Recruiting recap: What we saw Saturday
Justin Rowland
CatsIllustrated.com Publisher
Cats Illustrated kept a close eye on the recruiting scene Saturday afternoon all the way up until game time. Here's what we saw.
Kobe Smith's official visit to UK is this weekend.
The recruits began trickling into Lexington early on Saturday, many hours before the start of Kentucky's game against Florida. Tailgating fans and those arriving early for the Cat Walk between Nutter and Commonwealth probably saw young people and maybe their families riding around on golf carts. They may have seen the same young people checking in and registering at a tent before entering the new recruiting facilities.
Then, once in the stadium, fans probably saw players and their families congregating outside the recruiting room and then going down onto the field for warm ups.
There weren't many recruits that left this game early. Sometimes they do. Beating the traffic is usually attractive, especially when a player doesn't yet have an emotional attachment to a school. On Saturday, many of Kentucky's visiting recruits did have an attachment to UK. Many were committed and others are seriously considering the Cats. It was one of Commonwealth Stadium's best atmospheres in some time, and the recruits in attendance waited it out until the end as a part of it.
At the Cat Walk
Kentucky's visiting recruits congregated at the end of the Cat Walk as the UK players made their entry into Commonwealth Stadium. They were the last to greet the current Cats and many were accompanied by their families. Committed recruits and their families seemed especially enthusiastic in their support for the players as they made their march to the locker room.
Kash Daniel was one of the players that made the rounds more than any other. He was spotted talking to more recruits than almost anyone. Not in a cold, calculating, salesman sort of way, but as a naturally likeable and genuine way. He made his way over to A.J. Rose and the two briefly chatted. Rose might not be one for many words but he was clearly at ease in his surroundings there in Lexington.
An aside, Rose is one impressive physical specimen. We've said his build is very rare for a running back and that's more true than ever as he continues to come into his body and tone his physique.
Towards the end of the Cat Walk as the recruits were making their way from that event to the next leg on their tour we spotted J'Marick Woods, the safety from Alabama who has emerged as a major [db]Derrick Ansley[/db] target. He was impressive too, in a different way. Woods is more defined by his length than his definition or mass. He's just as long as some of the corners recently recruited to the Cats' roster and seems like he would fit right in with regard to that. He also seemed to be upbeat and in good spirits before the game.
We spotted Sylvania (Ohio) Northview offensive lineman and UK commit Luke Fortner and his family at the Cat Walk as well. He was one of the more social visitors as well. That was easy to see. He was making his way around and talking to different coaches, staffers, commitments and recruits the entire time he was there.
Though we cant say for certain we think we spotted Kobe Smith, Tobias Gilliam and Jaylin Bannerman, with Smith taking his official visit.
At the Cat Walk we saw in-state 2016 recruit C.J. Hayes of South Warren, a receiver who's trying to increase his recruiting profile with more attention. He looks like he's gotten bigger. He and his family were having a very good time and they were hanging out his South Warren teammate Jacob Wilde, a Class of 2016 recruit that's a sleeper. Speaking of in-state sleepers we also saw Jacob Paulson, a 6-foot-4, 230-pound defensive end/tight end from Christian Academy in Louisville (2017), and many others.
We spotted a player sporting Bergen Catholic gear -- that's a prep powerhouse in New Jersey. The No. 78 was visible on the shirt, and a little digging revealed that the number at Bergen is worn by Jack Caggiano, a recruit that's gotten some publicity but who has not been linked to Kentucky in the past. He's a really big kid, there's no doubt about that. It's interesting he seems to have made the trip down from New Jersey.
Xavier Martin, a 6-foot, 275-pound defensive tackle from Lakota East in Liberty Township (Ohio), was another player that we saw.
What we observed next
We saw many of the recruits that we reported were supposed to be visiting. Keep in mind, we're only confirming that we saw the players listed below. Excluding someone from a previous list is not the same as saying they didn't make it.
Let's start with five-star 2017 offensive tackle Jedrick Wills. We first spotted Wills down on the field behind the end zone with all of the other recruits before the game. He arrived well before kick but also well after many of the other recruits were there. Call it a fashionably late entrance. Wills was impossible to miss and may have been the biggest player, in terms of sheer size, to visit.
He was social immediately upon arrival and we saw Wills interacting with Davonte Robinson and some other local recruits at one point. We didn't see Landon Young until a little later than that -- still before kickoff, and yes, on the field -- but we can probably assume that Wills and Young did spend some time together. That's probably a safe bet. We didn't see Wills at the Cat Walk.
Ohio recruiting ace [db]Vince Marrow[/db] was always eager to talk to his many Buckeye State commitments, especially right when they came down onto the field to watch the Cats warm up. He was standing right around the center of the field at the goal line and players seemed to gravitate towards him. First there was Luke Fortner and his family. They would later be joined by Justin Rigg and A.J. Rose.
One of Marrow's great qualities as a recruiter is evident if you watch him at work. What he's really great at is helping people form connections. A conversation between Marrow and one person quickly grows to two, which grows to three. It becomes a new social dynamic that seems to draw others in.
It's widely known that Tobias Gilliam is at the center of many of the social groups in the class and he certainly seemed to be talking to many different recruits there this weekend.
It seemed like Jordan Griffin and Davonte Robinson were down on the field in that area behind the end zone, too. Griffin does have really good length, as has been reported, and Robinson's physical make up is among the most impressive that we've seen from defensive backs.
Jimmy Brumbaugh and Tommy Mainord were spotted mingling with and around recruits down near the field at various times, and many other UK staffers were devoting their time and energy to giving them attention.
After the fact Mac Jones wasn't exactly keeping it a secret that he had a great time, and he's already been a hit with his many future teammates. At one point we saw a player that looked like James Hudson going into the recruiting area, although it's sometimes tough to verify.
Ja'Quize Cross was down on the field and impossible to miss. He's visited UK several times now and at one point Fortner approached Cross and the two seemed to be conversing as though they're already on good terms. They both did camp this summer, so that could be the case.
One recruit's father told Cats Illustrated that they "were treated like royalty" immediately upon entry, and that means the staff probably accomplished their goals.
We'll have much more in terms of recruit feedback in the coming days and weeks. The Missouri game figures to be another blowout event.
Justin Rowland
CatsIllustrated.com Publisher
Cats Illustrated kept a close eye on the recruiting scene Saturday afternoon all the way up until game time. Here's what we saw.
Kobe Smith's official visit to UK is this weekend.
The recruits began trickling into Lexington early on Saturday, many hours before the start of Kentucky's game against Florida. Tailgating fans and those arriving early for the Cat Walk between Nutter and Commonwealth probably saw young people and maybe their families riding around on golf carts. They may have seen the same young people checking in and registering at a tent before entering the new recruiting facilities.
Then, once in the stadium, fans probably saw players and their families congregating outside the recruiting room and then going down onto the field for warm ups.
There weren't many recruits that left this game early. Sometimes they do. Beating the traffic is usually attractive, especially when a player doesn't yet have an emotional attachment to a school. On Saturday, many of Kentucky's visiting recruits did have an attachment to UK. Many were committed and others are seriously considering the Cats. It was one of Commonwealth Stadium's best atmospheres in some time, and the recruits in attendance waited it out until the end as a part of it.
At the Cat Walk
Kentucky's visiting recruits congregated at the end of the Cat Walk as the UK players made their entry into Commonwealth Stadium. They were the last to greet the current Cats and many were accompanied by their families. Committed recruits and their families seemed especially enthusiastic in their support for the players as they made their march to the locker room.
Kash Daniel was one of the players that made the rounds more than any other. He was spotted talking to more recruits than almost anyone. Not in a cold, calculating, salesman sort of way, but as a naturally likeable and genuine way. He made his way over to A.J. Rose and the two briefly chatted. Rose might not be one for many words but he was clearly at ease in his surroundings there in Lexington.
An aside, Rose is one impressive physical specimen. We've said his build is very rare for a running back and that's more true than ever as he continues to come into his body and tone his physique.
Towards the end of the Cat Walk as the recruits were making their way from that event to the next leg on their tour we spotted J'Marick Woods, the safety from Alabama who has emerged as a major [db]Derrick Ansley[/db] target. He was impressive too, in a different way. Woods is more defined by his length than his definition or mass. He's just as long as some of the corners recently recruited to the Cats' roster and seems like he would fit right in with regard to that. He also seemed to be upbeat and in good spirits before the game.
We spotted Sylvania (Ohio) Northview offensive lineman and UK commit Luke Fortner and his family at the Cat Walk as well. He was one of the more social visitors as well. That was easy to see. He was making his way around and talking to different coaches, staffers, commitments and recruits the entire time he was there.
Though we cant say for certain we think we spotted Kobe Smith, Tobias Gilliam and Jaylin Bannerman, with Smith taking his official visit.
At the Cat Walk we saw in-state 2016 recruit C.J. Hayes of South Warren, a receiver who's trying to increase his recruiting profile with more attention. He looks like he's gotten bigger. He and his family were having a very good time and they were hanging out his South Warren teammate Jacob Wilde, a Class of 2016 recruit that's a sleeper. Speaking of in-state sleepers we also saw Jacob Paulson, a 6-foot-4, 230-pound defensive end/tight end from Christian Academy in Louisville (2017), and many others.
We spotted a player sporting Bergen Catholic gear -- that's a prep powerhouse in New Jersey. The No. 78 was visible on the shirt, and a little digging revealed that the number at Bergen is worn by Jack Caggiano, a recruit that's gotten some publicity but who has not been linked to Kentucky in the past. He's a really big kid, there's no doubt about that. It's interesting he seems to have made the trip down from New Jersey.
Xavier Martin, a 6-foot, 275-pound defensive tackle from Lakota East in Liberty Township (Ohio), was another player that we saw.
What we observed next
We saw many of the recruits that we reported were supposed to be visiting. Keep in mind, we're only confirming that we saw the players listed below. Excluding someone from a previous list is not the same as saying they didn't make it.
Let's start with five-star 2017 offensive tackle Jedrick Wills. We first spotted Wills down on the field behind the end zone with all of the other recruits before the game. He arrived well before kick but also well after many of the other recruits were there. Call it a fashionably late entrance. Wills was impossible to miss and may have been the biggest player, in terms of sheer size, to visit.
He was social immediately upon arrival and we saw Wills interacting with Davonte Robinson and some other local recruits at one point. We didn't see Landon Young until a little later than that -- still before kickoff, and yes, on the field -- but we can probably assume that Wills and Young did spend some time together. That's probably a safe bet. We didn't see Wills at the Cat Walk.
Ohio recruiting ace [db]Vince Marrow[/db] was always eager to talk to his many Buckeye State commitments, especially right when they came down onto the field to watch the Cats warm up. He was standing right around the center of the field at the goal line and players seemed to gravitate towards him. First there was Luke Fortner and his family. They would later be joined by Justin Rigg and A.J. Rose.
One of Marrow's great qualities as a recruiter is evident if you watch him at work. What he's really great at is helping people form connections. A conversation between Marrow and one person quickly grows to two, which grows to three. It becomes a new social dynamic that seems to draw others in.
It's widely known that Tobias Gilliam is at the center of many of the social groups in the class and he certainly seemed to be talking to many different recruits there this weekend.
It seemed like Jordan Griffin and Davonte Robinson were down on the field in that area behind the end zone, too. Griffin does have really good length, as has been reported, and Robinson's physical make up is among the most impressive that we've seen from defensive backs.
Jimmy Brumbaugh and Tommy Mainord were spotted mingling with and around recruits down near the field at various times, and many other UK staffers were devoting their time and energy to giving them attention.
After the fact Mac Jones wasn't exactly keeping it a secret that he had a great time, and he's already been a hit with his many future teammates. At one point we saw a player that looked like James Hudson going into the recruiting area, although it's sometimes tough to verify.
Ja'Quize Cross was down on the field and impossible to miss. He's visited UK several times now and at one point Fortner approached Cross and the two seemed to be conversing as though they're already on good terms. They both did camp this summer, so that could be the case.
One recruit's father told Cats Illustrated that they "were treated like royalty" immediately upon entry, and that means the staff probably accomplished their goals.
We'll have much more in terms of recruit feedback in the coming days and weeks. The Missouri game figures to be another blowout event.
