ADVERTISEMENT

State of 2021 recruiting

Don’t kill me on this 1 but how many Ky kids besides OL contributed big time to the team in the last many years.
Love our kids but I don’t get disappointed much by not signing them
Here are some Kentuckians who have made major contributions as Stoops signees. I'm sure opinions will vary.

Ryan Timmons
Landon Young
Drake Jackson
Adrian Middleton
Kash Daniel

These Kentuckians should make major contributions in the foreseeable future.

Beau Allen
Devontae Crumes
Izaiah Cummings
John Young
Octavious Oxendine
JJ Weaver
Jared Casey
Davonte Robinson
Vito Tisdale

If not injured, most of us would agree Drew Barker could have been a major contributor.
 
Here are some Kentuckians who have made major contributions as Stoops signees. I'm sure opinions will vary.

Ryan Timmons
Landon Young
Drake Jackson
Adrian Middleton
Kash Daniel

These Kentuckians should make major contributions in the foreseeable future.

Beau Allen
Devontae Crumes
Izaiah Cummings
John Young
Octavious Oxendine
JJ Weaver
Jared Casey
Davonte Robinson
Vito Tisdale

If not injured, most of us would agree Drew Barker could have been a major contributor.

In the past we've watched a lot of top Ky talent become key players for OTHER programs! That hurts when you don't have an abundance of in-state talent.

The main (not only) difference between list of previous in-state contributors and current in-state players on the roster is players from city of Louisville. We will not get every top player from there, but getting many of Louisville's top players is huge for us. We need a couple players from the city of Louisville to have great college careers and then become high NFL draft picks. I expect Weaver to become that player. (Maybe another couple players to do the same.)
 
In the past we've watched a lot of top Ky talent become key players for OTHER programs! That hurts when you don't have an abundance of in-state talent.

The main (not only) difference between list of previous in-state contributors and current in-state players on the roster is players from city of Louisville. We will not get every top player from there, but getting many of Louisville's top players is huge for us. We need a couple players from the city of Louisville to have great college careers and then become high NFL draft picks. I expect Weaver to become that player. (Maybe another couple players to do the same.)
Think you can also add Casey in that mix.
 
In the past we've watched a lot of top Ky talent become key players for OTHER programs! That hurts when you don't have an abundance of in-state talent.
That's the way it works. People choose to go to college where they like. That's why we have watched a lot of OH, FL, TN, and GA talent become key players for UK's football program. If it hurts us to watch Jantzen Dunn play for OH St, then it should hurt fans of OH schools to watch Benny Snell and Lynn Bowden become All Americans at UK. It should hurt fans of AL schools to watch Bunchy Stallings and Logan Stenberg become All Americans at UK. It just seems to me that if someone doesn't accept that type of reciprocal principle, then it would follow that they are part of the faction that will never accept the possibility UK can compete on even terms and earn our way to the SEC championship game.

Here are some UK football stars of this current century, with their hs states-

Jared Lorenzen- KY
Artose Pinner- KY
Andre Woodson - KY
Keenan Burton- KY
Jacob Tamme (All American)- KY
Garry Williams- KY
Zipp Duncan- KY
Tim Masthay- KY
Wesley Woodyard- GA
Rafael Little- SC
Myron Pryor- KY
Jeremy Jarmon- TN
Corey Peters- KY
Micah Johnson- KY
Stuart Hines- KY
Larry Warford- KY
Winston Guy- KY
Marcus McClinton- KY
Derrick Locke- OK
Randall Cobb (All American)- TN
Bud Dupree- GA
Jon Toth- IN
Josh Forrest- KY
Austin MacGinnis- AL
Boom Williams- GA
Juice Johnson- FL
Mike Edwards- OH
Darius West- OH
Lonnie Johnson- IN
Benny Snell (All American)- OH
CJ Conrad- OH
Josh Allen (All American)- NJ
Bunchy Stallings (All American)- AL
Logan Stenberg (All American)- AL
Drake Jackson- KY
Landon Young- KY
Darian Kinnard- OH
Boogie Watson- MD
Quinton Bohanna- TN
Josh Paschal- MD
Lynn Bowden (All American)- OH
Marquan McCall- MI
DeAndre Square- MI
Chris Oats- OH
Calvin Taylor- GA
Yusuf Corker- GA
AJ Rose- OH
Kavosiey Smoke- AL
Chris Rodriguez- GA
Max Duffy (All American)- Australia

This is somewhat subjective, since anyone can name their own lists of impact players. Regardless, there is a very clear trend. The more successful UK's football program has become, the more out of state star players UK has developed. That doesn't mean Stoops shouldn't take as many Kentuckians with legitimate SEC talent as possible, but it obviously means recruitment and development of players from all over the East and South have coincided with improvement of UK's football program.
 
Last edited:
In the past we've watched a lot of top Ky talent become key players for OTHER programs! That hurts when you don't have an abundance of in-state talent.

The main (not only) difference between list of previous in-state contributors and current in-state players on the roster is players from city of Louisville. We will not get every top player from there, but getting many of Louisville's top players is huge for us. We need a couple players from the city of Louisville to have great college careers and then become high NFL draft picks. I expect Weaver to become that player. (Maybe another couple players to do the same.)

UK has commitments from or has been CB'd for half the top 10 in-state recruits on 247 composite: Crowdus (#3), Dingle (#4), Wright (#5), Lovett (#6) and Sheron (#7). That would be a pretty good haul. You're never gonna get them all. That's just the nature of recruiting. Ohio St poaches recruits from all over.

The talent level, in KY, as far as the rankings go, drops off after the top 10. It's not a deep class this year. The rest of your guys are from talent rich states like OH and GA.

It's not a bad strategy at all. Get what you can from the best in-state. Fill the rest of your needs from pipeline states known for producing talent. It's really kinda what you have to do to stay competitive.
 
Last edited:
It’s way early, but still interesting to speculate what the seven current commitments might suggest about the rest of our 2021 football class.

First of all, my count suggests Amani Gilmore’s transfer leaves 86 recruited scholarship players on our 2020 roster. If accurate, this is technically over the limit. But more departures are coming. I don’t want to name names, but I can count at least nine obvious current scholarship players who could easily transfer or give up football altogether without surprising any poster on this board. Over time, that number will probably increase. In any case, we will be down to 85 before August because that’s the roster rule.

Presently, 14 scholarship seniors are scheduled to be on our roster this fall.

At a bare minimum, then, Coach Stoops will have 14 scholarships for his 2021 class. But that assumes no undergrad players leave next fall. In reality, undergrads transfer or graduate early every year.

So I assume Coach Stoops’ next class will have at least 15-20 players. And let’s keep in mind that we have made spring and summer predictions of small, similarly-sized classes in prior years, only to see our classes expand in size once departure numbers accelerated the next fall.

So here are some preliminary expectations.

Terry Wilson and Sawyer Smith will graduate. With Gilmore, Wood, and Langhi transferring, and Scalzo’s health still uncertain, Stoops will sign two QBs in this class.

Dekel Crowdus will commit to UK shortly. Along with Magwood and Scott, that will give the class three receivers. I think Stoops will take a TE in the class, and Jordan Dingle is the target. But this could possibly mark the end of 2021 WR recruiting even though it is only May. Would Stoops take Reece Jesse, Cameron Wright, or Quincy Skinner even though he may have a limited number of scholarships? IDK.

AJ Rose will graduate. Smoke, Rodriguez, Tisdale, Drennen, and McClain still have multiple years of eligibility. But Stoops recently accepted a commitment from LaVell Wright and is still actively recruiting Kyree Young. Will he take two RBs in the class? Looks like it.

With Paul Rodriguez and David Wohlabaugh already committed, Stoops might only have room for one more offensive lineman. He wants Jager Burton, but he is still recruiting Brody Wisecarver and several others. How long is he willing to wait on Burton? Burton is thought by some sources to be a OH St leaner. Interesting to watch how this plays out.

This class will be heavily slanted toward the offense, since our defensive depth chart is deep with talented undergrads. But Stoops will need to replace Max Duffy after this season, and Coach Hood is gone now. How will this play out?
I read that instate walkon Graham Wald is a very good K/P, perhaps he can be a punting candidate in 2021 if Poore can improve at PK. I’m glad we have Ruffalo pushing Poore at PK this season.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ky grandpa
That doesn't mean Stoops shouldn't take as many Kentuckians with legitimate SEC talent as possible, but it obviously means recruitment and development of players from all over the East and South have coincided with improvement of UK's football program.

Agree 100%. I've stated before that I don't care what state recruits come from. The year we had (0) in-state recruits didn't bother me for the reasons you stated.

I do believe UK can compete for SEC East. It will require multiple game changers on both sides of the ball. Stoops has the program rolling. Keeping top in-state players helps any team set a base for that particular recruiting year. The haul from Louisville a couple years ago was HUGE! Glad to have the in-state talent already aboard this recruiting class and hope to add to it tmrw. Burton would also be a huge recruit for us. (Not because he's from the state, but because of his potential.) Being in-state would just add to the momentum.
 
UK has commitments from or has been CB'd for half the top 10 in-state recruits on 247 composite: Crowdus (#3), Dingle (#4), Wright (#5), Lovett (#6) and Sheron (#7). That would be a pretty good haul. You're never gonna get them all. That's just the nature of recruiting. Ohio St poaches recruits from all over.

The talent level, in KY, as far as the rankings go, drops off after the top 10. It's not a deep class this year. The rest of your guys are from talent rich states like OH and GA.

It's not a bad strategy at all. Get what you can from the best in-state. Fill the rest of your needs from pipeline states known for producing talent. It's really kinda what you have to do to stay competitive.

Agree.
 
  • Like
Reactions: -COUNTRY-CLUB-JOE-
Regardless, there is a very clear trend. The more successful UK's football program has become, the more out of state star players UK has developed.

One could argue, based on an oversimplified correlation study, that the loss of Harris, Wondale, Rondale and others, caused the rise of our football fortunes. No one has argued that, and yes, it would be foolish, as their additions might have helped get us to our current level.

But I’ve stopped sweating the loss of in-State talent,

My moment of awakening came against New Mexico State in 2016. A young man/military guy from Alaska was next to me (it was military day) and had to tell me I was wrong when I said Bennie Snell was from the South. I told him, frankly, I barely recognized Snell’s name. Then, in the third quarter of that game, Snell ran through at lest 6 would be tacklers for a 4 yard TD, perhaps the damndest thing I have ever seen on a football field. I still pull that play up on my phone and show it to friends.

I walked away from that game thinking we might have found a better player than Harris.

After the Mizzou game that year, I began a much ridiculed thread comparing Bennie’s stats to Herschel Walker’s. Two years later, Bennie went pro, one TD shy of HW’s three year SEC record (thanks to the PAC 12 prick in the MCB!)

Our coaches will find talent, where-ever it needs to come from.
 
I read that instate walkon Graham Wald is a very good K/P, perhaps he can be a punting candidate in 2021 if Poore can improve at PK. I’m glad we have Ruffalo pushing Poore at PK this season.
I wouldn't say Ruffolo is pushing Poore. At this point, I think it has become clear that Poore needs to push Ruffolo. Ruffolo was our placekicker in the bowl victory over VA Tech.

I have no idea at this point who will replace Max Duffy as our punter after Duffy graduates. But I am sure Mark Stoops is well aware how many game outcomes Duffy has impacted. Stoops is a shrewd program builder. I'm sure he would dearly like to sign another dominant punter, and I imagine Duffy's performance history as an All American here will be attractive to the candidates.
 
One could argue, based on an oversimplified correlation study, that the loss of Harris, Wondale, Rondale and others, caused the rise of our football fortunes. No one has argued that, and yes, it would be foolish, as their additions might have helped get us to our current level.

But I’ve stopped sweating the loss of in-State talent,

My moment of awakening came against New Mexico State in 2016. A young man/military guy from Alaska was next to me (it was military day) and had to tell me I was wrong when I said Bennie Snell was from the South. I told him, frankly, I barely recognized Snell’s name. Then, in the third quarter of that game, Snell ran through at lest 6 would be tacklers for a 4 yard TD, perhaps the damndest thing I have ever seen on a football field. I still pull that play up on my phone and show it to friends.

I walked away from that game thinking we might have found a better player than Harris.

After the Mizzou game that year, I began a much ridiculed thread comparing Bennie’s stats to Herschel Walker’s. Two years later, Bennie went pro, one TD shy of HW’s three year SEC record (thanks to the PAC 12 prick in the MCB!)

Our coaches will find talent, where-ever it needs to come from.
You win some; you lose some. I don't know any Power 5 school that signs every player they want. There are 85 players on a full NCAA football roster, and all of them have a job to do. IMHO there is way too much obsessive focus on individual prospects, especially instate, but still far too little appreciation for what Stoops, Marrow, and our other coaches have accomplished as program builders and managers.

The fact remains that the last Kentuckian to earn All American honors at UK was Jacob Tamme. Since then, seven out of state recruits have become UK All Americans. A few Kentuckians have played important roles at UK since then, and an occasional few such as Wills, Harris, and Moore have excelled elsewhere. But that's how the cookie crumbles. Just being honest about this, I have never understood the lingering animosity toward these Kentuckians when UK has contemporaneously developed plenty of out of state recruits into All Americans and All SEC players.

So I agree with your conclusion. I don't sweat an individual prospect's decision, and I don't judge a class by its Rivals ranking. Our 2015 class was slammed by our fans and by gurus. But it gave us Allen, Jones, Baity, Taylor, Stenberg, Asafo Adjei, and Conrad. All great players who won bowl games here. None was instate, and there were some significant decommits from the class. At the time, people were irate. But Coach Marrow thinks it was his best class. So I trust our coaches and try to give each class a couple years before I judge.
 
Last edited:
Now that OL, WR, And maybe QB are set ,what positions do we concentrate on to fill the class?
 
Clayton Smith, a 6’ 4” 220 lb. outside LB from Texarkana, Tx. released a Top 6, today, with UK in the mix. He’s rated a 5.8 four star by Rivals.
 
Last edited:
There are a ton of kids in Texas that are from Kentucky (I'm not saying Clayton Smith is), there are bound to be some recruits that have family in Kentucky (like Stidham in Corbin). Texas spits out SO MANY kids that some REALLY good players fall through the cracks and end up at schools like UTEP, North Texas, Tech, and SMU. I wish we could recruit in Texas more, but maybe it's not feasible.
 
There are a ton of kids in Texas that are from Kentucky (I'm not saying Clayton Smith is), there are bound to be some recruits that have family in Kentucky (like Stidham in Corbin). Texas spits out SO MANY kids that some REALLY good players fall through the cracks and end up at schools like UTEP, North Texas, Tech, and SMU. I wish we could recruit in Texas more, but maybe it's not feasible.
T.V. Williams is the only TX recruit that I can remember that Stoops recruited and ended up coming to UK. I think he ended up transferring to Texas State?
 
  • Like
Reactions: KentuckyTexan
I wish we could recruit in Texas more, but maybe it's not feasible.

We used to. I was at a Hotel the night before a game at Mississippi State, and ran into a family in Blue from (I think “Katy,” Texas), and I asked if they knew Ronnie Riley. . . . it was his parents (they looked 25 years old!).
 
  • Like
Reactions: KentuckyTexan
T.V. Williams is the only TX recruit that I can remember that Stoops recruited and ended up coming to UK. I think he ended up transferring to Texas State?
Ah okay. Plus the Texas kids like to stick around the Texas schools if they can. I do like getting the Midwest kids though, telling them to come and play in the SEC is always a nice perk.
 
  • Like
Reactions: The-Hack
We used to. I was at a Hotel the night before a game at Mississippi State, and ran into a family in Blue from (I think “Katy,” Texas), and I asked if they knew Ronnie Riley. . . . it was his parents (they looked 25 years old!).
Nice. One of the offensive linemen at Georgia Tech, the squad we played in Jax-ville, had a kid from Katy that was originally from Oldham County. Davis Beard. Played middle school ball with him. He's honestly not a great example. He was incredibly undersized at only 260 lbs and about 6' 2" guard (he was listed at 6' 4" and that's generous).
 
Last edited:
U.K. is clearly behind. They can still finish strong, but they are behind today.

I expect many more changes in perceived strength of classes in the months ahead, but as of Monday, May 11, eight SEC teams (including Bama and Auburn) and OTIS are ranked lower on Rivals.

I think our strong finish has only started with Dekel!!
 
There are a ton of kids in Texas that are from Kentucky (I'm not saying Clayton Smith is), there are bound to be some recruits that have family in Kentucky (like Stidham in Corbin). Texas spits out SO MANY kids that some REALLY good players fall through the cracks and end up at schools like UTEP, North Texas, Tech, and SMU. I wish we could recruit in Texas more, but maybe it's not feasible.
I think we do quite well focusing mainly on the I75 corridor +/- 200 miles. Going further & further away could dilute the efforts. Only so many recruiters.
 
Clayton Smith, a 6’ 4” 220 lb. outside LB from Texarkana, Tx. released a Top 6, today, with UK in the mix. He’s rated a 5.8 four star by Rivals.
Will be very difficult to beat TX for Smith. I wouldn’t get my hopes up. But it’s interesting that UK is working on a larger recruiting footprint in that state.
 
As widely anticipated, slot receiver Dekel Crowdus has now committed to UK. Crowdus is a highly regarded recruit because of his elite speed. But it also needs to be understood that he has a very thin build and weighs less than 170#. Optimally, Crowdus needs a RS year for physical development. Even if he has a great career at UK, he might not be an immediate impact contributor. That will be interesting.

UK’s current 2021 class-

Dekel Crowdus, slotR, Lexington, KY
Chauncey Magwood, WR, Leesburg, GA
Paul Rodriguez, OL, Mason, OH
Khalil Saunders, DL, Huntsville, AL
Armond Scott, WR, Euclid, OH
Kaiya Sheron, QB, Somerset, KY
David Wohlabaugh, OL, Stow, OH
LaVell Wright, RB, Ratcliff, KY
 
  • Like
Reactions: -COUNTRY-CLUB-JOE-
Now that OL, WR, And maybe QB are set ,what positions do we concentrate on to fill the class?
A big component of the answer to your question depends on how many open scholarships Mark Stoops believes he will have for the class. It could be anywhere from 16-25. That’s a big range.

There are only 14 scholarship seniors this year. But I expect roster attrition to continue as younger players push some older players to the sideline, and as recurring injuries push a few to give up the sport.
 
Traveon Ford, an OLB from Mizzou has committed to Mizzou. He received early mention in this thread for having a UK offer.

I expect more players than normal staying nearer home, this recruiting season.
 
Traveon Ford, an OLB from Mizzou has committed to Mizzou. He received early mention in this thread for having a UK offer.

I expect more players than normal staying nearer home, this recruiting season.
Ford hasn’t been mentioned as being interested in UK in more than a month, and it is worth keeping in mind that UK hasn’t signed a football player out of the state of MO since Stoops got here. We are trying, that’s for sure.

I don’t know if more players will stay closer to home this year. That might happen, or maybe not. But I think more players will wait until the fall to commit, because most want to take their visits before deciding. I also suspect there might be more decommits than usual because some players are committing now without visiting first. It will be interesting to see if that happens.

BTW, it looks more and more like LB Clayton Smith is about to commit to the OK Sooners.
 
Last edited:
As widely anticipated, slot receiver Dekel Crowdus has now committed to UK. Crowdus is a highly regarded recruit because of his elite speed. But it also needs to be understood that he has a very thin build and weighs less than 170#. Optimally, Crowdus needs a RS year for physical development. Even if he has a great career at UK, he might not be an immediate impact contributor. That will be interesting.

UK’s current 2021 class-

Dekel Crowdus, slotR, Lexington, KY
Chauncey Magwood, WR, Leesburg, GA
Paul Rodriguez, OL, Mason, OH
Khalil Saunders, DL, Huntsville, AL
Armond Scott, WR, Euclid, OH
Kaiya Sheron, QB, Somerset, KY
David Wohlabaugh, OL, Stow, OH
LaVell Wright, RB, Ratcliff, KY
Freddie Maggard thinks Crowdus will be a Day 1 starter at UK!
 
ADVERTISEMENT