Here I'll go a little more in-depth on how each Kentucky assistant coach chipped in to help get this class together.
Vince Marrow had a monstrous 14 of the 25 signees to his credit, from early enrollees like Gunnar Hoak and Tate Leavitt to a bunch today. In total he had a player at every single position and sometimes more than one (OL, Jack 'backers, etc.) to his credit. And as I've said, as for sheer quantity that's something I don't know that I've ever seen -- ever. I have to chuckle when I see other sites "rank" recruiters based on some static, generic formula that only considers the ranking of the players they're recruiting. How do you think Alabama's best recruiter would recruit at Kentucky? And do you think Kentucky's best recruiters, all-time, couldn't hold their own and get great players at Alabama?
Marrow devotes an enormous amount of his time to recruiting because his job description demands it, the program needs it and because quantity requires it. Driving to and from football and basketball games, talking to players and parents and coaches, putting out fires like rumors of his players visiting other schools or kids/parents needing clarification on a news story that upset them -- all of that.
To my understanding Marrow is also the point man on former Michigan player Brian Cole.
Other coaches on the staff played an instrumental role in helping to fill out this class with some of its best players as well.
John Schlarman deserves a lot of credit for his role in keeping a good portion of the in-state class together. Neal Brown was very important in getting Zy'Aire Hughes to commit so early and off the record (it's okay to tell you now) he hinted that he was less solid after Brown left because that was the only coach on the staff that he really knew or had any contact with. Not to mention he was the offensive coordinator and Hughes was an offensive recruit, and a young one at that.
Hughes later told me that he actually came to like Schlarman more than Brown. Apparently he was more involved day to day as an energetic, 'stay in frequent contact' kind of guy that made Hughes feel more wanted than ever.
Drake Jackson will wear his love for Schlarman on his sleeve. He's always said that John Schlarman was the single-greatest factor in his choice of Kentucky. Would he have picked UK if Brown were still on staff and his recruiter? I'm guessing so, but the point remains, one of UK's best recruits with options like Alabama, Auburn, Ohio State, etc., stuck with UK and said it's mostly because of Schlarman. Landon Young will also point to Schlarman as a key factor in his decision to stick with Kentucky.
I don't know that Schlarman was essential in getting Young to commit so early. Brown was still on staff then, Young was incredibly -- well, young -- and I think Young was floored by this offer that he had wanted, and UK's faith in him. But as Alabama, Auburn and Ohio State offered him -- the same list as Jackson's, largely -- he stuck with the Cats. You'll notice that Jackson and Young kind of mirrored one another's actions as far as committing early (Young earlier), still communicating and taking visits elsewhere, then abruptly shutting recruiting down roughly around the same time. Having a trusted position coach as their lead recruiter was very important.
Some will wonder, as I've said, whether they would have picked UK anyways. I don't know. UK has had three losing seasons and those players have NFL and major aspirations on a personal level. You can hitch your cart to something that you think will fail, so in the midst of trials and probably some questions (those players were open about expecting a bowl game, for instance), the relationship with Schlarman may have been what kept them on board.
Shannon Dawson ultimately didn't have much of an impact on the final product. He came to UK with a history of recruiting in Ohio but he wasn't going to take over that. The offensive coordinator at UK, Brown before, then Dawson and now Gran, may have a recruiting territory or two. But just as is true for defensive coordinator D.J. Eliot, the coordinator's job is mostly to be involved in recruiting all of their units top players. So Kayaune Ross, for instance, was disappointed when Dawson was let go because he had gotten to know him a bit. Just as most of the other offensive commitments had. But since Dawson hadn't been on the staff more than a year he didn't have deep ties to really anybody. Mac Jones? That's a different story, though credit Hinshaw with repairing any potential wreckage after the Dawson firing.
Tommy Mainord, no longer with UK, was helpful in getting Jamar Watson on board. He was the DMV recruiter and he stayed in touch with Watson on a regular basis, just as he had with Levon Livingston and Kobie Walker among others in the past.
Andy Buh helped to step in and patch things up with Watson when Mainord was let go so close to Signing Day. Actually, I'm told that Buh had done a great job recruiting Kobe Smith for much of the recruiting process. That wasn't an easy job because as his two decommitments (from NCSU and then UK) probably indicate he handled recruiting, at least, like a bit of an unpredictable loose cannon. When I'd go down to the Cat Walk I'd see Smith and Buh's other recruits give him a big hug and put their hands on one another's necks in a real sign of respect and closeness. Buh is well-liked, no doubt.
Since Buh is still relatively new to the staff he didn't snag as many guys, but I guarantee you he'll be instrumental going forward with all the work he's doing in New Jersey and Georgia, and the fact that he's getting a really positive reception. He's been a bit of a pit bull with the 2017 and 2018 classes so far, working tirelessly to create a large pool of targets who are a mix of big-time names (maybe 'reaches' in some cases) to more under the radar guys they've evaluated more closely.
Moving on, D.J. Eliot. I have been a defender of D.J. Eliot as a defensive coordinator and this wide-reaching survey here is a good place to drop some bomb shells that I've been privileged to learn about just from working in so many different markets and dealing with so many different people covering programs everywhere. It's not always the right time to mention these things, but now's a good time: D.J. Eliot was actually one of two finalists for a head coaching position after the 2015 season. And he also had three different opportunities to become a defensive coordinator at other schools. To top that I've heard through the grapevine that he had several (not one or two, but more) other opportunities to serve as a defensive coordinator at schools other than Kentucky when he was leaving Florida State, and I can tell you that in a couple of those cases the prestige gap makes you wonder why he picked Kentucky, except that he and Mark Stoops have a really long history together.
I don't think people really appreciate the work that Eliot has done as a recruiter. Sure, he was responsible for recruiting Josh Allen at the eleventh hour last year. As I've posted, Kash Daniel has said that D.J. Eliot was essential to him picking Kentucky, and if he had left UK for another job then Daniel may have thought about his choice again and decidedly differently. May have. Don't know. I can share that now that Daniel is signed and he's not even worried about recruiting anymore.
Eliot was far more instrumental in helping to recruit the 2013 class on those two months of short notice than people realize. Chad Scott is often associated with the Florida guys in that class and he did have some role with players like Jojo Kemp, etc., but Eliot was one of the only coaches on staff and in place to do a lot of that work. Not to mention sealing the deal with Jason Hatcher, being the point man on Regie Meant, leading the way with Lloyd Tubman and chipping in elsewhere.
Vince Marrow had a monstrous 14 of the 25 signees to his credit, from early enrollees like Gunnar Hoak and Tate Leavitt to a bunch today. In total he had a player at every single position and sometimes more than one (OL, Jack 'backers, etc.) to his credit. And as I've said, as for sheer quantity that's something I don't know that I've ever seen -- ever. I have to chuckle when I see other sites "rank" recruiters based on some static, generic formula that only considers the ranking of the players they're recruiting. How do you think Alabama's best recruiter would recruit at Kentucky? And do you think Kentucky's best recruiters, all-time, couldn't hold their own and get great players at Alabama?
Marrow devotes an enormous amount of his time to recruiting because his job description demands it, the program needs it and because quantity requires it. Driving to and from football and basketball games, talking to players and parents and coaches, putting out fires like rumors of his players visiting other schools or kids/parents needing clarification on a news story that upset them -- all of that.
To my understanding Marrow is also the point man on former Michigan player Brian Cole.
Other coaches on the staff played an instrumental role in helping to fill out this class with some of its best players as well.
John Schlarman deserves a lot of credit for his role in keeping a good portion of the in-state class together. Neal Brown was very important in getting Zy'Aire Hughes to commit so early and off the record (it's okay to tell you now) he hinted that he was less solid after Brown left because that was the only coach on the staff that he really knew or had any contact with. Not to mention he was the offensive coordinator and Hughes was an offensive recruit, and a young one at that.
Hughes later told me that he actually came to like Schlarman more than Brown. Apparently he was more involved day to day as an energetic, 'stay in frequent contact' kind of guy that made Hughes feel more wanted than ever.
Drake Jackson will wear his love for Schlarman on his sleeve. He's always said that John Schlarman was the single-greatest factor in his choice of Kentucky. Would he have picked UK if Brown were still on staff and his recruiter? I'm guessing so, but the point remains, one of UK's best recruits with options like Alabama, Auburn, Ohio State, etc., stuck with UK and said it's mostly because of Schlarman. Landon Young will also point to Schlarman as a key factor in his decision to stick with Kentucky.
I don't know that Schlarman was essential in getting Young to commit so early. Brown was still on staff then, Young was incredibly -- well, young -- and I think Young was floored by this offer that he had wanted, and UK's faith in him. But as Alabama, Auburn and Ohio State offered him -- the same list as Jackson's, largely -- he stuck with the Cats. You'll notice that Jackson and Young kind of mirrored one another's actions as far as committing early (Young earlier), still communicating and taking visits elsewhere, then abruptly shutting recruiting down roughly around the same time. Having a trusted position coach as their lead recruiter was very important.
Some will wonder, as I've said, whether they would have picked UK anyways. I don't know. UK has had three losing seasons and those players have NFL and major aspirations on a personal level. You can hitch your cart to something that you think will fail, so in the midst of trials and probably some questions (those players were open about expecting a bowl game, for instance), the relationship with Schlarman may have been what kept them on board.
Shannon Dawson ultimately didn't have much of an impact on the final product. He came to UK with a history of recruiting in Ohio but he wasn't going to take over that. The offensive coordinator at UK, Brown before, then Dawson and now Gran, may have a recruiting territory or two. But just as is true for defensive coordinator D.J. Eliot, the coordinator's job is mostly to be involved in recruiting all of their units top players. So Kayaune Ross, for instance, was disappointed when Dawson was let go because he had gotten to know him a bit. Just as most of the other offensive commitments had. But since Dawson hadn't been on the staff more than a year he didn't have deep ties to really anybody. Mac Jones? That's a different story, though credit Hinshaw with repairing any potential wreckage after the Dawson firing.
Tommy Mainord, no longer with UK, was helpful in getting Jamar Watson on board. He was the DMV recruiter and he stayed in touch with Watson on a regular basis, just as he had with Levon Livingston and Kobie Walker among others in the past.
Andy Buh helped to step in and patch things up with Watson when Mainord was let go so close to Signing Day. Actually, I'm told that Buh had done a great job recruiting Kobe Smith for much of the recruiting process. That wasn't an easy job because as his two decommitments (from NCSU and then UK) probably indicate he handled recruiting, at least, like a bit of an unpredictable loose cannon. When I'd go down to the Cat Walk I'd see Smith and Buh's other recruits give him a big hug and put their hands on one another's necks in a real sign of respect and closeness. Buh is well-liked, no doubt.
Since Buh is still relatively new to the staff he didn't snag as many guys, but I guarantee you he'll be instrumental going forward with all the work he's doing in New Jersey and Georgia, and the fact that he's getting a really positive reception. He's been a bit of a pit bull with the 2017 and 2018 classes so far, working tirelessly to create a large pool of targets who are a mix of big-time names (maybe 'reaches' in some cases) to more under the radar guys they've evaluated more closely.
Moving on, D.J. Eliot. I have been a defender of D.J. Eliot as a defensive coordinator and this wide-reaching survey here is a good place to drop some bomb shells that I've been privileged to learn about just from working in so many different markets and dealing with so many different people covering programs everywhere. It's not always the right time to mention these things, but now's a good time: D.J. Eliot was actually one of two finalists for a head coaching position after the 2015 season. And he also had three different opportunities to become a defensive coordinator at other schools. To top that I've heard through the grapevine that he had several (not one or two, but more) other opportunities to serve as a defensive coordinator at schools other than Kentucky when he was leaving Florida State, and I can tell you that in a couple of those cases the prestige gap makes you wonder why he picked Kentucky, except that he and Mark Stoops have a really long history together.
I don't think people really appreciate the work that Eliot has done as a recruiter. Sure, he was responsible for recruiting Josh Allen at the eleventh hour last year. As I've posted, Kash Daniel has said that D.J. Eliot was essential to him picking Kentucky, and if he had left UK for another job then Daniel may have thought about his choice again and decidedly differently. May have. Don't know. I can share that now that Daniel is signed and he's not even worried about recruiting anymore.
Eliot was far more instrumental in helping to recruit the 2013 class on those two months of short notice than people realize. Chad Scott is often associated with the Florida guys in that class and he did have some role with players like Jojo Kemp, etc., but Eliot was one of the only coaches on staff and in place to do a lot of that work. Not to mention sealing the deal with Jason Hatcher, being the point man on Regie Meant, leading the way with Lloyd Tubman and chipping in elsewhere.
