Recruit Roundtable: Class bonding
Justin Rowland
CatsIllustrated.com Football Recruiting Analyst
Talk about it in The House of Blue
We've asked UK's recruits about the Cats' coaching staff and their approach. But what about the relationships that exist between all of the players committed to Kentucky?
There's no downplaying the significance of a lead recruiter. A myriad of other factors, from the head coach's ability to close on that all-important sit-down meeting in his office to the camaraderie (or lack thereof at some places) between the staff members, speak to the importance of the coach in the recruiting process and what players ultimately choose.
But relationships between recruits are crucial as well. Peers interact more frequently and without NCAA contact restrictions. They communicate on a more raw, less filtered level as you would expect peers in any arena to. How often fellow commitments see one another on campus visits, how close they become, and the information they exchange has a lot to do with whether classes stay together.
Justin Rigg says Kentucky's 2016 commits are "already family."
Those relationships between Kentucky's Class of 2016 commitments are the subject of the fourth installment of Cats Illustrated's Recruit Roundtable.
Cats Illustrated: What's your relationship like with UK's other commitments? Do you know any of them, how do you know them, and how close are you?
Benny Snell: Tobias G (Gilliam) is my dude. We're kinda close. Gunnar Hoak is a good friend of mine and we're close as well. Kordell Looney (is who) I'm the closest with.
Gunnar Hoak: I'm still getting to know the other commits. I saw a couple of them when I went for camp at UK last week. Probably the closest with our center Drake Jackson.
Kayaune Ross: They made me feel more than wanted. They make me feel welcome. I see a plan for me and a good role with this team. I see great things in our commits. They are all some people I look forward to playing with, for as young as they are they seem very smart. We will most likely be the best class ranking-wise UK has had but more important I see this group proving ourselves on and off the field. We are a rising program and we are going for the best players that fit our mold. We have great leaders in this class.
Davonte Robinson: My relationship with the other commits is growing stronger every time we all meet up at UK.
Drake Jackson: I know all of them and have talked to every one of them in person multiple times. We're all close and we have great relationships.
Dakota Holtzclaw: I do know a few of them. Looking forward to getting to know them more because when we get to UK we are family.
Landon Young: I know a lot of the other commits from previous football seasons or from UK games or visits. I know a couple of them pretty well. I know Drake probably the most.
Grant McKinniss: The other commits were very accepting of me and I got a few messages from them after I committed.
Justin Rigg: Me and other commits are getting closer as we get closer to the season and after more visits we'll be even closer, but we are already family.
Jaylin Bannerman: Yeah, I know a few of the commits. We're all pretty cool. We should really click once we hit campus together.
Cats Illustrated Note: It's not as though the players in UK's Class of 2015 did not have bonds with one another, but it has often been mentioned, perhaps rightfully so, that the class lacked the number and sheer force of leading personalities and charismatic figures that the Wildcats' commitments from the Class of 2014 had.
But it's not all about personalities and friendships. A lot of it has to do with where commitments are coming from. One positive for Kentucky, which could help the coaches keep the class in tact through Signing Day, is that so many of the commitments are within a close radius, enabling them to visit Lexington frequently and to see one another on a regular basis.
It's common knowledge that Drake Jackson has been unofficial but nearly official lead recruiter from among the ranks of the committed, and he was even doing his part to spread the word about the program before he committed. He's operated in much the same way that Drew Barker did two years ago. Landon Young has increasingly stepped into a more visible role in the same manner. In Ohio, players like Tobias Gilliam and Kordell Looney, among others, have done a lot to help build key relationships with their fellow statesmen and commits.
Justin Rowland
CatsIllustrated.com Football Recruiting Analyst
Talk about it in The House of Blue
We've asked UK's recruits about the Cats' coaching staff and their approach. But what about the relationships that exist between all of the players committed to Kentucky?
There's no downplaying the significance of a lead recruiter. A myriad of other factors, from the head coach's ability to close on that all-important sit-down meeting in his office to the camaraderie (or lack thereof at some places) between the staff members, speak to the importance of the coach in the recruiting process and what players ultimately choose.
But relationships between recruits are crucial as well. Peers interact more frequently and without NCAA contact restrictions. They communicate on a more raw, less filtered level as you would expect peers in any arena to. How often fellow commitments see one another on campus visits, how close they become, and the information they exchange has a lot to do with whether classes stay together.
Justin Rigg says Kentucky's 2016 commits are "already family."
Those relationships between Kentucky's Class of 2016 commitments are the subject of the fourth installment of Cats Illustrated's Recruit Roundtable.
Cats Illustrated: What's your relationship like with UK's other commitments? Do you know any of them, how do you know them, and how close are you?
Benny Snell: Tobias G (Gilliam) is my dude. We're kinda close. Gunnar Hoak is a good friend of mine and we're close as well. Kordell Looney (is who) I'm the closest with.
Gunnar Hoak: I'm still getting to know the other commits. I saw a couple of them when I went for camp at UK last week. Probably the closest with our center Drake Jackson.
Kayaune Ross: They made me feel more than wanted. They make me feel welcome. I see a plan for me and a good role with this team. I see great things in our commits. They are all some people I look forward to playing with, for as young as they are they seem very smart. We will most likely be the best class ranking-wise UK has had but more important I see this group proving ourselves on and off the field. We are a rising program and we are going for the best players that fit our mold. We have great leaders in this class.
Davonte Robinson: My relationship with the other commits is growing stronger every time we all meet up at UK.
Drake Jackson: I know all of them and have talked to every one of them in person multiple times. We're all close and we have great relationships.
Dakota Holtzclaw: I do know a few of them. Looking forward to getting to know them more because when we get to UK we are family.
Landon Young: I know a lot of the other commits from previous football seasons or from UK games or visits. I know a couple of them pretty well. I know Drake probably the most.
Grant McKinniss: The other commits were very accepting of me and I got a few messages from them after I committed.
Justin Rigg: Me and other commits are getting closer as we get closer to the season and after more visits we'll be even closer, but we are already family.
Jaylin Bannerman: Yeah, I know a few of the commits. We're all pretty cool. We should really click once we hit campus together.
Cats Illustrated Note: It's not as though the players in UK's Class of 2015 did not have bonds with one another, but it has often been mentioned, perhaps rightfully so, that the class lacked the number and sheer force of leading personalities and charismatic figures that the Wildcats' commitments from the Class of 2014 had.
But it's not all about personalities and friendships. A lot of it has to do with where commitments are coming from. One positive for Kentucky, which could help the coaches keep the class in tact through Signing Day, is that so many of the commitments are within a close radius, enabling them to visit Lexington frequently and to see one another on a regular basis.
It's common knowledge that Drake Jackson has been unofficial but nearly official lead recruiter from among the ranks of the committed, and he was even doing his part to spread the word about the program before he committed. He's operated in much the same way that Drew Barker did two years ago. Landon Young has increasingly stepped into a more visible role in the same manner. In Ohio, players like Tobias Gilliam and Kordell Looney, among others, have done a lot to help build key relationships with their fellow statesmen and commits.
