impact at the D1 level and will turn it into a couple of elite degrees. Kentucky was probably not a top top tier option there.
** Still working on getting details on where things stand with La Tech WR Tru Edwards who was supposed to visit over the weekend. Of all the wide receivers they have been linked to and aren't committed he's the one who has made the most sense given he's from Shreveport just like L'Damian Washington, the new receivers coach.
** Haven't heard anything new about the left tackle situation. It has been pointed out that Pritchett allowed a lot of pressures for Alabama last year. Still a talented guy. Not sure if he would be the solution at left tackle.
** Former UK safety Avery Stuart is Ball State bound. He should be able to play there. We knew very little about guys like this who hadn't made an impact for Kentucky but where they end up tells you something. Of course QB Gavin Wimsatt ended up at Jacksonville State. They're surely thrilled to have his physical tools and you would imagine Wimsatt looks a lot more efficient and better against that schedule than the Big Ten or SEC where he's been.
** Spoke with Kuria Pounds who covers WSU here on Rivals. Pounds said that new UK addition David Gusta is "the embodiment of a silent leader. He leads by example." He noted that Gusta was ranked No. 4 among all defensive linemen in stopping the run. He isn't the most vocal guy in the locker room 'but when we does speak, you better listen.'
** UK did not land DL Chris Murray, who visited last month. He's Auburn-bound. The thinking was that if Kentucky landed Marshall ILB Landyn Watson then they would have a great chance at landing Chris Murray, but earlier connections aren't as important as they used to be in the NIL era. Would have been a nice addition.
** That brings us to South Dakota EDGE Mi'Quise Grace, who visited Kentucky and left folks feeling like they had a good shot. He visited Wisconsin straight after that and now there are reports that he's visiting Georgia Tech one more time. The thing I like about Grace is he's a mature, complete football player who is a true difference maker. He has an array of moves to get after the quarterback. The strength to go inside. He can set the edge. Would be a really solid player if he picks Kentucky. If you could add Grace up front to the two transfers they have from defensive linemen already and you bring back the guys you already have I wouldn't really look at defensive line as a question mark. They have enough bodies there now that you could feel like they can hold their own. Again, we heard that UK felt good after the visit but I didn't hear that a commitment had been made. I spoke with Kelly Quinlan. He's the publisher of the GT site on Rivals. The most either of us know is he's a big-time coveted guy for both schools and for both Wisconsin and Cincinnati (hometown school) as well.
** What I've heard about NC State cornerback Tamarcus Cooley is that he really is a talented kid. Can be an NFL player. However, as a young guy, he has been a little flakey. Decommitting, transferring once after his first year, transferring again. Folks in Raleigh believe he is probably going to the best NIL situation. Raleigh was moving back to a state school for him last year so to leave that after one year is a little puzzling but he had a great season and it opened some doors that were not open before. So he will very likely end up at one of the SEC schools that he's visiting between now and the weekend (at Kentucky on Saturday). Will probably depend on how much UK is able to allot and the same is true for others.
** Can confirm UK has been in contact with and has had some interest in App State WR Kaedin Robinson. Nobody has told me that it has gotten the point of being imminent but some of this stuff is kept under wraps. I haven't heard of a visit so that's noteworthy. Michigan, UCF, Cal, UCLA, Wake Forest, Florida State, Virginia Tech, Auburn, West Virginia, and USC are the offers he has announced since going into the portal. The only concrete info I've heard rumored is that the west coast schools have a real shot based on how it has played out so far. Then this year the 6'2, 205-pound senior had 53 catches for 840 yards and two scores in only nine games played. He did that in 2023 as well (67 catches, 905 yards, 10 TD). One of the more proven players UK has been linked to but right now wouldn't predict it.
** Yale WR David Pantelis signed with Stanford yesterday. That's not a surprise. When I looked at his offer list you had to feel like Michigan or Stanford was in good shape. Same guy turned down a P5 offer (Wake Forest) to go Ivy League for undergrad so you knew something about where his head has been at in the past. Pantelis has used sufficient football skill to make an impact at the D1 level and will turn it into a couple of elite degrees. Kentucky was probably not a top top tier option there.
** Still working on getting details on where things stand with La Tech WR Tru Edwards who was supposed to visit over the weekend. Of all the wide receivers they have been linked to and aren't committed he's the one who has made the most sense given he's from Shreveport just like L'Damian Washington, the new receivers coach.
** Haven't heard anything new about the left tackle situation. It has been pointed out that Pritchett allowed a lot of pressures for Alabama last year. Still a talented guy. Not sure if he would be the solution at left tackle.
** Former UK safety Avery Stuart is Ball State bound. He should be able to play there. We knew very little about guys like this who hadn't made an impact for Kentucky but where they end up tells you something. Of course QB Gavin Wimsatt ended up at Jacksonville State. They're surely thrilled to have his physical tools and you would imagine Wimsatt looks a lot more efficient and better against that schedule than the Big Ten or SEC where he's been.
** Spoke with Kuria Pounds who covers WSU here on Rivals. Pounds said that new UK addition David Gusta is "the embodiment of a silent leader. He leads by example." He noted that Gusta was ranked No. 4 among all defensive linemen in stopping the run. He isn't the most vocal guy in the locker room 'but when we does speak, you better listen.'
