** UK has offered 2025 Winton Woods EDGE defender KJ Brown (6'3, 220) and it's his first offer. Caught up with him last night and he was just ecstatic with the process getting started for him. Kentucky has a pretty good track record of being involved to the very end with guys they offer earlier than other programs in Ohio and their track record at Winton Woods is also impressive so that's noteworthy.
** I wouldn't be surprised if Kentucky adds not one, but two offensive linemen from the portal. But the difficulty is going to be the same as we have seen with their recruitment of safeties and linebackers. Wouldn't say it has been a huge problem, but when you are trying to recruit someone and might not have a starting spot the calculation is a bit different. Most guys in the portal didn't go in there to have to sit another year at their next spot. However, there are two situations going on. One from a lower tier program eyeing a move up, one from a high tier program looking for more opportunity, and UK is right in the thick of both situations. Believe we could find out one way or another as soon as this weekend on one of them and I promise, after the fact at least (if not before; TBD) to mention who the guys were either way. I think one of them has immense long-term potential but a bit of a development curve while the other has a pedigree and just needs development reps. One is a tackle and one is probably a guard. Not predicting either one to Kentucky as of yet because I typically wait for confidence to be higher there, but I would be surprised if they don't land at least one.
** It's complicated but I have heard that Jeremy Flax actually could have up to two years remaining but if he sticks around for this year then I'd imagine that would probably be the last in Lexington. Of course this is subject to change based on conditions on the ground but I think the hope is to get one more year out of him.
** Would expect Kentucky to take two more offensive linemen from the high school level. There are several solid options. Jac'Qawn McRoy is definitely up there from the Deep South. He's a really big guy but probably doesn't move quite like some of the others. With CT's Jack Hines and PA's Kevin Heywood officially visiting this summer tha may be the ideal play. Both have really good potential and interest is strong both ways. If they were to land those two guys to go along with Aba Selm and Hayes Johnson then I would call that a really good OL class.
** UK has 16 scholarship offensive linemen. By my count, Kentucky will have 13 scholarship offensive linemen on campus once Austin Ramsey joins the program in the summer. If Kentucky takes four more offensive linemen between portal and high school, that would be eight new offensive linemen coming into the program between the 2023 offseason portal window and you would pretty much have half of a new room the following year. And then you're talking about the next wave of the program's Big Blue Wall history becoming the development of players like Keenum, Wood, Ramsey, Ford, and some transfers with more eligibility. In some of these cases recruiting out of the transfer portal is not all that dissimilar to high school recruiting because you're evaluating guys who maybe haven't played a lot and have several years remaining.
** Aba Selm told me this week that he will also officially visit Kentucky from June 9-11, the same time Boley and Hayes Johnson will be in Lexington. He's someone we should not sleep on. Selm is the kind of guy who could play any position on the offensive line, and there's big-time value in that.
** Still think Kentucky has a really good shot with QB Stone Saunders in the 2025 class. This morning I put a FutureCast in for Kentucky. My current prediction is that Kentucky lands Cutter Boley in the 2024 class and Stone Saunders in the 2025 class. Last night 2025 QB Kane Archer reported an offer from Kentucky but I am not moving him above the other guys on the board. Don't believe that is committable at this moment.
** Was supposed to speak with 4-star RB Tovani Mizell last night but they just started spring practice up and things are a bit hectic on that end. However, can tell you that the interest level in Kentucky is pretty high right now looking ahead to his summer official visit.
Current projected offensive class, with lots of room and time for things to change and acknowledging how off something like this will be when there are only two commitments:
QB Cutter Boley
RB Tovani Mizell
WR Cameron Monteiro
WR Emmanuel Ross
TE Willie Rodriguez
TE Damarion Witten
OL Aba Selm
OL Hayes Johnson
OL Jack Hines
OL Kevin Heywood
The big variable being, how much would a potential Boley commitment if it happens change the options that are available to them.
** I wouldn't be surprised if Kentucky adds not one, but two offensive linemen from the portal. But the difficulty is going to be the same as we have seen with their recruitment of safeties and linebackers. Wouldn't say it has been a huge problem, but when you are trying to recruit someone and might not have a starting spot the calculation is a bit different. Most guys in the portal didn't go in there to have to sit another year at their next spot. However, there are two situations going on. One from a lower tier program eyeing a move up, one from a high tier program looking for more opportunity, and UK is right in the thick of both situations. Believe we could find out one way or another as soon as this weekend on one of them and I promise, after the fact at least (if not before; TBD) to mention who the guys were either way. I think one of them has immense long-term potential but a bit of a development curve while the other has a pedigree and just needs development reps. One is a tackle and one is probably a guard. Not predicting either one to Kentucky as of yet because I typically wait for confidence to be higher there, but I would be surprised if they don't land at least one.
** It's complicated but I have heard that Jeremy Flax actually could have up to two years remaining but if he sticks around for this year then I'd imagine that would probably be the last in Lexington. Of course this is subject to change based on conditions on the ground but I think the hope is to get one more year out of him.
** Would expect Kentucky to take two more offensive linemen from the high school level. There are several solid options. Jac'Qawn McRoy is definitely up there from the Deep South. He's a really big guy but probably doesn't move quite like some of the others. With CT's Jack Hines and PA's Kevin Heywood officially visiting this summer tha may be the ideal play. Both have really good potential and interest is strong both ways. If they were to land those two guys to go along with Aba Selm and Hayes Johnson then I would call that a really good OL class.
** UK has 16 scholarship offensive linemen. By my count, Kentucky will have 13 scholarship offensive linemen on campus once Austin Ramsey joins the program in the summer. If Kentucky takes four more offensive linemen between portal and high school, that would be eight new offensive linemen coming into the program between the 2023 offseason portal window and you would pretty much have half of a new room the following year. And then you're talking about the next wave of the program's Big Blue Wall history becoming the development of players like Keenum, Wood, Ramsey, Ford, and some transfers with more eligibility. In some of these cases recruiting out of the transfer portal is not all that dissimilar to high school recruiting because you're evaluating guys who maybe haven't played a lot and have several years remaining.
** Aba Selm told me this week that he will also officially visit Kentucky from June 9-11, the same time Boley and Hayes Johnson will be in Lexington. He's someone we should not sleep on. Selm is the kind of guy who could play any position on the offensive line, and there's big-time value in that.
** Still think Kentucky has a really good shot with QB Stone Saunders in the 2025 class. This morning I put a FutureCast in for Kentucky. My current prediction is that Kentucky lands Cutter Boley in the 2024 class and Stone Saunders in the 2025 class. Last night 2025 QB Kane Archer reported an offer from Kentucky but I am not moving him above the other guys on the board. Don't believe that is committable at this moment.
** Was supposed to speak with 4-star RB Tovani Mizell last night but they just started spring practice up and things are a bit hectic on that end. However, can tell you that the interest level in Kentucky is pretty high right now looking ahead to his summer official visit.
Current projected offensive class, with lots of room and time for things to change and acknowledging how off something like this will be when there are only two commitments:
QB Cutter Boley
RB Tovani Mizell
WR Cameron Monteiro
WR Emmanuel Ross
TE Willie Rodriguez
TE Damarion Witten
OL Aba Selm
OL Hayes Johnson
OL Jack Hines
OL Kevin Heywood
The big variable being, how much would a potential Boley commitment if it happens change the options that are available to them.
