State of 2024 Recruiting

[Uncle Adolph]

JacQawn McRoy will announce his college decision on Saturday. There is a growing consensus in the industry that McRoy will pick OR. UK has been named as one of his four finalists, but I feel fairly confident that UK will not finish in his top two.

Cameron Keys is now receiving CB picks for MO and appears to be leaning there. Jonathon Daniels is receiving CB picks for FL St and is considered a strong FL St lean. Zuri Madison is an AR lean.

However, UK has now received a CB pick for RB Jason Patterson.

Based on recent public comments by Jalewis Solomon, I feel confident he views himself as a WR at the next level.

Recall I said here a month ago that our two big June recruiting weekends were likely to produce a handful of commitments, but not a tsunami, and that Coach Stoops will take a large number of open scholarships into the fall by design. That is playing out now. Many of the prospects who recently visited Lexington are/were being widely recruited. Some have since committed elsewhere and others will need some time to make their decisions. The signing date is still more than 5 months away. However, I tentatively expect at least one more 2024 UK commitment within the next two weeks.

With that, here is my revised list of 2024 prospects still known to be under active recruitment by our coaching staff. But keep in mind that more new UK offers will be given out during the summer and fall to prospects who are not on our radar now. In particular, I think our coaches know they need to broaden their recruiting board at OT, DL, MLB, and DB. For now, though, this is how UK's revised recruiting board looks to me.

QB- Cutter Boley (UK commit)

RB- Tovani Mikell (UK commit), Jason Patterson (UK lean)

TE- Willie Rodriguez (UK commit)

WR- Cameron Coleman, David Washington, Jalewis Solomon, Kamron Mikell, Hardley Gilmore (2025 prospect reclassifying forward)

OL- Aba Selm (UK commit), Hayes Johnson (UK commit), Jadon Lafontant (UK commit)

DL- Kendall Jackson, Alex Foster

LB- Antwan Smith (UK commit), Brian Robinson, Caleb Redd, Elijah Groves, Makai Byerson, Lorenzo Cowan, Amontrae Bradford

DB- Jiquavious Marshall (UK commit), Terhyon Nichols, Cam Dooley, Quasheed Scott, Casey Etienne

P/K- Jacob Kauwe (UK commit)

Is it me or are we swinging and missing on a lot of guys. We are getting highly rated players to visit and the feedback from them seems to be very positive but not a whole lot of commits. I don't worry about it like I used to because the portal has been very good to us and I hope will continue to be.

 

[Rembrandt90]

Is it me or are we swinging and missing on a lot of guys. We are getting highly rated players to visit and the feedback from them seems to be very positive but not a whole lot of commits. I don't worry about it like I used to because the portal has been very good to us and I hope will continue to be.

You can be positive if you choose. We have 9 commits. Boley and Mizell are huge commits. All linemen are developmental and there is nothing wrong with who we have. No coaching staff signs more than a fraction of the prospects they offer. Not even Saban. Summer class rankings are utterly meaningless. The signing date is still more than 5 months away. We will have another commitment soon although it won't be McRoy.

 

[Uncle Adolph]

You can be positive if you choose. We have 9 commits. Boley and Mizell are huge commits. All linemen are developmental and there is nothing wrong with who we have. No coaching staff signs more than a fraction of the prospects they offer. Not even Saban. Summer class rankings are utterly meaningless. The signing date is still more than 5 months away. We will have another commitment soon although it won't be McRoy.

Thanks

 

[RDF922]

You can be positive if you choose. We have 9 commits. Boley and Mizell are huge commits. All linemen are developmental and there is nothing wrong with who we have. No coaching staff signs more than a fraction of the prospects they offer. Not even Saban. Summer class rankings are utterly meaningless. The signing date is still more than 5 months away. We will have another commitment soon although it won't be McRoy.

REM
Love your work on these posts.
I rarely get worried about UK Football recruiting as our coaches have shown they know what’s up BUT our OT recruiting is nowhere to be found.
Maybe Selm is a Tackle but we need more than one in this class.

Where do you think UK gets an OT from in this class (HS not portal) Are there any names out there?

 

[Bereacat420]

REM
Love your work on these posts.
I rarely get worried about UK Football recruiting as our coaches have shown they know what’s up BUT our OT recruiting is nowhere to be found.
Maybe Selm is a Tackle but we need more than one in this class.

Where do you think UK gets an OT from in this class (HS not portal) Are there any names out there?

It is slim pickens, at this point. Hopefully a big target emerges

 

[kyleb740]

Does it seem like UK has taken swings at bigger targets this year? It seems we are getting beat out by the big boys more than anyone else.

Maybe the coaches feel like with the transfer portal there now they can take bigger swings (and misses) as they can always back fill in the portal.

 

[K_TIME]

THe tackle spot looks bleak for sure today but....
1. Kendrick Gilbert was a Purdue commit until UK flipped him.
2. I have a great feeling we're going to have a really good year on the field with Coen back in the fold and a nasty looking D unit....the product on the field along with other teams (i.e. Florida) will have down years and some kids will bolt. UK is going to look like a sexy program with some wide open spots with departing Srs.
3. Stoops/Marrow have amazed me with their bounce back in the portal. Getting Cox, Ford, Bowles and Christman. So, in today's world even if you are sub par in HS recruiting....the portal has become like a second store you can guy to get what you need.

I just don't find myself feeling as bleak as I did this time last year.

 

[Rembrandt90]

WR i hope you are right, that would be a good-looking group.

Nothing to be right about there. I am not predicting UK will sign those players. I am only suggesting it is a list of players our coaches are actively recruiting as the summer begins. We will not actually sign most of them.

 

[JHB4UK]

Does it seem like UK has taken swings at bigger targets this year? It seems we are getting beat out by the big boys more than anyone else.

Maybe the coaches feel like with the transfer portal there now they can take bigger swings (and misses) as they can always back fill in the portal.

I think this is the strategy now, agree.

Dont settle for marginal HS prospects who might in a few years develop into a 2 deep contributor to fill out our 85. Only go for more regarded guys who have other power 5 offers who are more likely to hit. And if there are holes in the roster where HS recruiting didn't work, fill with the portal.

 

[Rembrandt90]

REM
Love your work on these posts.
I rarely get worried about UK Football recruiting as our coaches have shown they know what’s up BUT our OT recruiting is nowhere to be found.
Maybe Selm is a Tackle but we need more than one in this class.

Where do you think UK gets an OT from in this class (HS not portal) Are there any names out there?

No uncommitted OT names are currently obvious. But the signing date is still more than 5 months away. Many people still believe Selm is an OT, but I am not one of them. All three current OL commits will be interior offensive linemen at the SEC level IMO. I am not concerned. Stoops knows we need more OTs. Every year, a bunch of important prospects get recruited by our coaches during the fall. Last year, Jamarion Wilcox OVed to Lexington in October. Ardell Banks OVed in November. Jayvant Brown, Tavion Gadson, and Khamari Anderson, three of the best players in our 2024 class, OVed in December after not even being on fans' radar during the summer.

 

[Rembrandt90]

Caleb Redd, an edge LB from St. Louis, committed to UK's 2024 recruiting class today. Redd is being recruited by Coach Buffano.

In recent seasons, UK's coaches have placed a renewed emphasis on recruiting in the state of MO. Redd is the first example of success from that effort.

For those who have been calling for a higher profile commitment, here is one. Redd holds at least five B10 and three PAC10 (including SoCal and OR) offers plus OK and KS St. He is from the DeSmet hs program which produces a lot of Power 5 football players. This is an important development for our recruiting traction in the midwest.

I tentatively expect at least one more 2024 UK commitment in the next 2 weeks.

 

[Uncle Adolph]

Caleb Redd, an edge LB from St. Louis, committed to UK's 2024 recruiting class today. Redd is being recruited by Coach Buffano.

In recent seasons, UK's coaches have placed a renewed emphasis on recruiting in the state of MO. Redd is the first example of success from that effort.

For those who have been calling for a higher profile commitment, here is one. Redd holds at least five B10 and three PAC10 (including SoCal and OR) offers plus OK and KS St. He is from the DeSmet hs program which produces a lot of Power 5 football players. This is an important development for our recruiting traction in the midwest.

I tentatively expect at least one more 2024 UK commitment in the next 2 weeks.

Any hints ?

 

[jlkirk]

Any hints ?

Whatever happened to the DT that committed to us last year, but never signed; alleged he was involved in a crime...

 

[Bereacat420]

Whatever happened to the DT that committed to us last year, but never signed; alleged he was involved in a crime...

Entered trsnsfer portal

 

[JHB4UK]

Any hints ?

DE Robinson

 

[Rembrandt90]

Entered trsnsfer portal

Yes. And AFAICT, Jones hasn't completed the transfer process at this time.

 

[Bereacat420]

Yes. And AFAICT, Jones hasn't completed the transfer process at this time.

He hasnt unless it is JUCO or something. That isnt usually reported

 

[Rembrandt90]

DE Robinson

Earlier this month, Brian Robinson completed OVs to MI, PA St, and UK. He hasn't set an announcement date. On March 14, two MI "insiders" entered CB picks for Robinson to MI, which were the 3rd and 4th CB picks for MI overall. Since then, there have been no more CB picks for Robinson to anywhere. But Justin Rowland entered a "futurecast" prediction for UK on 6/11.

In the past, I have said here that Robinson is the most important uncommitted prospect on UK's 2024 recruiting board. I still believe that. From the defensive standpoint, Robinson is as important as Boley, and far more important than Mizell. Robinson would be the best defensive player we have recruited in a while. IMO way better than JJ Weaver, a very good SEC edge player in his own right. It would make me very happy if Robinson commits to UK, and I regard that as a realistic possibility. But there is no public indication that Robinson is imminently about to make an announcement. That doesn't mean he won't. But Robinson is an elite prospect who can take his time.

Makai Byerson has scheduled his college announcement for 6/30 and Elijah Groves is now scheduled for the next day, 7/1. There is a realistic chance that Jason Patterson, Cam Dooley, and-or David Washington may announce in July although none of the three has yet scheduled an announcement. Byerson may well be a UK lean but any of these five could easily become our next commit. These are the primary reasons I feel very confident another 2024 UK commit will be announced soon. But, then again, it could be someone else. Recruiting is never predictable. As soon as you think you know, a surprise happens.

 

[Bereacat420]

Or this guy

 

[Rembrandt90]

View embedded media

Or this guy

Getting Terhyon Nichols would be huge for our defense. Evidently it will be UK, UC, MI, or PA St. I haven't seen anything yet to make me think we have an advantage. But he visited UK earlier this month. UK is the only SEC school in his list of finalists. So maybe he will decide that he wants to play in the SEC. This is a big one for Coach Marrow.

 

[Rembrandt90]

Scheduled public announcements-

Makai Byerson- 6/30 (UK, Rutgers, VA Tech, WV)
Elijah Groves- 7/1 (NC St, Purdue, UK)
JacQawn McRoy- 7/1 (OR, AR, Ole Miss, UK)
Terhyon Nichols- 7/2 (MI, PA St, Pitt, UK)

I have no inside information, but I have to make my best guesses. All of these are tough to predict, and early summer predictions are notoriously difficult anyway. There has been some discussion in the media about McRoy's decision but there were also two late visits to UK and OR. AFAIK, there has been very little, if any, media attention to the pending decisions of Nichols, Groves, or Byerson.

I will guess McRoy picks OR. Nichols to MI. Groves to NC St. Byerson to UK.

I will probably whiff on all four guesses. LOL!

 

[Bereacat420]

Scheduled public announcements-

Makai Byerson- 6/30 (UK, Rutgers, VA Tech, WV)
Elijah Groves- 7/1 (NC St, Purdue, UK)
JacQawn McRoy- 7/1 (OR, AR, Ole Miss, UK)
Terhyon Nichols- 7/2 (MI, PA St, Pitt, UK)

I have no inside information, but I have to make my best guesses. All of these are tough to predict, and early summer predictions are notoriously difficult anyway. There has been some discussion in the media about McRoy's decision but there were also two late visits to UK and OR. AFAIK, there has been very little, if any, media attention to the pending decisions of Nichols, Groves, or Byerson.

I will guess McRoy picks OR. Nichols to MI. Groves to NC St. Byerson to UK.

I will probably whiff on all four guesses. LOL!

JRow put in a future cast of Nichols to UK. With UK getting Redd and they think theyre getting Robinson, is Byerson still a take? They may look at BRob asa DE and the other two as OLBs. We will see

 

[UKfan215]

I don't want to be "that guy", but I hope we can start getting some commitments from some 4 star recruits soon. The class is already half filled and we only rank 56th nationally.

 

[TuckyFB]

I don't want to be "that guy", but I hope we can start getting some commitments from some 4 star recruits soon. The class is already half filled and we only rank 56th nationally.

Your wish is coming true on Sunday

 

[TuckyFB]

I don't want to be "that guy", but I hope we can start getting some commitments from some 4 star recruits soon. The class is already half filled and we only rank 56th nationally.

And having an unranked commit weighs the class down.

 

[ABlueWildcat]

I'd say McCroy Oregon, Groves UK, Nichols UK, and Byerson WVU

 

[UKfan215]

Your wish is coming true on Sunday

View embedded media

He'll be mighty welcome around these parts. Bring on Sunday!

 

[Rembrandt90]

I don't want to be "that guy", but I hope we can start getting some commitments from some 4 star recruits soon. The class is already half filled and we only rank 56th nationally.

Summer recruiting class rankings are totally meaningless. It's like predicting the final score of a football game in the first quarter.

Benny Snell and Josh Allen became All Americans at UK. Snell was a lightly recruited 3 star and Allen was a 2 star. Bunchy Stallings and Chris Rodriguez were also lightly recruited 3 stars. At some point, our fans must learn to trust our coaches and get over the player ratings.

 

[Rembrandt90]

JRow put in a future cast of Nichols to UK. With UK getting Redd and they think theyre getting Robinson, is Byerson still a take? They may look at BRob asa DE and the other two as OLBs. We will see

Good question. Robinson is an unknown that could be unresolved for months. At this point, I don't think Stoops can turn down Byerson over what Robinson might or might not do. If Rowland is right about UK beating MI for Nichols, that will be fantastic. But I have to see it first. If Redd is an SEC edge player in the 3-3-5, it would take him several years to add the weight to his 6'4" 215# frame. Same for Groves. I suspect Redd or Groves could play Mike or Will. Whereas Byerson is built for the edge right now. I think Stoops would probably take Byerson. Va Tech wants him, but he would fit in our class. We currently have 10 commits and only 3 of them are defenders. We need LBs in this class, and Byerson has the necessary length and athleticism for the 3-3-5. JMO.

 

[Rembrandt90]

And having an unranked commit weighs the class down.

Josh Allen was unranked. So were Calvin Taylor, Melvin Lewis, and Quinton Bohanna. Trust our coaches.

 

[TuckyFB]

Josh Allen was unranked. So were Calvin Taylor, Melvin Lewis, and Quinton Bohanna. Trust our coaches.

I'm not saying its a bad thing. I'm just saying having a unranked commit will make the ranking look worse than it actually is.

 

[Rembrandt90]

I'm not saying its a bad thing. I'm just saying having a unranked commit will make the ranking look worse than it actually is.

I know you are a knowledgeable guy and a smart poster who loves UK football, so don't take this as sarcasm. I'm just responding with my ideas. So JMO. The summer class ranking is totally meaningless. It's like predicting the personality of your child before birth, betting on a horse race at Keeneland, or guessing the weather six months from now. Except those things don't increase a website's clicks.

The ONLY thing that matters is the impact of the recruiting class on our football team, and we won't know that for 3-4 years. The class ranking doesn't put any points on the board or contribute to player development.

Are class rankings entertaining? Obviously some people think so. But here is what is entertaining to me-

Stoops' All Americans-

Bunchy Stallings
Logan Stenberg
Josh Allen
Benny Snell
Max Duffy
Lynn Bowden
Darian Kinnard

More than half of these players were hardly recruited at all. Nobody wanted most of them, but Stoops developed them into All Americans.

UK's 2015 class, one of Stoops' worst according to online class rankings, produced two All Americans, Allen and Stenberg, plus impact starters CJ Conrad, George Asafo Adjei, Jordan Jones, Derrick Baity, and Calvin Taylor. The stories of Allen and Taylor are fascinating. Now, that's interesting stuff.

In fact, it is remarkable how nonpredictive of performance these player ratings turn out to be. I still remember KSR talking head (and UL fan) Nick Roush condescendingly telling me that Eli Cox wasn't even worth mentioning in his recruiting articles because Cox represented a wasted scholarship. That's three year SEC starter Eli Cox. I remember everyone being so excited over Elam's and Crowdus' commitments, how some fans wanted Stoops fired because of our 2015 class ranking, and fans asking why in the world we were taking Josh Kattus.

Our coaches are identifying talent and developing it better than most other staffs. Let's support them. We can take a big step forward as a fan base by being more performance oriented and getting over the silly class rankings. Again, JMO.

 

[Rembrandt90]

JRow put in a future cast of Nichols to UK. With UK getting Redd and they think theyre getting Robinson, is Byerson still a take? They may look at BRob asa DE and the other two as OLBs. We will see

Today we should get a hint whether or not Byerson is a take. All I know is that we need more LBs, and Byerson was invited for an OV this month. But that doesn't necessarily answer the question.

You have me excited about Nichols. Stoops loves his CBs, and Marrow loves his Cincinnati recruits. Nichols would be a good "get" for our class.

 

[Rembrandt90]

Today's Updates

Makai Byerson chose WV earlier today. Turns out his Dad was formerly a basketball player at WV, which I didn't know until 30 minutes ago. I guess we may never know whether his UK offer was committable.

Suddenly, three CB picks (including Steve Wiltfong) have been entered today for Elijah Groves to UK. Wiltfong is seldom wrong. So it looks like the 6'4" 215# Groves will probably become UK's next commit. He will announce his decision tomorrow. Groves is being recruited by Coach White and is a top 10 prospect in the state of TN. Groves reportedly holds at least four Power 5 offers. It is not currently that impressive of an offer sheet but Groves has length and impressive athletic tools. Groves has run 11.84 in the 100y dash and 23.9 in the 200y. He is an all-county basketball player and once scored 36 points in a hs game. His cousin is a S for Ole Miss. So this guy is an excellent multisport athlete with a family pedigree who could potentially play any LB position in our 3-3-5.

Today, Josh Edwards entered a CB pick for Terhyon Nichols to UK. Nichols is scheduled to announce his decision on Sunday. He is being recruited by the Big Dog. He is a top 10 prospect in the state of OH and one of the 25 best hs CBs in the country this year. He holds at least 6 SEC and 7 B10 offers plus ND. Very good, highly recruited player.

And now, possibly the biggest news of the day. This morning, Josh Edwards entered a CB pick for Brian Robinson to UK. I have said that IMO Robinson is the most important uncommitted prospect on UK's recruiting board. I still think he is. Robinson, a top 5 player in the state of OH, is being recruited by the Big Dog. Robinson reportedly holds at least 5 SEC and 7 B10 offers plus ND and SoCal. At Fitch hs in Youngstown, he has primarily been a DE with his hand on the ground, but has occasionally stood upright on the edge of the defense. At 6'5" he has the length to possibly fill out into an SEC DE, but also the quickness and athleticism to possibly play Brad White's Jack LB position. If Robinson signs with UK, there will be lots of discussion about which position he will play because Robinson looks destined to play early. If it is Jack LB, he will inevitably draw immediate comparisons to former UK All American Josh Allen. He is that good.

 

[JC-3]

Thank you Rembrandt90!

 

[Uncle Adolph]

Today's Updates

Makai Byerson chose WV earlier today. Turns out his Dad was formerly a basketball player at WV, which I didn't know until 30 minutes ago. I guess we may never know whether his UK offer was committable.

Suddenly, three CB picks (including Steve Wiltfong) have been entered today for Elijah Groves to UK. Wiltfong is seldom wrong. So it looks like the 6'4" 215# Groves will probably become UK's next commit. He will announce his decision tomorrow. Groves is being recruited by Coach White and is a top 10 prospect in the state of TN. Groves reportedly holds at least four Power 5 offers. It is not currently that impressive of an offer sheet but Groves has length and impressive athletic tools. Groves has run 11.84 in the 100y dash and 23.9 in the 200y. He is an all-county basketball player and once scored 36 points in a hs game. His cousin is a S for Ole Miss. So this guy is an excellent multisport athlete with a family pedigree who could potentially play any LB position in our 3-3-5.

Today, Josh Edwards entered a CB pick for Terhyon Nichols to UK. Nichols is scheduled to announce his decision on Sunday. He is being recruited by the Big Dog. He is a top 10 prospect in the state of OH and one of the 25 best hs CBs in the country this year. He holds at least 6 SEC and 7 B10 offers plus ND. Very good, highly recruited player with at least 6 SEC and 6 B10 offers plus ND.

And now, possibly the biggest news of the day. This morning, Josh Edwards entered a CB pick for Brian Robinson to UK. I have said that IMO Robinson is the most important uncommitted prospect on UK's recruiting board. I still think so. Robinson, a top 5 player in the state of OH, is being recruited by the Big Dog. Robinson reportedly holds at least 5 SEC and 7 B10 offers plus ND and SoCal. At Fitch hs in Youngstown, he has primarily been a DE with his hand on the ground, but has occasionally stood upright on the edge of the defense. At 6'5" he has the length to possibly fill out into an SEC DE, but also the quickness and athleticism to possibly play Brad White's Jack LB position. If Robinson signs with UK, there will be lots of discussion about which position he will play because Robinson looks destined to play early. If it is Jack LB, he will inevitably draw immediate comparisons to former UK All American Josh Allen. He is that good.

Thanks for your insights

 

[vhcat70]

^SoCal is a B10 offer.

 

[Rembrandt90]

^SoCal is a B10 offer.

Not until they are a participating B10 member. FWIW.

The point is, Brian Robinson is a very, very good prospect. If Josh Edwards' CB prediction turns out to be correct (and I am praying that it is), then Stoops is about to get another impact defensive prospect every bit as important as Deone Walker if not more so. Robinson could easily become one of the elite defensive players of the Stoops era. Everyone knows I don't put much stock in online prospect ratings. But I have looked at Robinson's highlight film, and IMO he is truly elite.

 

[Rembrandt90]

Thanks for your insights

Appreciate your gracious comment.

Thank you Rembrandt90!

Thank you. Keep posting.

 

[Rembrandt90]

Another update. Cam Dooley from Valley, AL, will announce his college decision on 7/1. Dooley is a multisport athlete with 3 SEC offers. Zach Yenser is his primary UK recruiter. Reportedly it's Vandy, MO, or UK. Some talking heads in the media are suggesting it will be UK. I have no idea about what he will decide, but he would make a good addition to our class.