State of 2023 Recruiting

[Crystalglass]

Finish with:

Gilbert
Spencer
Bell
Blocker
Wilcox
and either Keys or Jackson

All of those are at least reasonable from my understanding, and if it happens + speculated portal additions then we have very quickly turned this class around and left quite a few fans with egg on their face

 

[Bereacat420]

Finish with:

Gilbert
Spencer
Bell
Blocker
Wilcox
and either Keys or Jackson

All of those are at least reasonable from my understanding, and if it happens + speculated portal additions then we have very quickly turned this class around and left quite a few fans with egg on their face

These are all probable. Hopefully Cornist instead of Keyes. Vince had a good visit with nights ago. Jackson and Rixo Walker would make this a really good class. Either would be the top recruit of the class

 

[Rembrandt90]

They have a highly ranked recruiting class in a weak conference. I think the only place they aren't generating positive attention is in UK territory.

This depends on your perspective, and I suspect the opposite may actually be true. In UK territory, people are taking note because there is always a certain amount of obsession with the UK-UL "rivalry". Outside of UK territory, nobody cares about UL (or UK) unless UL (or UK) beats them. Of the two schools, UK is far closer than UL to becoming relevant in football, largely because of the SEC affiliation and the 10-win season in 2021.

And that is Brohm's problem. Maybe he can make UL relevant in football again, but it will take something big to happen. One outlier NIL class will not be enough.

I do not expect UL's class to stay intact this month. They will sign some of these players. But it would take more than one strong recruiting class to change the course of their program IMHO. I guess we will find out though.

 

[Rembrandt90]

Finish with:

Gilbert

We are looking pretty good now with Gilbert. Stoops probably gets him.

Spencer

TBD. I am guessing Spencer will want to talk with Jeff Brohm and vice versa. Don't assume anything.

Bell

Possible, but I am still doubting.

Blocker

Maybe. Will not be easy to pull him out of the state of TX, but his campus visit is happening at the right time. Le't's see how his visit goes. Blocker has a visit scheduled to USC on Dec. 16 and has an offer there.

Wilcox

I am still optimistic about Wilcox. With Rodriguez and Smoke leaving, UK presents a nice opportunity for Wilcox as long as he is positive toward the Boulware news (assuming it is accurate).

and either Keys or Jackson

With his recent decommit from WI coming after he talked with Coach Marrow, I now like our chances to sign Keys.

Ja'Keem Jackson is still committed to FL, and a lot of other SEC schools are trying to flip him, so IDK. We will see. It's still possible but don't get your hopes up.

We now have good chances to sign Khamari Anderson, Karmello English, Rahmir Stewart, and D'Juan Waller. We may not get all of them, but we will sign some of them. Asa Newsom, Rico Walker, Robert Henry, Trevor Carter, Jordan Louie, and Trey Cornist are still possibilities for Stoops. Almost anyone in Fickell's UC class is a possibility on paper now that things are happening so fast.

quite a few fans [will be left] with egg on their face

This has been likely all along, and still is. This class has never been as bad as some have insisted here. Stoops is finishing strong. But the equalizer will be the portal. These days, a coach can fill immediate needs through the portal, which can change the way he shapes his recruiting class.

If one is just reflexively jealous of UL, then the class comparison gets way oversimplified. Every year, we beat UL on the football field, and that is the objective. If one simply compares internet generated class rankings, then one does not factor how our coaches target a class strategically to certain positions at certain times, such as the defensive secondary and receivers during the recent spring and summer. Personally, I want balanced classes. But you can't tell if a class is balanced until after they sign. That requires giving our coaches a fair chance, which many but not all UK fans are inclined to do. Our coaches have earned our trust. We will always have our negative nancies, trolls, Stoops haters, anti-Barnhart crazies here. Opinion is a bell shaped curve, and you can never please everyone. Most UK fans understand and appreciate what Stoops is accomplishing.

 

[K_TIME]

Every year, we beat UL on the football field, and that is the objective. If one simply compares internet generated class rankings, then one does not factor how our coaches target a class strategically to certain positions at certain times, such as the defensive secondary and receivers during the recent spring and summer.

1. We beat UL easily as we've way out recruited them dating back to end of Petrino days...and Satterfield was proven to be a worse recruiter than Petrino. It was always a matter of time when Lamar left UL....it way shifted the balance to UK's favor. I'd also argue Stoops focus on being good in trenches vs. Satterfield looks like he doesn't care a bit about stout D is why we end up where we do.
2. The portal is a new way to recruit....and teams can ignore HS recruiting to a degree and just focus more on portal kids to build their talent that way. UK feels like we do 95% of our needs thru HS kids and then 5% filling holes with portal kids. I do see it shifting to more portal and less HS recruiting though....will be interesting to see how that pans out for UK.
3. If UK gets Gilbert...that is by far top HS recruit we need to feel better about this class. I'd also argue a good RB is a very much need as well given how the offense is structured....the rest are nice to haves but not need ot haves of what is left on the table in this class IMO.


But we need to have a better 2023 recruiting class IMO for us to feel like the program is not moving backwards (which we did in 2022...you can't hardly argue otherwise).

 

[Rembrandt90]

1. We beat UL easily as we've way out recruited them dating back to end of Petrino days...and Satterfield was proven to be a worse recruiter than Petrino. It was always a matter of time when Lamar left UL....it way shifted the balance to UK's favor. I'd also argue Stoops focus on being good in trenches vs. Satterfield looks like he doesn't care a bit about stout D is why we end up where we do.
2. The portal is a new way to recruit....and teams can ignore HS recruiting to a degree and just focus more on portal kids to build their talent that way. UK feels like we do 95% of our needs thru HS kids and then 5% filling holes with portal kids. I do see it shifting to more portal and less HS recruiting though....will be interesting to see how that pans out for UK.
3. If UK gets Gilbert...that is by far top HS recruit we need to feel better about this class. I'd also argue a good RB is a very much need as well given how the offense is structured....the rest are nice to haves but not need ot haves of what is left on the table in this class IMO.


But we need to have a better 2023 recruiting class IMO for us to feel like the program is not moving backwards (which we did in 2022...you can't hardly argue otherwise).

Let's be rational. Our program does not "move backward" by finishing 7-5 and going to our 7th consecutive bowl. It is not everything we want, but this season should be viewed in context, historical and otherwise.

I realize some people say bowls don't matter. I know some people have passed judgment on our recruiting class before it actually signs, and before we know who is coming to UK from the portal. I get it that this season turned out to be less than we hoped. I know I hoped for more, but this is not the time for a rush to judgment.

Competitive football is not badmitten. You can't coach injuries. You can't force a young player to suddenly become experienced. You can't always control emotions. Football is a physical game, and outcomes often turn on a few plays. That makes it an unpredictable, volatile game.

We lost the Ole Miss game on a penalty when Levis did not allow his receiver to come set prior to the snap on the go-ahead TD pass. We lost the Vandy game when a young defender committed a personal foul on the play that should have been Vandy's final play of the game. We probably lost to SCar at home because Levis was unable to participate. A loss is a loss. I am certainly not suggesting otherwise. But if you say our program is going "backward", I will just add relevant context. We had a bunch of frustrating things contribute to suboptimal game outcomes, but that can happen to any team. AL lost two games on the road in OT on the final play of the game. TN lost their Heisman candidate QB to an ACL injury. Clemson practically fell apart this year. I can give lots of other examples. The point is, football fans have to have a certain amount of mental toughness and understand that disappointments don't always mean your program is going backward. Mark Stoops is a very resilient individual.

It is now clear that Stoops and Scangarello never got on the same page. I wondered about the Scangarello hire from the beginning. Needless to say, I have been crying for an experienced special teams coach. But coordinators come and go. Fairly, there is pressure on Stoops now to make a better OC hire this time. When the hire is announced, we can discuss it. I do not buy the narrative that a couple of disappointing games described above, or a recruiting class that has not signed yet, equate with our program going backward. You can certainly disagree, but there are several schools of thought on this and it will take time to clarify.

 

[tmuck]

These are all probable. Hopefully Cornist instead of Keyes. Vince had a good visit with nights ago. Jackson and Rixo Walker would make this a really good class. Either would be the top recruit of the class

I thought you said Spencer was leaning to UL.

 

[Girthang]

I thought you said Spencer was leaning to UL.

UL just lost their coach and hired a new one.

 

[Rembrandt90]

UL just lost their coach and hired a new one.

Almost anything can still happen with Spencer. UK, UL, VA Tech. Who knows? I don't get the warm and fuzzy feeling yet though.

 

[Girthang]

Almost anything can still happen with Spencer. UK, UL, VA Tech. Who knows? I don't get the warm and fuzzy feeling yet though.

Me neither. Like I said, a kid that is possibly committing to UL, especially when theyve sucked, isn't likely to come here. Some that have have transferred out early (some to UL).

There are always exceptions, so I'm not writing him off either. He needs to know the school is behind him and wants him also.

 

[K_TIME]

Let's be rational. Our program does not "move backward" by finishing 7-5 and going to our 7th consecutive bowl. It is not everything we want, but this season should be viewed in context, historical and otherwise.

I realize some people say bowls don't matter. I know some people have passed judgment on our recruiting class before it actually signs, and before we know who is coming to UK from the portal. I get it that this season turned out to be less than we hoped. I know I hoped for more, but this is not the time for a rush to judgment.

Competitive football is not badmitten. You can't coach injuries. You can't force a young player to suddenly become experienced. You can't always control emotions. Football is a physical game, and outcomes often turn on a few plays. That makes it an unpredictable, volatile game.

We lost the Ole Miss game on a penalty when Levis did not allow his receiver to come set prior to the snap on the go-ahead TD pass. We lost the Vandy game when a young defender committed a personal foul on the play that should have been Vandy's final play of the game. We probably lost to SCar at home because Levis was unable to participate. A loss is a loss. I am certainly not suggesting otherwise. But if you say our program is going "backward", I will just add relevant context. We had a bunch of frustrating things contribute to suboptimal game outcomes, but that can happen to any team. AL lost two games on the road in OT on the final play of the game. TN lost their Heisman candidate QB to an ACL injury. Clemson practically fell apart this year. I can give lots of other examples. The point is, football fans have to have a certain amount of mental toughness and understand that disappointments don't always mean your program is going backward. Mark Stoops is a very resilient individual.

It is now clear that Stoops and Scangarello never got on the same page. I wondered about the Scangarello hire from the beginning. But coordinators come and go. Fairly, there is pressure on Stoops now to make a better OC hire this time. When the hire is announced, we can discuss it. I do not buy the narrative that a couple of disappointing games described above, or a recruiting class that has not signed yet, equate with our program going backward. You can certainly disagree, but there are several schools of thought on this and it will take time to clarify.

1. We lost at home to Vandy and USCjr....we took a step back. I'm not going go sugar coat last year...it was a step back. We were not in a rebuild mode..we had NFL QB, All time RB, really good WR core and a damn experienced Defense...and we lost all those games at home that we have not been losing in year's past. If this was the Lynn Bowden year...I'd be fine with 7-5 but this was not the case. Next year with all we lost and schedule getting harder...7-5 is more palatable.
2. We can agree that Scangerello was the major problem last year (I'd argue Yenser was as bad a fit as well). Which is why Coen or whomever the OC is eons more important than any recruits we get. As when you don't coach up Levis, CRod, Brown, Key, Dingle, etc...well...it's a hot ass mess no matter your talent level.

But UK has to get this hire right.. and if not, Stoops might not get to make the next OC decisions.

 

[Bereacat420]

I thought you said Spencer was leaning to UL.

Lackford said UL was leading he's still supposed to OV UK. UL has had a coaching change since then that may have effected that. I have no clue what he will do. Lackford said his Purdue source thought UK would get Gilbert. Now they're saying he posted a pic in a UL shirt this morning.

 

[yoshukai]

7

30th is highly rated?

It probably is for an ACC team .

 

[yoshukai]

They're class is starting spiral. Owens gone. Rumor is Clarkson and company may decommit soon. Supposedly Lackford said he was expecting this on u6 forum

I’ve been told the Clarkson kid is not a “Brohm type of quarterback “. He is basically the linchpin to the class . We’ll see .

 

[yoshukai]

Purdue hasn't had the success Louisville has had ever. Indiana isn't a recruiting hotbed and if you look, it's a free for all in who gets the top 10-12 kids.

Basically, Purdue is quite possibly at their 2 year peak, potentially of all time. If Brohm hasn't turned this into greater recruiting and portal success, he probably never will. The West division is about to cease to exist. USC and UCLA are joining the conference. The path to winning the Big 10 is only going to get harder.

While a lateral move at best, the chances of Louisville winning the ACC are exponentially higher than Purdue ever winning the Big 10.

However Purdue has always been in the big ten while Louisville “success “ has mainly happened when they were the big dog in small lousy conferences . Because of Michigan and OSU I agree with you about winning the Big Ten vs winning the ACC . I don’t think the path to the championship game is much different though.

 

[Rockford]

Kendrick just posted a pic of himself in a UL jersey.

According to our friend @Cullen1114

 

[K_TIME]

Kendrick just posted a pic of himself in a UL jersey.

According to our friend @Cullen1114

That would be a huge blow if he goes there

 

[Girthang]

Now they're saying he posted a pic in a UL shirt this morning.

That's what I figured, but no sources. Just gut feeling

 

[yoshukai]

They recruited Drenan as a slot reciever. Kid loves being a RB. But just not thick & sturdy enough to run between the tackles in SEC games.

Or get on the field , evidently.

 

[mrschwump]

UK has offered Savion Washington, a 6'9" 325 OT out of Kent St. Guy gave up practically nothing in the sacks department. Need this guy.

 

[Rockford]

UK has offered Savion Washington, a 6'9" 325 OT out of Kent St. Guy gave up practically nothing in the sacks department. Need this guy.

His coach going to Colorado with Prime

 

[mrschwump]

His coach going to Colorado with Prime

Could be a problem but does the kid want to prove himself in the PAC12 or the SEC? That's the question IMO.

 

[Rockford]

Could be a problem but does the kid want to prove himself in the PAC12 or the SEC? That's the question IMO.

Maybe not to him. We shall soon see.

 

[Eccain01]

Kendrick just posted a pic of himself in a UL jersey.

According to our friend @Cullen1114[/USER
[/QUOTE]

Putting all our eggs in the Gilbert basket just for him to follow Brohm to Louisville would be so annoying. Are we even recruiting another interior Dlinemen?

 

[The-Hack]

Fans of class rankings might not like this. But when you beat a team four years in a row, you are literally outrecruiting (and outcoaching) them by definition.

U of L’s average recruiting class the last five: 50th.

UK’s average recruiting class the last five: 24th.

Our dominance over U of L was clearly predicted by our better recruiting classes.

Fans of class rankings saw this coming, especially with Satt’s ‘19 Class ranked in the 70’s.

 

[Cotaay]

Some of you people are such babies, recruit posts a pic of himself in a Louisville jersey (from a visit he made a long time ago) and you act like we have no chance with him and recruiting is going so poorly we will never be able to tackle anyone again. Take a deep breath and calm down for a bit, kids do stuff like that all the time and I a sure UofL fans were hitting him up on social media and he wanted some likes so posted a pic. Maybe he goes there, maybe he doesnt, but I definitely like our position at the moment.

 

[Cotaay]

On our current recruiting class Keenum earned his 4th star and Porter got his 4th star back in the latest round of Rivals updates. That gives us 5 4-stars at the moment, looking like this class will probably be the 4th highest ranked in the Stoops era if we finish like I think we will. Meaning 3 of Stoops 4 highest rated classes will have come in 3 of the last 4 years. I know the sky is falling and all, but things are looking pretty good from my perspective.

 

[Girthang]

Some of you people are such babies, recruit posts a pic of himself in a Louisville jersey (from a visit he made a long time ago) and you act like we have no chance with him and recruiting is going so poorly we will never be able to tackle anyone again. Take a deep breath and calm down for a bit, kids do stuff like that all the time and I a sure UofL fans were hitting him up on social media and he wanted some likes so posted a pic. Maybe he goes there, maybe he doesnt, but I definitely like our position at the moment.

Lol ...as you are triggered.... Take it out of context and add to it whatever you want so you can be outraged.

I know our history with recruits that are fans of UL going back 30 yrs or so. This has nothing to do with recruiting anyone else but Spencer (who I thought the post was referring to). From all I've read and seen, I just don't think he's serious about UK now, if he was before. It's called an opinion. If it wasn't about Spencer, but was instead about Gilbert, then I rescind the comment because I misunderstood.

Felt the same way about Watkins, btw. Not that it matters. Just didn't think he'd wind up here.

 

[Rembrandt90]

That would be a huge blow if he goes there

Why would it be a huge blow? He already committed to Brohm once. He has never been a member of UK's class.

A photo of a football player in a football jersey is not such a big deal. In America, the kid can go to college wherever he wants. We will see what he decides, but one player does not make a class.

 

[Rembrandt90]

U of L’s average recruiting class the last five: 50th.

UK’s average recruiting class the last five: 24th.

Our dominance over U of L was clearly predicted by our better recruiting classes.

Fans of class rankings saw this coming, especially with Satt’s ‘19 Class ranked in the 70’s.

UK has beaten UL four straight times because we pushed them around at the line of scrimmage and controlled the point of attack. Physical mismatch. This is SEC vs. ACC. One outlier recruiting class, if it even holds together, will not close the wide gap.

 

[The-Hack]

UK has beaten UL four straight times because we pushed them around at the line of scrimmage and controlled the point of attack. Physical mismatch. This is SEC vs. ACC. One outlier recruiting class, if it even holds together, will not close the wide gap.

I’ve never comprehended Satt’s philosophy. He consistently recruited 215 pound defensive ends, getting them to 275 in four years (maybe). And then 265 pound nose tackles, who might get to 290.

Neither match up well with 330 ponders.

 

[K_TIME]

Why would it be a huge blow? He already committed to Brohm once. He has never been a member of UK's class.

A photo of a football player in a football jersey is not such a big deal. In America, the kid can go to college wherever he wants. We will see what he decides, but one player does not make a class.

Well we sort of need DL don’t you think?

If we lose Rogers. Then we lose Hayes and Ox next year. Outside of Walker who is a good NG and DT you trust If we don’t get Gilbert we’ll be losing our ability to hold the LOS us what I see

 

[Girthang]

Or get on the field , evidently.

Yeah, I'd have to see that for myself. I trust a lot of things that the staff does, but someone telling me THAT kid isn't sturdy enough to run between the tackles.... Saw the kid practice (unlike Dee Beckwith) and I don't really get that. It must be that they recruited him as X and "only X" so now he's in someone's doghouse. I've experienced that directly myself. No matter how well you play from that point forward, it won't be good enough.

Sometimes coaches get it in their heads that you belong in a certain box and can never be anything else. I hope the kids skyrockets somewhere else. Hate to see his talents wasted

 

[Rembrandt90]

UK has to get this hire right.. and if not, Stoops might not get to make the next OC decisions.

Will you be paying his buyout? Or do you give Liam Coen your stamp of approval?

 

[Rembrandt90]

Well we sort of need DL don’t you think?

If we lose Rogers. Then we lose Hayes and Ox next year. Outside of Walker who is a good NG and DT you trust If we don’t get Gilbert we’ll be losing our ability to hold the LOS us what I see

I was explaining why I disagreed with your "huge blow" comment. It can't be a "huge blow" if we never had the player in the first place. The fact that Kendrick Gilbert holds a scholarship offer means we want him. But hundreds of hs players received UK scholarship offers this year, and the process continues.

Besides, we still don't know what Gilbert will decide.

Actually, we have a deep, talented DL. Our defense finished the 2022 season 3rd best in the SEC behind GA and AL. Rogers is a solid player but not irreplaceable. Stoops replaced Bohanna and McCall. He can replace Rogers too. Sooner or later, he will have to. Walker will probably move to NT, although I am not sure about that. Josaih Hayes will be back. Hayes was a 4 star recruit, scouted by Sumrall, with numerous SEC offers. In any case, Kendrick Gilbert is not a NT.

 

[Rembrandt90]

I’ve never comprehended Satt’s philosophy. He consistently recruited 215 pound defensive ends, getting them to 275 in four years (maybe). And then 265 pound nose tackles, who might get to 290.

Neither match up well with 330 ponders.

You may be describing in general terms a defining difference between the SEC and ACC.

Every year, there is a series of football games between SEC and ACC teams. Most of these games are won by the SEC team because the SEC has bigger, better players.

 

[bballcat4]

I was explaining why I disagreed with your "huge blow" comment. It can't be a "huge blow" if we never had the player in the first place. The fact that Kendrick Gilbert holds a scholarship offer means we want him. But hundreds of hs players received UK scholarship offers this year, and the process continues.

Actually, we have a deep, talented DL. Our defense finished the 2022 season 3rd best in the SEC behind GA and AL. Rogers is a solid player but not irreplaceable. Stoops replaced Bohanna and McCall. He can replace Rogers too. Sooner or later, he will have to. Walker will probably move to NT, although I am not sure about that. Josaih Hayes will be back. Hayes was a 4 star recruit, scouted by Sumrall, with numerous SEC offers. In any case, Kendrick Gilbert is not a NT.

Walker is a beast! I’m not undervaluing the NG position, but I hope Walker can be DT. We need pass rush from our front guys. Rarely does that happen with NG. Walker is a massive guy, but seems to have enough speed to play DT. I think Rogers and Walker on field at same time helped them both.

 

[Rembrandt90]

Update on current 2023 UK recruiting targets-

Khamari Anderson, TE, Detroit, MI
Demitrius Bell, WR, Nashville, TN
CJ Blocker, DB, New Caney, TX
Trevor Carter, LB, Ironton, OH (UC commit)
Trey Cornist, RB, Cincinnati, OH
Jmaury Davis, ATH, Clarendon, TX (TT commit)
Karmello English, slotR, Phenix City, AL
Tavion Gadson, DL, Savannah, GA (FL St commit)
Kendrick Gilbert, DL, Indianapolis, IN (Purdue commit)
Robert Henry, RB, Ellisville, MS (Jones CC)
Devin Hyatt, WR, Bradenton, FL
Ja'Keem Jackson, DB, Kissimmee, FL (FL commit)
Jacquez Keys, RB, Ironton, OH
Jordan Louie, RB, Norcross, GA
Braedyn Moore, ATH, Hamilton, OH
Asa Newsom, LB, Waverly, IA
Wm. Spencer, OL, New Albany, IN
Lamar Sperling, RB, Akron, OH (Buffalo commit)
Rahmir Stewart, DB, Philadelphia, PA
D'Juan Waller, DB, Youngstown, OH
Rico Walker, LB, Hickory, NC

According to public reports, Anderson, Blocker, Stewart, and Walker are scheduled to visit UK this weekend. Louie and Newsom are scheduled to visit next weekend.

There is a rumor that Jay Boulware, UK's new RB coach, will join the staff and get involved in recruiting during the next several days. If that is true, it may have a significant (and needed) impact on RB recruiting. It is likely that the hiring of Liam Coen today will have an immediate impact on offensive recruiting. A year ago, Coen was directly involved in recruitment of Barion Brown and the Wade twins.

 

[Rembrandt90]

Walker is a beast! I’m not undervaluing the NG position, but I hope Walker can be DT. We need pass rush from our front guys. Rarely does that happen with NG. Walker is a massive guy, but seems to have enough speed to play DT. I think Rogers and Walker on field at same time helped them both.

I think there is a decent chance Walker sticks at DT. He has the body of a NT, but he has the athleticism and quickness of a DE. Great player. Enjoy him while we can.

Rogers is solid. Josaih Hayes was as 4 star recruit with a long list of SEC offers. We are in good shape, and most of our DL is still young.

 

[BigBlueManSouthCentralKY]

Without Rogers, still have Walker, Saunders, Ox, Dinkens, Hayes and Rybka that has played a ton. Not sure where Young and Anale will fit in next season.