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FB Recruiting FRIDAY RECRUITING NOTES

JRowland

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May 29, 2001
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Four-star OL Joe Crocker visited yesterday. He's been on the road checking out several other schools as well recently including Arkansas, Wisconsin, Florida State, and Michigan State. Sounds like the time went excellent with Yenser, who is temperamentally very calm and a teacher rather than a screamer. Went over well with Crocker and Yenser made it clear in detail that he loves Crocker's measurables. I would not be surprised if Crocker returns for an official visit and it looks like they have successfully gotten over the "position/recruiter change" hurdle. Here that does not mean they're going to land Crocker, but they are certainly in the conversation. He gave them the time of day after his recruiter left and is happy he did.


Good news: Hearing from two sources this morning and @Travis Graf has checked in with another as well. The belief is TN receiver Shamar Porter is solidly committed to Kentucky. This sentiment is held by folks in very different places. He was on campus with some other guys including Kaden Moorman and others recently and the word I got was he was very comfortable, at ease, and happy to be there and they are not presently concerned about losing his commitment.


Yesterday brought the first casualty of Kentucky's major shakeup to the recruiting operation in Tennessee. Through Wolford and Sumrall serving as the lead recruiters in Tennessee I never questioned how the Wildcats felt about three-star (5.7 RR) Mt. Juliet, Tennessee linebacker Ethan Crisp. Productive, talented, smart player, good locker room guy.

Crisp committed to Vanderbilt yesterday.

"I had a great relationship with coach Sumrall and coach Wolford. Wolford recruiting area was Nashville and Sumrall being the LB coach we talked regularly. After they left I guess the staff lost interest. Best of luck to UK and the staff there. I met some awesome people and built some great relationships," is the message Crisp sent me yesterday after his commitment to the Commodores.

Gives the impression of someone who at least was hoping for Kentucky to be an option there at the end and you have to wonder if he might be willing to listen if they decide to turn it back up.


Important visitor this weekend: Detroit (Mich.) Cass Tech four-star DE/OLB Jalen Thompson.

Here is what Thompson told me about Kentucky weeks ago when he announced a top-10 that the Wildcats were a part of...

"I don't know if you'd say they specialize in it but they really show interest in Detroit guys. They love showing up in Detroit. I've talked to Coach Wolf and Coach White. They're nice people. I know Coach Wolf left but I've met Coach White. I went down there during the summer camp season last year. One thing about them is they don't care about the material things. They want to have a great bond. You're going to be with them for the next four years so you have to feel comfortable and they know that. They have very good academics. I've talked to DeAndre Square here and there. I talk to Bully and there's this boy there named Earnest Sanders."

Thompson's top-10 is Pitt, Penn State, Arkansas, Michigan, Michigan State, Kentucky, USC, Cincinnati, Georgia, and Vanderbilt in no particular order.



I've stayed in regular contact with 2024 QB Braden Graham just in terms of following updates to his recruitment. He's someone Kentucky offered very early. He's got Georgia and now Ole Miss, Louisville, Eastern Kentucky, and Toledo as well.

I know when Graham found out Coen was going to be leaving he was curious about who Kentucky's next OC would be so there would probably be some ongoing interest there.

When Coen was the offensive coordinator the sense I always got, and I was confident about it, was that he would eventually take 2024 QB Dante Reno from Loomis Chaffee School. In fact, it almost seemed like someone just needed to pick up the phone, make the call, and it would happen. Don't think I'm exaggerating about that. I've been in touch with Reno as well and think as with Graham the interest would still be there but Scangarello would be building a relationship with him and then selling his own track record elsewhere and at UK this year.

No clue how '24 QB shakes out right now and in the '23 class taking one is a maybe. My guess is at some point in the next 10 or so months Kentucky is shopping around in the portal, not necessarily to come in and be "the guy" but to throw into the competition with proven college experience being an obvious plus.


This may have flown under the radar at the time but a little while ago 4-star North Carolina offensive tackle Sam Pendleton mentioned Kentucky and several other schools in an interview here on Rivals. While five of the six FutureCasts logged are in favor of Clemson he still sounds like someone who can be swayed. Michigan, NC State, Kentucky, Notre Dame, and Florida are some of the others in play besides Clemson. Boston College offered recently as did Notre Dame.

Pendleton admitted he had a bit of a falling out with Clemson after the OL coach there, Caldwell, retired and said the new coach has to step up to have the same kind of relationship that Caldwell had with him. For that reason, while he may end up there, I wouldn't read too much into all of those FutureCasts.

UK's competing for Pendleton's attention with a lot of other schools but I'm sure he's one of the guys they would most like to land up front.

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Touching base with a lot of guys in the next 24-48. Has taken a few days here at home but think I'm close to getting a routine. Thanks for bearing with me this week!
 
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