It was mentioned on here, June 10th, that Stoops may pass on him. I guess he didn`t like what he heard on his recent visit here. We`re probably taking 3 more offensive linemen, so I`m not saying this after his commitment, but it was said 9 days ago.............no sour grapes here.
State of 2024 Recruiting
- Thread starter Rembrandt90
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On June 10, I posted here that "Stoops might have to pass on [Fred] Johnson". That is on the record. Johnson is projected as an interior offensive lineman. Aba Selm and Haynes Johnson are already committed to our class. Jadon Lafontant has recently received multiple CB picks to UK. UK is recruiting Jonathon Daniels, an interior offensive lineman from FL who recently visited Lexington. As discussed on June 10, I believe Stoops had to pass on Fred Johnson. If Johnson was projected as an SEC OT, Stoops likely would have taken him. None of this means he is a bad player. He isn't. But there are only so many scholarships to go around, so these decisions have to be made. Stoops needs OTs, not more OGs. IMO.
Thanks. I think he jumped on the offer and took the best option currently available to him. Better than Pitt or BC, and a better conference too. This will be a test for him. Obviously Coen and Yenser see something they like.
UK's current 2024 class-
Cutter Boley, QB, Lexington, KY
Haynes Johnson, OL, Campbellsville, KY
Jadon Lafontant, OL, Greenwich, CT
Aba Selm, OL, Independence, KY
Antwan Smith, LB, Atlanta, GA
In a sense, all five of these players are developmental, as most hs commitments generally are. Boley has high level tools and arm talent, but will need schooling and physical development as he is currently a long, skinny kid. Smith has track speed but needs to add 30-40#. The three offensive linemen are longer term projects, although I suspect Selm (assuming he adds good weight easily) will play first. We briefly discussed the possibility that Lafontant might be a C. He certainly isn't a T.
Speaking of OTs, we need at least one high upside OT in this class, and McRoy is the only uncommitted OT who has visited Lexington so far. I haven't heard anything about McRoy's visit, but he is scheduled to visit OR next weekend.
I suspect Coach Stoops will look at more uncommitted OTs, although no idea who. This is still spring and there is time. Even with other positions of need, I won't be surprised if Stoops takes five offensive linemen in this class, if he can get two more he really likes.
BTW, Josh Edwards has entered a CB prediction for Hardley Gilmore to UK. I'm not sure what to make of this. Gilmore is as 2025 WR prospect who has indicated an interest in reclassifying forward to 2024. He just started making campus visits this month. When it comes to CB picks, Josh Edwards is a quick draw who sometimes gets out over his skis a little bit. Gilmore already has six SEC offers including GA and AL. I find it difficult to believe Gilmore would commit anywhere in the near future, or that a quick verbal would have a very good chance of being followed up later with a signature. But Gilmore is an impact prospect.
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As expected, P/K Jacob Kauwe out of Billings, MT, has now committed to UK. Kauwe, recruited by Coach Boulware, will receive a scholarship.
We may have a better chance here than many thought. John Garcia interveiwed Kendall and he told him that UKs approach opened his eyes. He said not only was he not a lock to UF but that UK and Ark were ahead of them going into his visit this weekend. His mom seemed to love UK and here is either dad or coach with the same last name. Lol. Saying the same thing
It is sure sounding that way.
If this is down to UK and FL, and if his visit to UK went as well as it sounds, then I have to like our chances. Right now, UK has the better football program of the two, the better defense, and the more stable coaching staff. As long as he is willing to leave home, this sounds promising for us.
Wow! Tovani Mizell commits to UK live on KSR! Unexpected!
Looking like a very good June is developing
Looking like a very good June is developing
Current UK 2024 class-
Cutter Boley, QB, Lexington, KY
Jacob Kauwe, P/K, Billings, MT
Hayes Johnson, OL, Campbellsville, KY
Jadon Lafontant, OL, Greenwich, CT
Tovani Mizell, RB, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Aba Selm, OL, Independence, KY
Antwan Smith, LB, Atlanta, GA
Mizell is a breakthrough commitment for our new RB Coach Jay Boulware. Mizell recently visited Lexington. Mizell holds at least seven SEC offers including AL and GA. He has also been offered by OK, SoCal, PA St, and OR. This is another big development for UK OC Liam Coen who is helping Coach Boulware by serving as Mizell's secondary recruiter.
Cutter Boley, QB, Lexington, KY
Jacob Kauwe, P/K, Billings, MT
Hayes Johnson, OL, Campbellsville, KY
Jadon Lafontant, OL, Greenwich, CT
Tovani Mizell, RB, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Aba Selm, OL, Independence, KY
Antwan Smith, LB, Atlanta, GA
Mizell is a breakthrough commitment for our new RB Coach Jay Boulware. Mizell recently visited Lexington. Mizell holds at least seven SEC offers including AL and GA. He has also been offered by OK, SoCal, PA St, and OR. This is another big development for UK OC Liam Coen who is helping Coach Boulware by serving as Mizell's secondary recruiter.
The kid said in his interview that it was between UK, Oklahoma, and the real USC.
Cats are ‘cruting against the best of the best.
Boulware is having some early success. I think we need to keep in mind the bigger picture. Coach Coen participated in Mizell's recruitment. Coen's return to Lexington has put our offense on an entirely different footing. In 5 months, the public profile of our offense has completely changed. This has already resulted in commitments from Mizell and Boley.
Noticed on Mizell's Twitter feed where he also acknowledged Mike Stoops. Makes sense, Mike Stoops primarily recruits Florida, I imagine he made early contact with Mizell.
Never thought I would see such a strong staff for Football at UK
The coordinators are the key to the staff. It is a strong staff but it can still be tweaked a little bit. Getting Coen back is very important. Stoops got caught by surprise when Coen bolted after the 2021 season, and it hurt our team. The Scan hire was a Hail Mary that didn't work, but Stoops and Barnhart did what they had to do after that. There is no doubt that Boley and Mizell would not be in our 2024 class if Coen had not returned. The good news is not over. This is just the beginning. And I'm not necessarily talking about June. There will be important additions to this class right up to December.
I’m expecting some big time recruits by July 4th but agree right up to Dec it’s going to be fun to witness.
Yes, most prospects with options won't feel a rush to commit until they are sure. Some will wait on purpose to see if more offers come, or just to get in more campus visits. We will not fill our class this summer. Stoops will keep some scholarships for the fall, which is smart.
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Cutter Boley, QB, Lexington, KY
Hayes Johnson, OL, Campbellsville, KY
Jacob Kauwe, K/P, Billings, MT
Jadon Lafontant, OL, Greenwich, CT
Jiquavious Marshall, ATH, Macon, GA
Tovani Mizell, RB, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Aba Selm, OL, Independence, KY
Antwan Smith, LB, Atlanta, GA
UK is Marshall's only current SEC offer but he reportedly holds at least five ACC and three B10 offers including MI. He is being recruited by Coach Collins. There is a debate about whether Marshall projects best as a WR or CB at the next level. We will see.
Hayes Johnson, OL, Campbellsville, KY
Jacob Kauwe, K/P, Billings, MT
Jadon Lafontant, OL, Greenwich, CT
Jiquavious Marshall, ATH, Macon, GA
Tovani Mizell, RB, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Aba Selm, OL, Independence, KY
Antwan Smith, LB, Atlanta, GA
UK is Marshall's only current SEC offer but he reportedly holds at least five ACC and three B10 offers including MI. He is being recruited by Coach Collins. There is a debate about whether Marshall projects best as a WR or CB at the next level. We will see.
Although I haven't seen it reach this board yet, there has been some discussion today on other public websites about why Dorian Williams and Shamar Rigby visited UK earlier this month and then suddenly committed to Vandy and Purdue, respectively. Today's assumption is that Stoops may have pulled their UK offers for some reason, perhaps because Coach Coen has zeroed in on other receiver prospects. It is known that Jalewis Solomon, Hardley Gilmore, Cameron Coleman, Kamron Mikell, Damarion Witten, David Washington, and Antonio White are still considering UK. Solomon and his half-brother Zayden Walker (2025 LB prospect) seem particularly interested. Jiquavious Marshall committed to UK earlier today. Although public speculation has held that UK is recruiting Marshall and White as DBs, that might be wrong for all we know. Earlier today, Josh Edwards entered a CB pick for White to UK, so a commitment could be coming soon if Edwards knows something. Last weekend Edwards entered a CB pick for Gilmore to UK. If he is correct, then Coen and Woodward are recruiting receivers above the level of Williams and Rigby. I have said before that I don't believe UK can actually sign Coleman. I still don't think so. But the larger point is that Coach Coen may have his sights set on a group of receiver prospects who have impressed him more than Williams and Rigby. Recruiting is very complicated and things can change quickly.
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6’3” CB with good speed are special tools. I trust Stoops, Coen, and Collins find the right fit for him. I personally hope he becomes a DB and Coen reels in a couple more top flight WR’s.
Rowland entered a FC for White a couple days ago. I think he cancelled the rest of his visits but could be wrong. From what i have read Mikell is a CB in college. UK will land some WRs b4 it is over
Mikell is an all-district QB in a run heavy offense at Statesboro hs. He is heavily recruited and holds at least ten SEC offers including GA and AL. At 6'2" 180#, he could be developed as a RB, WR, or CB at the next level. Knowing Stoops, I suspect he looks at Mikell's athleticism and length and immediately thinks CB (just like you said). But he would also make a dynamic playmaker on the offense. Either way, this guy would be a fantastic commitment. He is scheduled to OV UK on Sept 8. Let's hope he shows.
I'm thinking Stoops takes 5 OL prospects in this class because we need more developmental OTs on our roster. That leads me to believe we take 2-3 WRs because there are only so many scholarships. If necessary, WR is a position that can be addressed later through the portal. It depends on whether Stoops and Coen can get the guys they really want. For discussion's sake, let's say Marshall, White, and Mikell are being recruited as DBs. If that is the case, it would lead me to believe the current WR targets are Coleman, Gilmore, Witten, Solomon, and Washington. I still don't believe we can sign Coleman, who already holds at least twelve SEC offers plus MI and OH St. But the other four have already visited UK and seem very interested.
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Who would like to take another guess as to our next 2024 commitment?
I will still have to stick with my earlier guess. Willie Rodriguez. Some prospects have reasons to wait, such as taking more campus visits or waiting on more offers. But in Rodriguez's case, I don't see that. If Rodriguez doesn't commit to UK soon, I will begin to wonder whether Marrow and Coen might be having second thoughts about taking a TE commitment in 2024 due to other needs for the scholarship.
I will still have to stick with my earlier guess. Willie Rodriguez. Some prospects have reasons to wait, such as taking more campus visits or waiting on more offers. But in Rodriguez's case, I don't see that. If Rodriguez doesn't commit to UK soon, I will begin to wonder whether Marrow and Coen might be having second thoughts about taking a TE commitment in 2024 due to other needs for the scholarship.
l love this staff but based on future success, Blanton Collier's 1959 staff may have been the best ever assembled at any college. NFL coaches galore on that staff.
Was born in 59, my dad use to tell me about that staff unreal the coaches that went on to have great careers.
Collier, Shula, Schnellenberger, Arnsparger is who I remember
North had long NFL career including time as HC of the Falcons.
Staff also included long time Dallas Cowboy asst Ermal Allen.
When you posed this question last Sunday, I couldn't answer it because we are still six months from the signing date. Of course, I still can't answer it.
BTW, TE Willie Rodriguez committed to UK this morning, as expected.
Here is what I can do. By position, I can try to list all the prospects who are publicly known to be under active pursuit by UK's coaches. This is not the same as listing prospects with UK offers. Hundreds of 2024 prospects have received UK scholarship offers, but only a fraction of those are being actively recruited by our staff at this time. We must keep in mind that there will be new offers in the fall. For now, though, here is a position by position list of 2024 prospects I understand to be under active recruitment by our coaches.
QB- Cutter Boley (UK commit)
RB- Tovani Mizell (UK commit), Jason Patterson
TE- Willie Rodriguez (UK commit)
WR- Cameron Coleman, Damarion Witten, David Washington, Jalewis Solomon, Kamron Mikell, Hardley Gilmore (reclassifying forward from 2025)
OL- Aba Selm (UK commit), Hayes Johnson (UK commit), Jadon Lafontant (UK commit), JacQawn McRoy (OR lean), Jonathon Daniels, Zuri Madison
DL- Kendall Jackson (UK lean), Brian Robinson, Dominic Nichols, Alex Foster
LB- Antwan Smith (UK commit), Caleb Redd, Elijah Groves, Makai Byerson, Lorenzo Cowan, Amontrae Bradford
DB- Jiquavious Marshall (UK commit), Antonio White (UK lean), Terhyon Nichols, Cam Dooley, Cameron Keys, Quasheed Scott
P/K- Jacob Kauwe (UK commit)
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On a couple of the other websites, there are persistent rumors of another pending UK football commitment this weekend. It would have to be someone who visited here earlier this month. I know White, Jackson, Byerson, Gilmore, and Robinson may be UK leans. Maybe Saunders for 2025 too. But I am not sure if a commitment is imminent this weekend. Any other insights out there?
Thanks. I saw that. I think Saunders is a UK lean who will be a Wildcat sooner or later, now apparently sooner. A narrative is circulating out there that another commitment is coming this weekend. Do you believe this?
BTW, Elijah Groves out of Cross Plains, TN, is scheduled to announce on July 1. He has been linked to UK for some time, but he hasn't OVed. I think this means he will commit to Purdue or NC St, where he has OVed. But some other people point out that he has visited UK unofficially. I think our coaches are focused on other LB prospects now.
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