Future of the 2023 class

[K_TIME]

I will say I was one of the most negative/concerned over NIL, recruiting and how UK (not Stoops necessarily) would do going forward. And while this class is a step back IMO...not nearly the huge steps back I thought at first. if we close with Wilcox and grab a Gilbert....Would be hard to argue we are stepping back at all to be honest.

I'm going to intermingle the portal kids as this is the new way to get talent..not just high school anymore

Were do these kids fit in:

Offense:
-QB1..is the most important. And we hit a homerun IMO. Leary is the best QB in portal and we beat out Florida, Auburn and NC St. Leary, Wade (i'll argue he'll move to backup) and Sheron/Hogan battle it out
F
RB - Ray Davis and WIlcox probably go to top of depth chart day 1. McClain is 3rd down back. I don't knwo where Wright sits...he has competition for sure.

LT - Cox is massive get. Arguably the best LT in portal and we get him
RG - Bowles....I'll argue he'll be a backup to Burton and Horsey at the guard spots. But we needed depth badly
C - Keenum is the guy after Cox graduates net year
RT/LT....I'd argue Austin Ramsey and Malachi Wood are future tackles. We need one of them to hit later as Flax/Cox are gone after this year.

TE - Anderson and LeMaster could be Dingle/Kattus part 2. And I assume Dixon will be groomed as a flex TE...but he'll have to wait his time....UK appears to be loaded with young TE talent.

WR - Anthony Brown is the gem of the HS class IMO. I think he is the slot WR next year if Tayvion doesn't come back. Porter is behind Barion Brown as I have no idea who is backup WR anymore. Ardell Banks and Nassir Addison I'd argue get behind Dane Key....but guys like Crowdus and Jordan Anthony might be in that mix

Defense:
DL - Hardest to see where these kids end up as of today. I'd argue Zeismer is a future DE...but other suggest he might be a Jack or move inside. Tayvion Gadson..is he going to end up at DE or grow into DT? I don't see either playing in 2023 regardless.

LB - I liked hearing Stoops say GOdfrey is going to start outside. I have no clue who is the SAM when Jordan Wright leaves....Godfrey could walk into a spot next year. Javon Bryant looks like a MIKE all the way and battle with THrower behind DeRyck Jackson.

CB - We had major need for kids at CB...and we did a good job of getting what we needed. JQ Hardaway is a starting caliber CB and he'll start from day one IMO. Stoops said Jantzen Dunn will start out at CB...be interesting to see if he can acclimate to CB at UK while never playing for Ohio St. Avery Stuart is a CB to me in Stoops mold of long guys....I think he might hit 2 deep from the start and play alot next year.

Safety - UK has developed a ton of good kids at safety on the roster. Anglin and Bryant I'd argue are safeties all the way. I don't see them playing a ton behind Lovett, Childress, Geiger, Vito sticks here IMO now, maybe Afari sticks here as well, etc..

UK took a small of 17 -18 kids but there average stars was 20th. I can't see a solid portal ranking site but you almsot have to much the 2 together to guage talent coming in. And with 6 guys from portal today...I'd argue 4 easy starting level kids and they may be leaders on offense/defense....YOu could make a case UK has a top 15 class coming in overall. Great job by Stoops/Marrow again to keep plugging away and getting the kids to Lexington.

 

[bigblueinsanity]

Given the small class, I think it turned out well especially given the negative nil buzz. Coen was the massive get and you can just tell he moved the needle with recruits/transfers. Without that, I have little doubt we fail to bring in some of these guys.

Jmo but I'm not sure we'll see UK take a giant class ever again. We've been too successful in the portal where we're getting known quantities rather than shots in the dark.

The key going forward will be continuity. It was a miracle getting coen again but he probably won't be here long. So we need to have Woodward ready when that time comes, because he's also sharp and a major asset in recruiting

 

[mrschwump]

I will say I was one of the most negative/concerned over NIL, recruiting and how UK (not Stoops necessarily) would do going forward. And while this class is a step back IMO...not nearly the huge steps back I thought at first. if we close with Wilcox and grab a Gilbert....Would be hard to argue we are stepping back at all to be honest.

I'm going to intermingle the portal kids as this is the new way to get talent..not just high school anymore

Were do these kids fit in:

Offense:
-QB1..is the most important. And we hit a homerun IMO. Leary is the best QB in portal and we beat out Florida, Auburn and NC St. Leary, Wade (i'll argue he'll move to backup) and Sheron/Hogan battle it out
F
RB - Ray Davis and WIlcox probably go to top of depth chart day 1. McClain is 3rd down back. I don't knwo where Wright sits...he has competition for sure.

LT - Cox is massive get. Arguably the best LT in portal and we get him
RG - Bowles....I'll argue he'll be a backup to Burton and Horsey at the guard spots. But we needed depth badly
C - Keenum is the guy after Cox graduates net year
RT/LT....I'd argue Austin Ramsey and Malachi Wood are future tackles. We need one of them to hit later as Flax/Cox are gone after this year.

TE - Anderson and LeMaster could be Dingle/Kattus part 2. And I assume Dixon will be groomed as a flex TE...but he'll have to wait his time....UK appears to be loaded with young TE talent.

WR - Anthony Brown is the gem of the HS class IMO. I think he is the slot WR next year if Tayvion doesn't come back. Porter is behind Barion Brown as I have no idea who is backup WR anymore. Ardell Banks and Nassir Addison I'd argue get behind Dane Key....but guys like Crowdus and Jordan Anthony might be in that mix

Defense:
DL - Hardest to see where these kids end up as of today. I'd argue Zeismer is a future DE...but other suggest he might be a Jack or move inside. Tayvion Gadson..is he going to end up at DE or grow into DT? I don't see either playing in 2023 regardless.

LB - I liked hearing Stoops say GOdfrey is going to start outside. I have no clue who is the SAM when Jordan Wright leaves....Godfrey could walk into a spot next year. Javon Bryant looks like a MIKE all the way and battle with THrower behind DeRyck Jackson.

CB - We had major need for kids at CB...and we did a good job of getting what we needed. JQ Hardaway is a starting caliber CB and he'll start from day one IMO. Stoops said Jantzen Dunn will start out at CB...be interesting to see if he can acclimate to CB at UK while never playing for Ohio St. Avery Stuart is a CB to me in Stoops mold of long guys....I think he might hit 2 deep from the start and play alot next year.

Safety - UK has developed a ton of good kids at safety on the roster. Anglin and Bryant I'd argue are safeties all the way. I don't see them playing a ton behind Lovett, Childress, Geiger, Vito sticks here IMO now, maybe Afari sticks here as well, etc..

UK took a small of 17 -18 kids but there average stars was 20th. I can't see a solid portal ranking site but you almsot have to much the 2 together to guage talent coming in. And with 6 guys from portal today...I'd argue 4 easy starting level kids and they may be leaders on offense/defense....YOu could make a case UK has a top 15 class coming in overall. Great job by Stoops/Marrow again to keep plugging away and getting the kids to Lexington.

I'm anxious to see how LBs Fearbry/Noah Matthews fit in along with Wade. I figure those 3 battle it out for Wright's spot and to backup Weaver.

DL- I see Gadson on the same route as Dinkins/Saunders, growing into a DT. Still think they can get something out of Anaele if he can ever get healthy. Durojaiye is intriguing and will play. Hope they can get something out of Henry-Young too.

Stoops is slowly building a SEC defense with speed and depth. Will be great fun watching these guys evolve in coming years.

I'm thinking he may bring in maybe 5-6 more of a mix of HS/portal guys. Don't think he's done with this class.

 

[JHB4UK]

Jmo but I'm not sure we'll see UK take a giant class ever again. We've been too successful in the portal where we're getting known quantities rather than shots in the dark.

Exactly, we should never sign 25 HS kids in a class ever again. 15 or so HS kids who are evaluated as SEC prospects by us & other teams. Then fill in 10 portals of proven CFB talent at positions needing starters immediately.

 

[Kattopper]

I agree I was worried about the class bigtime in September. However, the portal changes everything in recruiting- never imagined it would help us so much. These aren’t like taking JUCOs in the previous years to fill in depth which rarely panout. I think with Stoops and staff have evaluated talent so well in the portal that we are making up for any lack of HS talent these last 3 years. I agree that we will continue to see about 15 HS kids each year and add top flight proven portal talent. They have also done a great job of retaining our talent on campus.

Thanks for the rundown on the class. Great read for us junkies.

 

[Sparkaces1]

I'm anxious to see how LBs Fearbry/Noah Matthews fit in along with Wade. I figure those 3 battle it out for Wright's spot and to backup Weaver.

DL- I see Gadson on the same route as Dinkins/Saunders, growing into a DT. Still think they can get something out of Anaele if he can ever get healthy. Durojaiye is intriguing and will play. Hope they can get something out of Henry-Young too.

Stoops is slowly building a SEC defense with speed and depth. Will be great fun watching these guys evolve in coming years.

I'm thinking he may bring in maybe 5-6 more of a mix of HS/portal guys. Don't think he's done with this class.

To me being as good or better at Wright’s spot as gonna be huge next year, hopefully somebody can fill in at that spot!

 

[Marathoncat]

I believe Eli Cox has 2 more years. Also we still don't know about some of the other young OL and how they will develope - it takes time at those positions (Wolobaugh, Buford, Bingham, Nic Hall, and there may be others i have forgotten). Also, I am hopeful that Goodwin returns and dedicates himself to losing weight and becoming the best player he can be. I' m pulling for him.

 

[Bereacat420]

I will say I was one of the most negative/concerned over NIL, recruiting and how UK (not Stoops necessarily) would do going forward. And while this class is a step back IMO...not nearly the huge steps back I thought at first. if we close with Wilcox and grab a Gilbert....Would be hard to argue we are stepping back at all to be honest.

I'm going to intermingle the portal kids as this is the new way to get talent..not just high school anymore

Were do these kids fit in:

Offense:
-QB1..is the most important. And we hit a homerun IMO. Leary is the best QB in portal and we beat out Florida, Auburn and NC St. Leary, Wade (i'll argue he'll move to backup) and Sheron/Hogan battle it out
F
RB - Ray Davis and WIlcox probably go to top of depth chart day 1. McClain is 3rd down back. I don't knwo where Wright sits...he has competition for sure.

LT - Cox is massive get. Arguably the best LT in portal and we get him
RG - Bowles....I'll argue he'll be a backup to Burton and Horsey at the guard spots. But we needed depth badly
C - Keenum is the guy after Cox graduates net year
RT/LT....I'd argue Austin Ramsey and Malachi Wood are future tackles. We need one of them to hit later as Flax/Cox are gone after this year.

TE - Anderson and LeMaster could be Dingle/Kattus part 2. And I assume Dixon will be groomed as a flex TE...but he'll have to wait his time....UK appears to be loaded with young TE talent.

WR - Anthony Brown is the gem of the HS class IMO. I think he is the slot WR next year if Tayvion doesn't come back. Porter is behind Barion Brown as I have no idea who is backup WR anymore. Ardell Banks and Nassir Addison I'd argue get behind Dane Key....but guys like Crowdus and Jordan Anthony might be in that mix

Defense:
DL - Hardest to see where these kids end up as of today. I'd argue Zeismer is a future DE...but other suggest he might be a Jack or move inside. Tayvion Gadson..is he going to end up at DE or grow into DT? I don't see either playing in 2023 regardless.

LB - I liked hearing Stoops say GOdfrey is going to start outside. I have no clue who is the SAM when Jordan Wright leaves....Godfrey could walk into a spot next year. Javon Bryant looks like a MIKE all the way and battle with THrower behind DeRyck Jackson.

CB - We had major need for kids at CB...and we did a good job of getting what we needed. JQ Hardaway is a starting caliber CB and he'll start from day one IMO. Stoops said Jantzen Dunn will start out at CB...be interesting to see if he can acclimate to CB at UK while never playing for Ohio St. Avery Stuart is a CB to me in Stoops mold of long guys....I think he might hit 2 deep from the start and play alot next year.

Safety - UK has developed a ton of good kids at safety on the roster. Anglin and Bryant I'd argue are safeties all the way. I don't see them playing a ton behind Lovett, Childress, Geiger, Vito sticks here IMO now, maybe Afari sticks here as well, etc..

UK took a small of 17 -18 kids but there average stars was 20th. I can't see a solid portal ranking site but you almsot have to much the 2 together to guage talent coming in. And with 6 guys from portal today...I'd argue 4 easy starting level kids and they may be leaders on offense/defense....YOu could make a case UK has a top 15 class coming in overall. Great job by Stoops/Marrow again to keep plugging away and getting the kids to Lexington.

This is a great post. Nassir Addington is going to play CB instead of WR. He is an intriguing corner that is new to the position but has the size and speed to be a shut down corner I'd he keeps developing. He was shutting down good HS WRs this year. Just needs a couple years and could be really good

 

[The-Hack]

2023 Transfer Football Team Rankings

In order to create the most comprehensive Team Recruiting Ranking without any notion of bias, 247Sports Team Recruiting Ranking is solely based on the 247Sports Composite Rating.

247sports.com

I can't see a solid portal ranking site

TOS provides a ranking for the Cats’ transfer portal Class of 2nd in the SEC, and 12th nationally.

 

[mrschwump]

I believe Eli Cox has 2 more years. Also we still don't know about some of the other young OL and how they will develope - it takes time at those positions (Wolobaugh, Buford, Bingham, Nic Hall, and there may be others i have forgotten). Also, I am hopeful that Goodwin returns and dedicates himself to losing weight and becoming the best player he can be. I' m pulling for him.

An OL that's being overlooked is Josh Jones who's returning from surgery in '23. He seemed to be making good progress pre-injury.

 

[screwduke1]

Question. On defense with this recruiting class plus portal additions...who is the best pass rusher (or could be anyway) coming in? Do we have someone that could be a dominant pass rusher?

 

[Bereacat420]

Question. On defense with this recruiting class plus portal additions...who is the best pass rusher (or could be anyway) coming in? Do we have someone that could be a dominant pass rusher?

That would seem to be the position they missed on. They got 3 guys last year in Wade, matthews, and fearbry. Zeismer is the only edge in this class but most say his size and speed project more inside. We will see

 

[Rembrandt90]

Good thread. Lot of interesting points made. My position is that we shouldn't (can't accurately) judge a recruiting class for 3 years. You obviously can't judge a class based on rankings and stars, or else it would have been metaphysically impossible for UK to defeat FL 3 out of the last 5 games and defeat PA St in the Citrus Bowl. Obviously, then, other factors are involved in successful recruiting and player development besides class rankings. Successful coaching staffs master those other factors. Stoops has earned his success that way at UK.

As I said before, I suspect Porter, Brown, and Godfrey might play in more than 4 games in 2023. The recent exodus of so many former UK WRs through the portal makes it likely I will turn out to be right about Porter and Brown. After hearing Stoops talk about Godfrey, and given the positional need, I think Godfrey plays too. All the other hs signees could play in less than 4 games and redshirt next year. But if we get Jamarion Wilcox, he plays in our 2023 RB rotation for sure. Avery Stuart would also be a candidate to play next year, except for the fact that he might not be needed until 2024. Such is the depth in our secondary. Khamari Anderson is an excellent get, but we already have multiple experienced TEs, and I remember Izayah Cummings played a lot more when Coen was here in 2021.

BTW, I see Austin Ramsey as a RG, not an OT. Ramsey is a road warrior, not an edge protector. IMO Ramsey, Ardell Banks, and Ty Bryant are significantly underrated online. Bryant has shown out at several combines and will surprise a lot of people. We will see about Jakob Dixon, who has all the measurables but will need an opportunity. The best example of high risk high reward hit or miss in this class is Malachi Wood, who will need a couple seasons of development but has a huge frame and a motor.

One more comment about Khamari Anderson. Many of the our fans don't know as much about Anderson because he came onto our radar late in the recruiting process. Aside from keeping open the pipeline to Detroit, which is important in its own right, Anderson has star power. Our TE room is already deep, but Anderson could eventually turn out to be the best player in the room.

 

[Rembrandt90]

Question. On defense with this recruiting class plus portal additions...who is the best pass rusher (or could be anyway) coming in? Do we have someone that could be a dominant pass rusher?

Keaton Wade could be the best. He is going to be a terrific player. There isn't actually a pass rusher in our 2023 class although Grant Godfrey may develop into one.

 

[Rembrandt90]

Rumors from various sources continue to circulate, suggesting that RB Jamarion Wilcox will commit to UK, perhaps as soon as this weekend.

 

[Bereacat420]

Rumors from various sources continue to circulate, suggesting that RB Jamarion Wilcox will commit to UK, perhaps as soon as this weekend.

It was supposed to be tonight but his coach and some family couldn't come. It is 7pm next Friday

 

[BigBlueManSouthCentralKY]

I think Ramsey is going to be a guard. Would like a couple more young linemen to sign late and get another OT in the portal. Still think we could use a good pass rusher and a little concerned for experienced depth at WR.

 

[Rembrandt90]

I think Ramsey is going to be a guard. Would like a couple more young linemen to sign late and get another OT in the portal. Still think we could use a good pass rusher and a little concerned for experienced depth at WR.

Probably correct. Ramsey has been recruited as an OG.

I could be wrong, and hope I am, but I don't foresee anymore hs offensive linemen being signed in our 2023 class unless it is someone who has come onto the staff's radar recently and visited quietly without receiving public mention. I am not convinced Coach Marrow is still recruiting Woo Spencer. But because Stoops went after Savion Washington, we know he would like to take one more OT from the portal.

 

[Cotaay]

As it stands right now the 2023 class is the 3rd best of the Stoops era on average star ranking behind only 2022 and 2020 (3 of the last 4 years for those keeping score at home). We may not get to 20 total commitments so the overall ranking may not look as impressive but this is a really good class, especially when you take transfers into consideration. Get Wilcox, a DT and another OT from the portal and this may be the most impressive list of newcomers that we have brought in.

 

[Cotaay]

Below is a list of classes under Stoops sorted by average star ranking, there is a pretty decent drop from the top 4 to the rest. To date 2021 is the only other year where we didnt sign 20 prospects so the overall ranking may be a littler lower than it otherwise would be (Rivals only ranks your top 20 recruits for those who dont know). This is a really good class we are bringing in, still want another OL and DL from either high school or the portal but otherwise I have no complaints.

Year	Points	Rank	5-star	4-star	Average
2022	1928	14	0	11	3.5
2020	1997	21	1	8	3.43
2023**	1480	37	0	7	3.41
2014	2016	17	0	10	3.32
2019	1626	30	0	4	3.14
2021*	1437	34	0	3	3.11
2018	1702	30	0	3	3.08
2017	1723	26	0	4	3.04
2016	1702	28	1	4	3
2015	1515	35	0	2	2.95
2013	1641	29	0	3	2.91