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State of 2020 recruiting

We have room for all of Anaele, Rogers, Rybka, Hayes, Oxendine, Baron? Or if not, do we just make room?
You didn’t mention Eric Taylor, whom Michael Smith is trying to flip from LSU. Taylor is reportedly visiting Lexington this week.

We have 16 current verbals, three of which are DL prospects-

Samuel Anaele
Justin Rogers
Tre’Vonn Rybka

Until Anaele, Rogers, and Rybka actually sign, a decommit is always a possibility. Rybka has taken other campus visits recently, but it looks like all three are firm to UK.

We know directly from Vince Marrow’s mouth that there are two other “silent” commitments. Oxendine could realistically be one of those, and it wouldn’t surprise me. But we don’t know that.

TJ Carter and Calvin Taylor are graduating. Phil Hoskins hasn’t played all year. Whether he is done, or whether he gets an injury redshirt, Hoskins’ time at UK is short and apparently underachieving. I don’t buy the rumor that Bohanna will leave this year, but he graduates next year along with Looney. The point being that Brad White and Derrick Leblanc will be retooling UK’s DL for the next two seasons. Moving Josh Paschal to DE might be part of that, but recruiting is a bigger piece of it.

Even if they want to, UK’s coaches won’t be able to sign all four of Oxendine, Taylor, Hayes, and Baron. There is way too much competition from other SEC and B10 programs. But if they can get two of those names, then I think they will gladly take them since retooling the DL is a pressing priority. If they can get three, which will be very difficult, then it depends on how many scholarships are left and who else wants them. At the end of a recruiting cycle, “best available player” becomes an important litmus test for the last couple of scholarships. All of these names are very good, high-upside players.
 
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Tra Wilkins, Shawnkel Knight Goff, and Stanley Garner are gone now, but transfer Kelvin Joseph is enrolled for the fall semester. Although I think UK is now the favorite for transfer Joey Gatewood, there will also be more roster attrition over the winter and spring. So I still think Stoops will sign 24-25 new players in this class.

This can change on a dime, but here is my latest UK 2020 class projection-

Current verbals (I think all are firm now)-

Beau Allen, QB
Samuel Anaele, DL
Kaliul Branham, WR
Deondre Buford, OL
Izayah Cummings, WR
Torrance Davis, RB
Rickey Hyatt, DB
D’Eryk Jackson, LB
Joshua Jones, OL
Jutahn McClain, RB
Andru Phillips, DB
Justin Rogers, DL
Tre’Vonn Rybka, DL
Earnest Sanders, WR
Carrington Valentine, DB
John Young, OL

My projection for pending December UK commits-

RJ Adams, OL
Damien Alford, WR
Octavious Oxendine, DL
Joel Williams, DB

Pending January UK commit-

Vito Tisdale, DB

Discussion of some other prominent prospects with UK offers-

Eric Taylor, DL- Currently committed publicly to LSU. But a December campus visit must be taken seriously because this doesn’t happen if he is firm to LSU. He is being recruited by Jon Sumrall. It will be UK or LSU, and I like our chances to sign him in December if his visit to Lexington goes well.

Josaih Hayes, DL- Has only two campus visits scheduled, Auburn and UK. UK gets the last visit, which is always an advantage. I think UK takes either Hayes or Taylor, but probably not both unless someone else decommits.

Tyler Baron, DL- For some time now, the scoop has been that he will pick UT, UK, or OH St, although perceptions of the favorite have shifted black and forth. I think he picks UT or OH St. But Vince Marrow is recruiting him, and he is a great fit for Stoops’ 3-4 multiple defense. So it could happen, but I am not expecting this to work out.

Michael Drennen, RB- His recruitment is wide open, and he will not announce until late January or February. I think it will probably be UF, Southern Cal, AZ St, or UK, although OH St still has time to swoop in and snag him late in the recruiting cycle if a scholarship opens up. If Lynn Bowden leaves early for the NFL draft, that will probably give a boost to UK’s chances although nobody actually knows if it is Drennen’s ambition to become a slot receiver in a run-heavy offense. If he wants to be a college RB, that hurts us because we already have firm commitments from Torrance Davis and Jutahn McClain. We don’t need to sign three RBs in the class unless roster attrition is anticipated at the RB position. So I still think signing Drewnnnebn will be an uphill battle for UK. With regard to rumors that UK is his leader, I think these come from the fact that Drennen has visited UK at least twice. If he was set on signing with UK, he would probably not be waiting until February to sign.

Damarcus Beckwith, LB/ATH- Based on his fall statements, he is thought to have a final three of FL, UT, and UK although he apparently hasn’t visited Lexington since participating in a June UK camp. Recently visited Knoxville. A very lean build. But has a long body, long stride, and can really run for a big athlete. With a redshirt year and some physical development, he could become an interesting edge athlete in Stoops’ 3-4 multiple defense. Unless he sets up a visit to Lexington, you would have to guess he ends up elsewhere.

Devyn Curtis, LB- Nashville prospect with good size and athleticism who was believed to lean toward Vandy before Vandy’s 2019 season collapsed. The recent announcement that Coach Mason will be retained might bring him back around to his hometown school. But his recruitment looks wide open, and UK is one of several SEC programs that have stayed in touch although he hasn’t visited Lexington to this point.

Jeremy Flax, OL- He appears to be a back-up option in case we can’t sign RJ Adams. His recent visit to Lexington got cancelled on short notice, which makes you think this probably isn’t happening.

Tyrus Wheat, LB- Currently a MS St commit from Copiah Lincoln CC. Strong body, excellent athlete, prototype Mike LB. It is public knowledge that Stoops and Sumrall have been trying to convince him to visit Lexington, but time is running out before the December signing date. There is an opportunity for him here since Kash Daniels is graduating, Tra Wilkins left the team, and our other current interior LBs are leaner athletes capable of playing multiple LB positions in Stoops’ defense. But it wion’t happen for him here unless he schedules a visit to Lexington.

Jimmy Calloway, ATH- He is publicly committed to UT, but a recent flurry of visits to UK, WV, and VA Tech suggest he probably won’t end up in Knoxville. He has a small body, and would need a redshirt for physical development. But he has great hands and can really run. I suspect UK’s coaches view him as an upgrade over Jordan Watkins and a possible alternative in the slot to Michael Drennen if they can’t sign the latter.
 
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Tra Wilkins, Shawnkel Knight Goff, and Stanley Garner are gone now, but transfer Kelvin Joseph is enrolled for the fall semester. Although I think UK is now the favorite for transfer Joey Gatewood, there will also be more roster attrition over the winter and spring. So I still think Stoops will sign 24-25 new players in this class.

This can change on a dime, but here is my latest UK 2020 class projection-

Current verbals (I think all are firm now)-

Beau Allen, QB
Samuel Anaele, DL
Kaliul Branham, WR
Deondre Buford, OL
Izayah Cummings, WR
Torrance Davis, RB
Rickey Hyatt, DB
D’Eryk Jackson, LB
Joshua Jones, OL
Jutahn McClain, RB
Andru Phillips, DB
Justin Rogers, DL
Tre’Vonn Rybka, DL
Earnest Sanders, WR
Carrington Valentine, DB
John Young, OL

My projection for pending December UK commits-

RJ Adams, OL
Damien Alford, WR
Octavious Oxendine, DL
Joel Williams, DB

Pending January UK commit-

Vito Tisdale, DB

Discussion of some other prominent prospects with UK offers-

Eric Taylor, DL- Currently committed publicly to LSU. But a December campus visit must be taken seriously because this doesn’t happen if he is firm to LSU. He is being recruited by Jon Sumrall. It will be UK or LSU, and I like our chances to sign him in December if his visit to Lexington goes well.

Josaih Hayes, DL- Has only two campus visits scheduled, Auburn and UK. UK gets the last visit, which is always an advantage. I think UK takes either Hayes or Taylor, but probably not both unless someone else decommits.

Tyler Baron, DL- For some time now, the scoop has been that he will pick UT, UK, or OH St, although perceptions of the favorite have shifted black and forth. I think he picks UT or OH St. But Vince Marrow is recruiting him, and he is a great fit for Stoops’ 3-4 multiple defense. So it could happen, but I am not expecting this to work out.

Michael Drennen, RB- His recruitment is wide open, and he will not announce until late January or February. I think it will probably be UF, Southern Cal, AZ St, or UK, although OH St still has time to swoop in and snag him late in the recruiting cycle if a scholarship opens up. If Lynn Bowden leaves early for the NBA draft, that will probably give a boost to UK’s chances although nobody actually knows if it is Drennen’s ambition to become a slot receiver in a run-heavy offense. If he wants to be a college RB, that hurts us because we already have firm commitments from Torrance Davis and Jutahn McClain. We don’t need to sign three RBs in the class unless roster attrition is anticipated at the RB position. So I still think signing Drewnnnebn will be an uphill battle for UK. With regard to rumors that UK is his leader, I think these come from the fact that Drennen has visited UK at least twice. If he was set on signing with UK, he would probably not be waiting until February to sign.

Damarcus Beckwith, LB/ATH- Based on his fall statements, he is thought to have a final three of FL, UT, and UK although he apparently hasn’t visited Lexington since participating in a June UK camp. Recently visited Knoxville. A very lean build. But has a long body, long stride, and can really run for a big athlete. With a redshirt year and some physical development, he could become an interesting edge athlete in Stoops’ 3-4 multiple defense. Unless he sets up a visit to Lexington, you would have to guess he ends up elsewhere.

Devyn Curtis, LB- Nashville prospect with good size and athleticism who was believed to lean toward Vandy before Vandy’s 2019 season collapsed. The recent announcement that Coach Mason will be retained might bring him back around to his hometown school. But his recruitment looks wide open, and UK is one of several SEC programs that have stayed in touch although he hasn’t visited Lexington to this point.

Jeremy Flax, OL- He appears to be a back-up option in case we can’t sign RJ Adams. His recent visit to Lexington got cancelled on short notice, which makes you think this probably isn’t happening.

Jimmy Calloway, ATH- He is publicly committed to UT, but a recent flurry of visits to UK, WV, and VA Tech suggest he probably won’t end up in Knoxville. He has a small body, and would need a redshirt for physical development. But he has great hands and can really run. I suspect UK’s coaches view him as an upgrade over Jordan Watkins and a possible alternative in the slot to Michael Drennen if they can’t sign the latter.

Eric Taylor might get squeezed out of LSU's class. McKinnley Jackson was just cb'd to LSU this morning, and LSU might also get 5-star DE, Jordan Burch.
 
I just want to see Justin Rogers sign a LOI. I'll probably squeal like a little girl if that happens.
There have been several reports that Rogers is firm to UK. Rogers and Marquan McCall are personal friends. That doesn’t guarantee anything, but Rogers hasn’t been taking additional campus visits lately. Unless the flurry of visits to Lexington this month by other interior defensive linemen is hinting something that hasn’t been revealed yet to the public, I don’t see a reason for concern. My thought is that graduations of Taylor, Carter, Hoskins, Bohanna, and Looney within the next 17 months are focusing our coaches’ recruiting energy on our DL.

Another name to watch is Damon Payne, a 2021 DT from Belleville, MI, who is apparently looking hard at OH St and UK. He knows Rogers and is being recruited by Steve Clinkscale.
 
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A couple of notes on guys mentioned in Rembrandt's post above:

Dee Beckwith has Florida leading due to the fact that they have offered him in baskets well and this is apparently very important to him. However, he has tentatively scheduled an OV to Kentucky for mid January, so that is something to watch.

Jimmy Calloway, the soft commit to UT saw a rapid rise in his ranking today as he is now ranked in the 160's nationally and moved ahead of Michael Drennen. To my knowledge, he has not scheduled an OV to UK at this time, bit I would be surprised if that did not happen. Thus, he looks to be a February signee at this point.
 
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There have been several reports that Rogers is firm to UK. Rogers and Marquan McCall are personal friends. That doesn’t guarantee anything, but Rogers hasn’t been taking additional campus visits lately. Unless the flurry of visits to Lexington this month by other interior defensive linemen is hinting something that hasn’t been revealed yet to the public, I don’t see a reason for concern. My thought is that graduations of Taylor, Carter, Hoskins, Bohanna, and Looney within the next 17 months ar
e focusing our coaches’ recruiting energy on our DL.

Another name to watch is Damon Allen, a 2021 DT from Belleville, MI, who is apparently looking hard at OH St and UK. He knows Rogers and is being recruited by Steve Clinkscale/.

Clinkscale is killing it. He might be the new Vince Marrow
 
Clinkscale is killing it. He might be the new Vince Marrow
Clinkscale is recruiting MI and PA, plus participation as a co-recruiter in the recruitment of some DB prospects in the southeast. Clinkscale is also recruiting Samuel Anaele, Jimmy Calloway, and Jeremy Flax, although Flax’s recruitment appears to be on hold presently.

Marrow is recruiting OH and JeffCo in KY, plus personally recruiting Vito Tisdale, Octavious Oxendine, Tyler Baron, Brian George, and Ronald Williams.

Of UK’s 16 current verbal commitments, Marrow is directly recruiting seven while Clinkscale is recruiting five.

Derrick Leblanc is recruiting two current commits (Rybka, Jones). Jon Sumrall is recruiting D’Eryk Jackson. Eddie Gran and Darin Hinshaw are jointly recruiting Beau Allen.

It should be noted that Sumrall is recruiting December visitors Eric Taylor and Josaih Hayes as well as Damarcus Beckwith. Michael Smith is recruiting Joel Williams. Brad White is recruiting RJ Adams. Eddie Gran is recruiting Damien Alford.
 
Unfortunately, he is officially visiting UT the next weekend just before signing day. Will be hard to flip him, but not impossible IMO.
Thank you once again, Rock. You have been all over the Calloway story, so I look to you as the best source in the know.

I will only add this. When publicly-committed prospects take multiple visits in November and December to other schools within the driving radius of their home, they aren’t comfortable with their public commitment - and the school to which they are publicly committed inevitably becomes uncomfortable with them too. Calloway’s recent visits are a recipe for a pending flip. The upcoming visit to UT gives Pruitt’s staff a chance to straighten things out with him, but we don’t know how much the dialog has been damaged by the other visits. I surmise the question of where Calloway will sign is in a state of flux. I also surmise UK would take Calloway or Drennen, but probably not both. And I think most of the remaining 2020 UK scholarships will go to DBs, the DL, and RJ Adams. So it’s getting very tight now.
 
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Encouraging and I agree. As I recently posted, I fully expect Kentucky to sign Octavious Oxendine, RJ Adams and Joel Williams at a minimum on 12/18. Potentially 2-3 other additions by/at that time would not be a huge shock either.
 
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Well it should be a pretty easy sell, come be the next Bowden.
Not an easy sell. He is a receiver. Our coaches have to convince Calloway he will be targeted a lot, although we haven’t thrown the football very much the last couple of seasons. And they have flip him from his UT commitment even though UT gets his final campus visit. But it looks like we have some recruiting momentum with him anyway.
 
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Eric Taylor news. Not sure how to take this. Doesn't necessarily mean this is bad, at least until we learn more.

 
Also, apparently Taylor has some academic work to do also, so that could be a possibility. It could be UK that canceled the visit, not sure yet.
 
This is going to spark up a run of more good news to come..
The feeling around town is that Stoops and Marrow are about to get a flurry of great recruiting news that has nothing to do with Gatewood. I don’t know for sure if that is true. But it looks to me like UK soon gets commitments from-

RJ Adams
Octavious Oxendine
Joel Williams

And, as well, we have excellent chances to sign several of the following-

Damien Alford
Jimmy Calloway
Josaih Hayes
Vito Tisdale

And Tyler Baron, Michael Drennen, and Damarcus Beckwith are still out there, uncommitted, with UK offers. So this sets up as a great finish for a great UK recruiting class.
 
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Clinkscale is recruiting MI and PA, plus participation as a co-recruiter in the recruitment of some DB prospects in the southeast. Clinkscale is also recruiting Samuel Anaele, Jimmy Calloway, and Jeremy Flax, although Flax’s recruitment appears to be on hold presently.

Marrow is recruiting OH and JeffCo in KY, plus personally recruiting Vito Tisdale, Octavious Oxendine, Tyler Baron, Brian George, and Ronald Williams.

Of UK’s 16 current verbal commitments, Marrow is directly recruiting seven while Clinkscale is recruiting five.

Derrick Leblanc is recruiting two current commits (Rybka, Jones). Jon Sumrall is recruiting D’Eryk Jackson. Eddie Gran and Darin Hinshaw are jointly recruiting Beau Allen.

It should be noted that Sumrall is recruiting December visitors Eric Taylor and Josaih Hayes as well as Damarcus Beckwith. Michael Smith is recruiting Joel Williams. Brad White is recruiting RJ Adams. Eddie Gran is recruiting Damien Alford.

Thanks for that information Rembrandt. I didn’t know exactly who was recruiting most of the kids until they gave a commitment. Very interesting and I appreciate it.
 
Believe Kentucky was in Calloway's home yesterday.
I just hope he commits while he’s here. Don’t need him to even go back to see Tennessee again. Lol. We want this kid bad and I absolutely love his game. He can play anywhere on the field and he’s just a really good FOOTBALL PLAYER. Love this kid.
 
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The feeling around town is that Stoops and Marrow are about to get a flurry of great recruiting news that has nothing to do with Gatewood. I don’t know for sure if that is true. But it looks to me like UK soon gets commitments from-

RJ Adams
Octavious Oxendine
Joel Williams

And, as well, we have excellent chances to sign several of the following-

Damien Alford
Jimmy Calloway
Josaih Hayes
Vito Tisdale

And Tyler Baron, Michael Drennen, and Damarcus Beckwith are still out there, uncommitted, with UK offers. So this sets up as a great finish for a great UK recruiting class.

This is almost to good to even believe. Lol. I’ve said for three years that I know we’re on the rise, Were going to be getting top ten classes and are going to be a top ten team year in and year out. I sure didn’t see a class of over all talent like this this soon!

If we can get some of the best players left that we’re after, we could get close to the top ten this year. Not that I care what our ranking is, but the players that we’re getting and we’re after are all unbelievable talents. I couldn’t thank this Staff enough for what they’re doing right now and all the work they’re putting into this program. They’re definitely exceeding my expectations and are proving that it can be done here at Kentucky.
 
Never know about players mental part till they are here a while. Jones is intriguing, could be a great one here. Start snagging some more true speedsters on both sides of the ball would move our program up another notch. While we have some, need more. So Calloway is a big deal.
 
Thank you once again, Rock. You have been all over the Calloway story, so I look to you as the best source in the know.

I will only add this. When publicly-committed prospects take multiple visits in November and December to other schools within the driving radius of their home, they aren’t comfortable with their public commitment - and the school to which they are publicly committed inevitably becomes uncomfortable with them too. Calloway’s recent visits are a recipe for a pending flip. The upcoming visit to UT gives Pruitt’s staff a chance to straighten things out with him, but we don’t know how much the dialog has been damaged by the other visits. I surmise the question of where Calloway will sign is in a state of flux. I also surmise UK would take Calloway or Drennen, but probably not both. And I think most of the remaining 2020 UK scholarships will go to DBs, the DL, and RJ Adams. So it’s getting very tight now.
I would think it would be pretty easy to "negative recruit" against Kentucky when it comes to wide receivers .
 
Tra Wilkins, Shawnkel Knight Goff, and Stanley Garner are gone now, but transfer Kelvin Joseph is enrolled for the fall semester. Although I think UK is now the favorite for transfer Joey Gatewood, there will also be more roster attrition over the winter and spring. So I still think Stoops will sign 24-25 new players in this class.

This can change on a dime, but here is my latest UK 2020 class projection-

Current verbals (I think all are firm now)-

Beau Allen, QB
Samuel Anaele, DL
Kaliul Branham, WR
Deondre Buford, OL
Izayah Cummings, WR
Torrance Davis, RB
Rickey Hyatt, DB
D’Eryk Jackson, LB
Joshua Jones, OL
Jutahn McClain, RB
Andru Phillips, DB
Justin Rogers, DL
Tre’Vonn Rybka, DL
Earnest Sanders, WR
Carrington Valentine, DB
John Young, OL

My projection for pending December UK commits-

RJ Adams, OL
Damien Alford, WR
Octavious Oxendine, DL
Joel Williams, DB

Pending January UK commit-

Vito Tisdale, DB

Discussion of some other prominent prospects with UK offers-

Eric Taylor, DL- Currently committed publicly to LSU. But a December campus visit must be taken seriously because this doesn’t happen if he is firm to LSU. He is being recruited by Jon Sumrall. It will be UK or LSU, and I like our chances to sign him in December if his visit to Lexington goes well.

Josaih Hayes, DL- Has only two campus visits scheduled, Auburn and UK. UK gets the last visit, which is always an advantage. I think UK takes either Hayes or Taylor, but probably not both unless someone else decommits.

Tyler Baron, DL- For some time now, the scoop has been that he will pick UT, UK, or OH St, although perceptions of the favorite have shifted black and forth. I think he picks UT or OH St. But Vince Marrow is recruiting him, and he is a great fit for Stoops’ 3-4 multiple defense. So it could happen, but I am not expecting this to work out.

Michael Drennen, RB- His recruitment is wide open, and he will not announce until late January or February. I think it will probably be UF, Southern Cal, AZ St, or UK, although OH St still has time to swoop in and snag him late in the recruiting cycle if a scholarship opens up. If Lynn Bowden leaves early for the NFL draft, that will probably give a boost to UK’s chances although nobody actually knows if it is Drennen’s ambition to become a slot receiver in a run-heavy offense. If he wants to be a college RB, that hurts us because we already have firm commitments from Torrance Davis and Jutahn McClain. We don’t need to sign three RBs in the class unless roster attrition is anticipated at the RB position. So I still think signing Drewnnnebn will be an uphill battle for UK. With regard to rumors that UK is his leader, I think these come from the fact that Drennen has visited UK at least twice. If he was set on signing with UK, he would probably not be waiting until February to sign.

Damarcus Beckwith, LB/ATH- Based on his fall statements, he is thought to have a final three of FL, UT, and UK although he apparently hasn’t visited Lexington since participating in a June UK camp. Recently visited Knoxville. A very lean build. But has a long body, long stride, and can really run for a big athlete. With a redshirt year and some physical development, he could become an interesting edge athlete in Stoops’ 3-4 multiple defense. Unless he sets up a visit to Lexington, you would have to guess he ends up elsewhere.

Devyn Curtis, LB- Nashville prospect with good size and athleticism who was believed to lean toward Vandy before Vandy’s 2019 season collapsed. The recent announcement that Coach Mason will be retained might bring him back around to his hometown school. But his recruitment looks wide open, and UK is one of several SEC programs that have stayed in touch although he hasn’t visited Lexington to this point.

Jeremy Flax, OL- He appears to be a back-up option in case we can’t sign RJ Adams. His recent visit to Lexington got cancelled on short notice, which makes you think this probably isn’t happening.

Tyrus Wheat, LB- Currently a MS St commit from Copiah Lincoln CC. Strong body, excellent athlete, prototype Mike LB. It is public knowledge that Stoops and Sumrall have been trying to convince him to visit Lexington, but time is running out before the December signing date. There is an opportunity for him here since Kash Daniels is graduating, Tra Wilkins left the team, and our other current interior LBs are leaner athletes capable of playing multiple LB positions in Stoops’ defense. But it wion’t happen for him here unless he schedules a visit to Lexington.

Jimmy Calloway, ATH- He is publicly committed to UT, but a recent flurry of visits to UK, WV, and VA Tech suggest he probably won’t end up in Knoxville. He has a small body, and would need a redshirt for physical development. But he has great hands and can really run. I suspect UK’s coaches view him as an upgrade over Jordan Watkins and a possible alternative in the slot to Michael Drennen if they can’t sign the latter.
Very informative, thanks
 
Sounds to me like Oxendine and Tisdale are already privately committed to Marrow. Going to be interesting to see how many open scholarships Stoops saves for late signings in Feb.
 
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Count me as one not too excited about Gatewood.

I have so counted you, Sir, and our total for those not too excited about Gatewood issssssssssssssssss ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Let me figure this on my calculator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

OK, we have a total of 1 who is not too excited about Gatewood!
 
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