Weaver and Casey are both listed in the second group. Let’s not spend anymore time on this.
State of 2021 recruiting
- Thread starter Rembrandt90
- Start date
sluggercatfan's comment was directed at bballcat4 initially, but Rembrandt90 defended him/herself against it. Confusion ensued.
I agree no more time should be spent on this. Just trying to help clarify where this went wrong so you can each have some closure and the thread can get back to the topic. It's a great thread.
I agree no more time should be spent on this. Just trying to help clarify where this went wrong so you can each have some closure and the thread can get back to the topic. It's a great thread.
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As has been widely anticipated for weeks, S Jordan Lovett has now committed to UK. Lovett has a long, lean build and good basic football skills. He is a prolific tackler who can play in the box or in the deep zones. Lovett holds at least ten Power 5 offers, including other SEC offers from Missouri, UT, and Vandy. So it is fair to say he is a highly recruited player.
Lovett is being recruited by Vince Marrow. His school, North Hardin hs, has sent Andre Woodson, LaRod King, Octavious Oxendine, and LaVell Wright to UK.
UK’s current 2021 class-
Dekel Crowdus, slotR, Lexington, KY
Chauncey Magwood, WR, Leesburg, GA
Paul Rodriguez, OL, Mason, OH
Jordan Lovett, DB, Ratcliff, KY
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
Lovett is being recruited by Vince Marrow. His school, North Hardin hs, has sent Andre Woodson, LaRod King, Octavious Oxendine, and LaVell Wright to UK.
UK’s current 2021 class-
Dekel Crowdus, slotR, Lexington, KY
Chauncey Magwood, WR, Leesburg, GA
Paul Rodriguez, OL, Mason, OH
Jordan Lovett, DB, Ratcliff, KY
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
No confusion on my part about it. Don’t think this requires further comment though.
I could potentially see this playing out either way. But as I discussed earlier on this thread after Crowdus committed to UK, it depends to a certain extent on other UK receivers. UK already has a lot of receivers whose bodies are the type that would normally work best in the slot, including Ali, Thomas, Hayes, Harris, and Drennen. Coach Gran has also been known to flex Keaton Upshaw out into the slot.
I realize Crowdus is the shiny new penny. He has a relatively high prospect rating, and fans in central Kentucky have been reading about him in the newspaper for several years. But all of these players are capable.
Crowdus’ carrying tool is his top-end speed. But speed is only useful if a receiver can handle physical DBs and stay on his route with the pace anticipated by his QB. At 165#, Crowdus will need to adjust to big, physical SEC DBs who will be almost as fast as he is. But that same thing is equally true for Hayes and Harris, as well. So, as always, it will be a competition. By the time he uses up his eligibility, Crowdus should catch a lot of passes for Coach Gran. My only question is how long it will take him to add strength and get himself ready for the physical part of SEC football. It’s a lot harder than it sounds.
Now that Jordan Lovett has committed, UK has 7 commitments from prospects likely to be develop as offensive players and only 2 from likely defensive players. So far, no interior defenders. It is inevitable that some of those will be added sooner or later.
I believe it is a matter of time before TE Jordan Dingle, from Bowling Green hs, joins UK’s class. Dingle is obviously the TE Stoops and Marrow want in this class. He holds an offer from OH St, but it might not be committable. I could be wrong, but I think Dingle will be a Wildcat.
Here are some prospects whose likelihood of joining UK’s class might be increasing compared to several weeks ago-
Rayshaun Benny, OL, Oak Park, MI
Kamonte Grimes, ATH, Naples, FL
Quincey Skinner, WR, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Malik Verdon, QB, Hamilton, OH
Here are some prospects whose likelihood of joining UK’s class might be declining-
Trinity Bell, TE, Albertville, AL
Jaydon Hood, LB, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Khyree Jackson, DB, EMSCC
Reece Jesse, WR, Hopkinsville, KY
Tyrell Ruby, DB, Baton Rouge, LA
Brody Wisecarver, OL, St. Louis, MO
I still believe Jager Burton will wait a while to commit, and will continue to be an uphill battle for UK’s coaching staff.
I believe it is a matter of time before TE Jordan Dingle, from Bowling Green hs, joins UK’s class. Dingle is obviously the TE Stoops and Marrow want in this class. He holds an offer from OH St, but it might not be committable. I could be wrong, but I think Dingle will be a Wildcat.
Here are some prospects whose likelihood of joining UK’s class might be increasing compared to several weeks ago-
Rayshaun Benny, OL, Oak Park, MI
Kamonte Grimes, ATH, Naples, FL
Quincey Skinner, WR, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Malik Verdon, QB, Hamilton, OH
Here are some prospects whose likelihood of joining UK’s class might be declining-
Trinity Bell, TE, Albertville, AL
Jaydon Hood, LB, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Khyree Jackson, DB, EMSCC
Reece Jesse, WR, Hopkinsville, KY
Tyrell Ruby, DB, Baton Rouge, LA
Brody Wisecarver, OL, St. Louis, MO
I still believe Jager Burton will wait a while to commit, and will continue to be an uphill battle for UK’s coaching staff.
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@Rembrandt90 Great posts. Question what makes you believe we are in a better position to land Benny and may be falling behind on Wisecarver? Last I saw Benny ranked his top six contenders and UK wasn't in the top six. Which I thought was odd, and Brody it seems to be UK or WVU
By my count Marrow is responsible for at least 7 out of 9 of our commitments. He's on a tear and good thing we kept him from going to MSU.
Me personally, I think UK is still a factor for Benny, but not sure exactly where they are on his list. Benny has said he prefers DL over OL and I'm not sure what Kentucky's pitch has been. I also think UK is still in it for Wisecarver, but things have been pretty quiet there lately and Kentucky has had zero luck in Missouri. I totally disagree on Jager Burton however.
I don't think Kyree Young is likely at this time. I would say the same for Watkins. He is a Texas guy and I'm not certain at this point that UK will take a second RB in this class. Think it would have to be someone they absolutely love.
Thanks Rock. Boy, I sure wish we could crack the Houston area! A true hotbed of HS football.
It kooks like Illinois has emerged as a contender for Wisecarver, even picking up 2 CBs today. Not sure if it means alot but 247 changed UKs status with Benny from cool to warm, with Mich and Iowa. One player I haven't seen anything about is Damon Payne thhe DT from Michigan
Looks like UK may have cooled a bit on Wisecarver of late. Not saying it won't happen, but as of right now, I'm not sure UK signs anyone from Michigan in this class.
I'm with you on Benny. I'm not sure if we get him, but I find it hard to believe we aren't at least in play in some form. Before it's done, I think we land a big fish from Michigan whether that's Payne or Benny. I just think Clink is too good of a recruiter to get completely shut out of Michigan now. And I'm with you on Jager, I know OSU is putting together a ridiculous class, but I think at the end of the day Jagers heart will lead him to pick UK. And try to push the program for a the SEC ship. Even more so with the majority of the instate kids staying home the last two classes
Brody Wisecarver committed to IL and Trinity Bell committed to TN on Friday, the day after my last post suggested they won't be coming to UK. In both cases, this was not surprising based on recent behavior.
There is a good deal of circumstantial evidence that UK's coaches may have backed away from our earlier recruitment of Reece Jesse. With Crowdus' recent commitment, UK already has four commitments from Kentuckians as well as three commitments from receivers. So I don't think Jesse's earlier UK offer is committable now. Further evidence is that Jesse is suddenly being reported as having lower interest in UK, which often means the school backed off.
I believe Jaylon Hood is leaning to Jim Harbaugh's program at MI now.
Kyree Young's offer sheet continues to grow. He now holds four SEC offers including Bama and LSU. It looks like his recruiting focus may be changing. UK already has six RBs on the roster, plus LaVell Wright's commitment. Recently, UK has appeared to step up our recruiting activity with other hs RBs.
I have never suggested UK can't or won't sign Jager Burton. Vince Marrow is recruiting Burton, and he is a high priority. It could happen. What I am saying is that I expect Burton to take his campus visits and make a careful decision. That may take some time, and I'm not sure time will be on UK's side in this particular case. That's what I meant by an uphill battle. Burton already holds more than 20 scholarship offers including Clemson, OH St, Bama, and OK. I could certainly be wrong, but I am not seeing signs that he is nearing an announcement. If anything, it looks like his interest in OH St is high and his interest in Clemson and Bama might be growing. Of course, I want to see him in Blue and White.
No time frame yet, but it looks like this Juco LB is likely to end up in UK's class.
As Rock Cat reported, Joko Willis has committed to UK's 2021 class.
Seven of UK's commitments in this class are offensive players. UK's coaches have not yet gone very far yet to address the LB position. In January, LB Devon Williams committed to our class. But Williams decommitted and flipped to MN in April. Subsequently, UK's coaches seemed to focus on LB Jaydon Hood. But Hood recently committed to MI.
Joko Willis is being recruited by Jon Sumrall. He is from Lagrange, GA, but attends Independence CC. He attended Troup hs, a program that has produced a number of SEC players. Willis holds at least four Power 5 offers including 3 SEC offers. He has the length to play SLB and the strength to play in the defensive interior. Most sources are projecting him as an inside defender at UK.
UK's current 2021 class-
Dekel Crowdus, slotR, Lexington, KY
Chauncey Magwood, WR, Leesburg, GA
Jordan Lovett, DB, Ratcliff, KY
Paul Rodriguez, OL, Mason, OH
Kahlil Saunders, DL, Huntsville, AL
Armond Scott, WR, Euclid, OH
Kaiya Sheron, QB, Somerset, KY
Joko Willis, LB, Independence CC
David Wohlabaugh, OL, Stow, OH
LaVell Wright, RB, Ratcliff, KY
Seven of UK's commitments in this class are offensive players. UK's coaches have not yet gone very far yet to address the LB position. In January, LB Devon Williams committed to our class. But Williams decommitted and flipped to MN in April. Subsequently, UK's coaches seemed to focus on LB Jaydon Hood. But Hood recently committed to MI.
Joko Willis is being recruited by Jon Sumrall. He is from Lagrange, GA, but attends Independence CC. He attended Troup hs, a program that has produced a number of SEC players. Willis holds at least four Power 5 offers including 3 SEC offers. He has the length to play SLB and the strength to play in the defensive interior. Most sources are projecting him as an inside defender at UK.
UK's current 2021 class-
Dekel Crowdus, slotR, Lexington, KY
Chauncey Magwood, WR, Leesburg, GA
Jordan Lovett, DB, Ratcliff, KY
Paul Rodriguez, OL, Mason, OH
Kahlil Saunders, DL, Huntsville, AL
Armond Scott, WR, Euclid, OH
Kaiya Sheron, QB, Somerset, KY
Joko Willis, LB, Independence CC
David Wohlabaugh, OL, Stow, OH
LaVell Wright, RB, Ratcliff, KY
Probably should watch Willis' Juco teammate very closely as well. He just got an offer and has had a relationship with Clinkscale for several years. I think he'll be Kentucky's yearly Juco CB for this class.
This week's uneducated guesses by me. These observations are based on current circumstantial evidence. They are not intended as firm predictions, because it's too early for anything like that.
Likelihood of committing to UK appears to be increasing-
Gaethan Bernadel, LB, Hallandale, FL
Jordan Dingle, TE, Bowling Green, KY
Jamarius Dinkins, DL, Columbus, OH
Martez Thrower, LB, Rochelle, GA
Likelihood of committing to UK appears to be declining-
Deshauwn Alleyne, LB, Port St. Lucie, FL
Reece Jesse, WR, Hopkinsville, KY
Keontez Lewis, WR, St. Louis, MO
Tobechi Okoli, DL, Kansas City, MO
William Parker, OL, Nashville, TN
Kyree Young, RB, Akron, OH
Lastly, let's discuss three highly rated players who may or may not end up at UK-
Damon Payne, DL, Belleville, MI- Steve Clinkscale is once again competing with OH St and Bama for the best player in MI's 2021 state class. Payne holds more than 25 scholarship offers including most of the nation's top programs. But UK has signed highly rated defenders out of MI two out of the last three years, and Payne is a friend of UK freshman DT Justin Rogers. Payne unofficially visited UK last September, but has not yet taken any of his official campus visits. My guess is that Payne is not near making an announcement, and might still be months away from his decision. Coach Clinkscale will recruit him hard, and the friendship with Rogers helps. Too early to know how this will turn out, but UK has a real chance.
Rayshaun Benny, OL/DL, Oak Park, MI- Benny already holds more than 20 Power 5 offers. Most schools are recruiting Benny as an offensive lineman, but Coach Clinkscale is recruiting him for UK's DL as a DE or DT. Benny comes from the same hs that produced UK NT Marquan McCall. At this point, it looks like Benny primarily likes UK, IA, and MI. It will be tough to keep him away from Jim Harbaugh, but McCall gives us an advantage. Benny has not taken any of his official visits and might not be near a decision. I believe UK's chances are fairly good at this point.
Jager Burton, OL, Lexington, KY- The consensus top hs player in the state of KY this year already holds more than 20 scholarship offers including 6 SEC offers. He appears to be looking primarily at UK, OH St, PA St, Bama, and Clemson. I am not much of a believer in Crystal Ball predictions, but it is interesting to note that Burton's CB picks have been logged for OH St and UK. Their Director of Football Recruiting Steve Wiltfong made the OH St pick, and the UK prediction came from a "Kentucky insider" named Josh Edwards. Both picks are more than a month old, meaning they seem a little stale now. In the meantime, it has been rumored around town that Burton is hearing more frequently from Bama and Clemson. Vince Marrow is Burton's UK recruiter. It is likely that Burton and Payne may be the highest priorities on this year's UK recruiting radar. Being a Lexingtonian, Burton is very familiar with UK. But he has taken unofficial visits to OH St and is scheduled to take an official visit to OH St in two weeks. I believe this will ultimately come down to OH St, Clemson, and UK, and I doubt Burton is close to making an announcement unless he commits to OH St while he visits Columbus in two weeks. If he picks UK, that could happen during the summer or fall. But I doubt time works in UK's favor here, since most of the top programs in the south are recruiting him very hard. The best way for it to work out would be for Burton to come home from OH St after his June visit and announce for UK shortly thereafter. But that does not seem very likely at this point. Rumors that Burton will commit on August 24 will likely be superceded by scheduling of his campus visits around logistics of the virus and the fact that the NCAA recently extended the dead period through July. I suspect his recruitment will probably be drawn out.
Likelihood of committing to UK appears to be increasing-
Gaethan Bernadel, LB, Hallandale, FL
Jordan Dingle, TE, Bowling Green, KY
Jamarius Dinkins, DL, Columbus, OH
Martez Thrower, LB, Rochelle, GA
Likelihood of committing to UK appears to be declining-
Deshauwn Alleyne, LB, Port St. Lucie, FL
Reece Jesse, WR, Hopkinsville, KY
Keontez Lewis, WR, St. Louis, MO
Tobechi Okoli, DL, Kansas City, MO
William Parker, OL, Nashville, TN
Kyree Young, RB, Akron, OH
Lastly, let's discuss three highly rated players who may or may not end up at UK-
Damon Payne, DL, Belleville, MI- Steve Clinkscale is once again competing with OH St and Bama for the best player in MI's 2021 state class. Payne holds more than 25 scholarship offers including most of the nation's top programs. But UK has signed highly rated defenders out of MI two out of the last three years, and Payne is a friend of UK freshman DT Justin Rogers. Payne unofficially visited UK last September, but has not yet taken any of his official campus visits. My guess is that Payne is not near making an announcement, and might still be months away from his decision. Coach Clinkscale will recruit him hard, and the friendship with Rogers helps. Too early to know how this will turn out, but UK has a real chance.
Rayshaun Benny, OL/DL, Oak Park, MI- Benny already holds more than 20 Power 5 offers. Most schools are recruiting Benny as an offensive lineman, but Coach Clinkscale is recruiting him for UK's DL as a DE or DT. Benny comes from the same hs that produced UK NT Marquan McCall. At this point, it looks like Benny primarily likes UK, IA, and MI. It will be tough to keep him away from Jim Harbaugh, but McCall gives us an advantage. Benny has not taken any of his official visits and might not be near a decision. I believe UK's chances are fairly good at this point.
Jager Burton, OL, Lexington, KY- The consensus top hs player in the state of KY this year already holds more than 20 scholarship offers including 6 SEC offers. He appears to be looking primarily at UK, OH St, PA St, Bama, and Clemson. I am not much of a believer in Crystal Ball predictions, but it is interesting to note that Burton's CB picks have been logged for OH St and UK. Their Director of Football Recruiting Steve Wiltfong made the OH St pick, and the UK prediction came from a "Kentucky insider" named Josh Edwards. Both picks are more than a month old, meaning they seem a little stale now. In the meantime, it has been rumored around town that Burton is hearing more frequently from Bama and Clemson. Vince Marrow is Burton's UK recruiter. It is likely that Burton and Payne may be the highest priorities on this year's UK recruiting radar. Being a Lexingtonian, Burton is very familiar with UK. But he has taken unofficial visits to OH St and is scheduled to take an official visit to OH St in two weeks. I believe this will ultimately come down to OH St, Clemson, and UK, and I doubt Burton is close to making an announcement unless he commits to OH St while he visits Columbus in two weeks. If he picks UK, that could happen during the summer or fall. But I doubt time works in UK's favor here, since most of the top programs in the south are recruiting him very hard. The best way for it to work out would be for Burton to come home from OH St after his June visit and announce for UK shortly thereafter. But that does not seem very likely at this point. Rumors that Burton will commit on August 24 will likely be superceded by scheduling of his campus visits around logistics of the virus and the fact that the NCAA recently extended the dead period through July. I suspect his recruitment will probably be drawn out.
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Think there's a vetting process still going on there, sort of like the Torrance Davis situation.
Nothing. Young is still undecided.
At one time, Young appeared to be the top RB on UK's radar. One can infer that UK's coaches were ready for Young to commit in April, but Young himself wasn't ready yet. Young reportedly holds scholarship offers from four SEC schools including Bama and LSU. Maybe he is waiting on more B10 offers as well.
Vince Marrow has been recruiting Young for UK. But another Marrow recruit, RB LaVell Wright, was ready to commit to UK. Not only that, but Wright's hs teammate Jordan Lovett was coveted by Stoops as one of the better safeties in our region. Both have now committed to UK.
With LaVell Wright committed to our class now, and five freshman and sophomore RBs already on UK's 2021 roster, it will be more difficult to get a commitment from an uncommitted RB of Young's stature with Bama and LSU offers on the table. I'm not sure UK will take a second RB in this class. Add all of this up, and UK's opportunity to get a commitment from Young is clearly declining. No doubt about that.
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I should add one other talking point. Although a national source currently lists an official visit scheduled to OH St by Jager Burton two weeks from now, this may be a dated reference from before the dead period was extended. I don't know how you can take an official visit during the dead period, but that might be allowed under the rule since the player himself would be traveling and thereby initiating the contact. I just don't comprehend the NCAA rule at that level of fine detail. All I know is that nobody has been taking official visits so far this spring. Instead, it has been a spring for Zoom video online conferences between coaches and families to simulate visits.
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Burton said in an interview recently that he is still planning on Aug 24th. He said he wants to take his visits but if he hadn't gotten them all in that he had been to Clemson, UK, and Bama multiple times. He also said he wanted to at least get his OSU and Oregon visits by then, but he had enough info to make a decision by then. He also said he didn't plan on taking visits after committing. Guess we will see
I think any reasonable person would conclude from those comments that Burton was not close to a decision at the time he made them, and almost certainly isn't close to a decision now. At the end of the day, I still think this will come down to OH St, Clemson, and UK. But it is not possible to count Bama out either.
I don't claim to be reasonable. Lol. You are correct in that he hasn't made a decision. I was just saying he said he still planned on deciding by then.
On another note. One of the OSU writers was ranking their top remaining targets and Payne wasn't on the list. I'm wondering if they think they're getting J.T. Tuimoloau and Malone and may back off on Payne?
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That would be great. But I doubt it. Damon Payne isn't the kind of prospect any program is likely to back off. He is a consensus top 5 national DT prospect, and some sources consider him the best. He is considered one of the top 40 hs players in the country at any position. He already holds 9 SEC offers and 8 B10 offers, including many of the best programs in the country. I suspect any team that can legally sign him would try to find a way.
But it's possible that OH St's coaches might believe Payne will not pick OH St at the end of the day. At a certain point, all coaching staffs have to make tough decisions about signability and then prioritize from there.
I can think of at least three good reasons to be optimistic. First reason, UK has signed the top hs football prospect in the state of MI two out of the last three years. Steve Clinkscale is doing a super job in MI.
Second reason, Payne is a friend of Justin Rogers, and Rogers has apparently been all over Payne about coming to UK.
Finally, Payne unofficially visited UK last September and has reportedly had UK on his short list ever since. We are certainly recruiting him against formidable competition, but that was also the case with Rogers and McCall.
Here is a summarized list of UK Targets with a status of warm on the "other" site. Who knows if these are updated that often, but interesting none the less.
Damon Payne, DT, Belleville MI 5*
Jager Burton, OG, Lexington KY 4*
Rayshaun Benny, OT, Oak Park, MI 4*
Jordan Dingle, TE, Bowling Green, KY 3*
Kyree Young, RB, Akron, OH 3*
Javon Nelson, SDE, Murfreesboro, TN 3*
Deshauwn Alleyne, ILB, Port St Lucie, FL 3*
Christian Lewis, WR, Pleasant Grove, AL 3*
Quincy Skinner Jr., WR, Fort Lauderdale, FL 3*
William Parker, OT, Nashville, TN 3*
Kamonte Grimes, ATH, Naples, FL 3*
Tobechi Okoli, SDE, Kansas City, MO 3*
Jamarius Dinkins, SDE, Columbus, OH 3*
Jackson Hamilton, OLB, Roswell, GA 3*
I'm sure the experts can tell me the ones to cross off.
Damon Payne, DT, Belleville MI 5*
Jager Burton, OG, Lexington KY 4*
Rayshaun Benny, OT, Oak Park, MI 4*
Jordan Dingle, TE, Bowling Green, KY 3*
Kyree Young, RB, Akron, OH 3*
Javon Nelson, SDE, Murfreesboro, TN 3*
Deshauwn Alleyne, ILB, Port St Lucie, FL 3*
Christian Lewis, WR, Pleasant Grove, AL 3*
Quincy Skinner Jr., WR, Fort Lauderdale, FL 3*
William Parker, OT, Nashville, TN 3*
Kamonte Grimes, ATH, Naples, FL 3*
Tobechi Okoli, SDE, Kansas City, MO 3*
Jamarius Dinkins, SDE, Columbus, OH 3*
Jackson Hamilton, OLB, Roswell, GA 3*
I'm sure the experts can tell me the ones to cross off.
How about the great corner Kyhree Jackson? In his top five and he is going where he fits in best.
5.6 3 star Rembrandt had him on a list of the likelihood of them coming was declining
I feel Jackson to Bama could be the most likely scenario after reading some comments from him in an article this weekend. He seemed pretty enamored with them. We'll see though.
