UK’s 2019 regular season has now concluded with a 7-5 record, and bowl eligibility has been achieved for the fourth consecutive season. Mark Stoops currently has 16 verbal commitments for his 2020 recruiting class (plus two more “silent” commitments, according to Vince Marrow), and the December signing date will arrive soon. In addition, we already have a significant body of early information about UK’s 2021 recruiting classes, which will be summarized below in this post. Within several months, the time will arrive when 2021 verbal commitments will become likely by previous historical criteria. Due to the general support for, and popularity of, the sister thread on “State of 2020 recruiting”, we can now begin a discussion about 2021 recruiting.
UK currently has no verbal commitments for its 2021 football class. For comparative reference, the first verbal commitment to UK’s 2020 class came from John Young on April, 28, 2019. So, sometime between now and May, one or more 2021 verbal commitments are more or less inevitable.
An early assessment projects that UK’s 2020 roster will likely have between 82-85 scholarship players, depending on how many players are signed in UK’s 2020 class, what Lynn Bowden decides to do in 2020, and how much offseason roster attrition occurs. In any case, 16 players on our tentative 2020 roster are scheduled to be seniors, although that number could increase to 17 if Phil Hoskins is granted an extra year of eligibility as a 2019 medical redshirt. I am not suggesting Hoskins will or won’t get the medical redshirt, but there have been some recent rumors FWIW.
So, given the likelihood of additional roster attrition (as happens every offseason) following our 2020 football season, it is again likely that UK’s 2021 recruiting class will include 20-25 scholarships.
Here is a list of instate hs football players currently believed to hold 2021 UK scholarship offers-
Jager Burton, OL, Lexington
Jordan Dingle, TE, Bowling Green
Reece Jesse, WR, Hopkinsville
Jordan Lovett, DB, Radcliffe
Lavell Wright, RB, Ratcliff
Jantzen Dunn, ATH, Bowling Green
Tristan Cox, LB, Somerset
Kaiya Sheron, QB, Somerset
Logan Weedman, TE, Apollo
Parker Bates, OL, Owensboro
I cannot confirm that all of the above offers are committable at this point, and some probably aren’t. But it is generally known that UK’s coaches would love to get early commitments from Burton and Dingle.
In addition, Kentuckian Dekel Crowdus, a quick WR from Lexington who projects as a slot receiver, is attending IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL, and holds a UK offer.
Here is a very brief, partial list of some interesting out of state hs players believed to hold 2021 UK scholarship offers-
Rayshaun Benny, OL, Oak Park, MI
Bam Booker, LB, Cincinnati, OH
Dekel Crowdus WR, Bradenton, FL
William Griffin, OL, Nashville, TN
Jaylen Johnson, DB, Cincinnati, OH
Rhoody Jean Lewis, LB, Miami, FL
Santino Marucci, QB, Jupiter, FL
Wyatt Milum, OL, Huntington, WV
Javon Nelson, DL, Murfreesboro, TN
Damon Payne, DL, Belleview, MI
Zion Rucker, DL, Smyrna, TN
Boaz Saint-Vil, DL, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Devonta Smith, DB, Cincinnati, OH
Dalen Stovall, WR, Stow, OH
Davion Weatherspoon, OL, Detroit, MI
David Wohlabaugh, OL, Stow, OH
We will discuss other names as they come up later.
UK currently has no verbal commitments for its 2021 football class. For comparative reference, the first verbal commitment to UK’s 2020 class came from John Young on April, 28, 2019. So, sometime between now and May, one or more 2021 verbal commitments are more or less inevitable.
An early assessment projects that UK’s 2020 roster will likely have between 82-85 scholarship players, depending on how many players are signed in UK’s 2020 class, what Lynn Bowden decides to do in 2020, and how much offseason roster attrition occurs. In any case, 16 players on our tentative 2020 roster are scheduled to be seniors, although that number could increase to 17 if Phil Hoskins is granted an extra year of eligibility as a 2019 medical redshirt. I am not suggesting Hoskins will or won’t get the medical redshirt, but there have been some recent rumors FWIW.
So, given the likelihood of additional roster attrition (as happens every offseason) following our 2020 football season, it is again likely that UK’s 2021 recruiting class will include 20-25 scholarships.
Here is a list of instate hs football players currently believed to hold 2021 UK scholarship offers-
Jager Burton, OL, Lexington
Jordan Dingle, TE, Bowling Green
Reece Jesse, WR, Hopkinsville
Jordan Lovett, DB, Radcliffe
Lavell Wright, RB, Ratcliff
Jantzen Dunn, ATH, Bowling Green
Tristan Cox, LB, Somerset
Kaiya Sheron, QB, Somerset
Logan Weedman, TE, Apollo
Parker Bates, OL, Owensboro
I cannot confirm that all of the above offers are committable at this point, and some probably aren’t. But it is generally known that UK’s coaches would love to get early commitments from Burton and Dingle.
In addition, Kentuckian Dekel Crowdus, a quick WR from Lexington who projects as a slot receiver, is attending IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL, and holds a UK offer.
Here is a very brief, partial list of some interesting out of state hs players believed to hold 2021 UK scholarship offers-
Rayshaun Benny, OL, Oak Park, MI
Bam Booker, LB, Cincinnati, OH
Dekel Crowdus WR, Bradenton, FL
William Griffin, OL, Nashville, TN
Jaylen Johnson, DB, Cincinnati, OH
Rhoody Jean Lewis, LB, Miami, FL
Santino Marucci, QB, Jupiter, FL
Wyatt Milum, OL, Huntington, WV
Javon Nelson, DL, Murfreesboro, TN
Damon Payne, DL, Belleview, MI
Zion Rucker, DL, Smyrna, TN
Boaz Saint-Vil, DL, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Devonta Smith, DB, Cincinnati, OH
Dalen Stovall, WR, Stow, OH
Davion Weatherspoon, OL, Detroit, MI
David Wohlabaugh, OL, Stow, OH
We will discuss other names as they come up later.
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