It doesn’t really matter but they’re recruiting him to only play in the Big 10. If he commits and attends there, he’ll never play in the PAC 12 he would only play in the Big 10 because the switch is before his freshman season. So the offer is to play Big10 football. Either way appreciate your posts here.
State of 2024 Recruiting
- Thread starter Rembrandt90
- Start date
If you don’t trust the staff by now I don’t know what will help you!?
They keep ending up bottom 1/3 in “recruit rankings” and end up top 1/3 in the standings.
Maybe, just maybe, our staff knows more about what they are looking for than the folks looking for subscriptions or clicks???
Don't take this wrong. You apparently don't remember what it was like when our football team was bad.
Do we trust our coaches because they are succeeding on the field? Or should they be judged by recruiting class rankings in July? Which is sensible? Which is not?
I have found online prospect rankings to be poor predictors of college football performance. Former SEC stars Josh Allen, Calvin Taylor, and Quinton Bohanna were not even ranked as prospects. Nobody wanted them. Nobody in Power 5 ball wanted Luke Fortner either but he is now the Jacksonville Jaguars' starting center. All Americans Benny Snell and Bunchy Stallings were lightly recruited low 3 stars. Summer class rankings are irrelevant. The prospects won't sign for another five months, and it will take years for their impacts on our football program to be apparent. Stoops and his staff are being paid to evaluate and develop athletic talent, and they are worth every penny.
Last edited:
Happy July everyone. Elijah Groves, Cam Dooley, and JacQawn McRoy are scheduled to announce today. One of them will become UK's next 2024 commit. I still think McRoy will pick OR. Dooley will pick Vandy, MO, or UK. According to all the talking heads on the internet, Groves is a Wildcat.
Fong bomb this morning for Nichols to UK
If you can't handle recruiting rankings & kids telling us no in June, then following this aspect of the sport just isn't for you. Check out until August when teams begin Fall camps. This staffs ability to evaluate talent and turn 3 star guys into good SEC football players is proven over 10 yrs.
I was pretty panicked this time last yr. Not because of our staffs recruiting abilities, but NIL. Thankfully that stuff got worked out later in 2022 and we had a good HS signing class & great portal transfers.
I was pretty panicked this time last yr. Not because of our staffs recruiting abilities, but NIL. Thankfully that stuff got worked out later in 2022 and we had a good HS signing class & great portal transfers.
Offensive tackles. I believe Maroon is connected but he won’t give up his source even after waterboarding.
Lol.
We aren’t dead last and we won’t finish dead last.
Last year we were looking pretty modest at this point, then in August, Rivals upgraded two of our three Stars to four Stars. Then a couple more 4 Star guys committed. Things will change.
I hope we can keep all the three Star guys committed, so far.
Elijah Groves committed to UK earlier today. Track and basketball (in addition to football) star at E Robertson hs who might play any LB position in Brad White's 3-3-5. Coach White is Groves' primary recruiter. Excellent frame, speed, athleticism, twitch. The offer sheet does not match his athletic tools, and I would guess the reason is Groves' skinny build and the need to add another 30-40#. Our conditioning coaches can handle that.
Cam Dooley just committed to MO. Tall, athletic S and multisport athlete. I believe he was most likely a "take" for UK, but now we will never know.
Steve Wiltfong has now entered a CB prediction for Terhyon Nichols to UK. Nichols is scheduled to announce his decision tomorrow. Wiltfong is among the most accurate prognosticators in the business. Nichols reportedly holds at least six SEC and seven B10 offers plus ND. He is a high level CB with a stellar offer sheet. If he chooses UK tomorrow, he is likely to become one of the best SEC players in UK's class IMO.
UK's current 2024 class-
Cutter Boley, QB, Lexington, KY
Elijah Groves, LB, Cross Plains, TN
Jacob Kauwe, P/K, Billings, MT
Hayes Johnson, OL, Campbellsville, KY
Jason Lafontant, OL, Greenwich, CT
Jiquavious Marshall, DB, Macon, GA
Tovani Mizell, RB, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Caleb Redd, LB, St. Louis, MO
Willie Rodriguez, TE, Alexandria, KY
Aba Selm, OL, Independence, KY
Antwan Smith, LB, Atlanta, GA
For those who are still dissing this class, I will point out that we were hearing essentially the same criticisms from the doubters at this time last year. Summer class rankings are worthless because they are like judging dessert on the basis of the appetizer. Last year's class finished strong although some of the best players in that class didn't even visit Lexington until December. Patience.
Actually, a lot of good things are happening now. Our coaches have finally broken into the DeSmet hs program in St. Louis, which will pay more benefits in the future. We have our future QB, highly recruited Cutter Boley. Just about everyone wanted Boley. Boley's commitment shows the influence of Coach Coen's return. Mizell is an outstanding, widely recruited RB prospect, and UK is also receiving CB picks now for RB Jason Patterson. Last year, Patterson led the entire state of FL in rushing. That's impressive. If Wiltfong is right, Terhyon Nichols will become a Wildcat tomorrow. Nichols is a gem. There is also reason to believe Youngstown product Brian Robinson may currently be leaning to UK, which could give this class one of the best defensive prospects of the entire Stoops era. Last, but not least, UK may lead for Kendall Jackson, Lorenzo Cowan, and Hardley Gilmore. So people bashing Stoops' value and recruiting traction are likely to be proven wrong once again. You would hope they would learn.
I had wondered if Elijah was related to Taylor and another poster that knows their dad said they were brothers. I know Taylor was a 4 star athlete as well Hopefully he develops into a good LB at UK
McRoy did in fact pick Oregon, as expected- for now. Don't think he is done, but probably done for Kentucky.
We signed nine 4* guys last year, all committed in July or later with three in Jan ‘23.
As anticipated, DB Terhyon Nichols is now on board. Nichols is an excellent addition. Another recruiting victory for the Big Dog. This should mark the end of CB recruitment for our 2024 class.
UK's current 2024 recruiting class-
Cutter Boley, QB, Lexington, KY
Elijah Groves, LB, Cross Plains, TN
Hayes Johnson, OL, Campbellsville, KY
Jacob Kauwe, P/K, Billings, MT
Jason Lafontant, OL, Greenwich, CT
Jiquavious Marshall, DB, Macon, GA
Tobani Mizell, RB, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Terhyon Nichols, DB, Cincinnati, OH
Caleb Redd, LB, St. Louis, MO
Willie Rodriguez, TE, Alexandria, KY
Aba Selm, OL, Independence, KY
Antwan Smith, LB, Atlanta, GA
Rumors and CB picks are suggesting UK may receive commitments from RB Jason Patterson and edge defender Brian Robinson this summer. Each represents a possible step forward toward an impact class. Defensive lineman Kendall Jackson is another possible UK lean to keep an eye on.
UK's current 2024 recruiting class-
Cutter Boley, QB, Lexington, KY
Elijah Groves, LB, Cross Plains, TN
Hayes Johnson, OL, Campbellsville, KY
Jacob Kauwe, P/K, Billings, MT
Jason Lafontant, OL, Greenwich, CT
Jiquavious Marshall, DB, Macon, GA
Tobani Mizell, RB, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Terhyon Nichols, DB, Cincinnati, OH
Caleb Redd, LB, St. Louis, MO
Willie Rodriguez, TE, Alexandria, KY
Aba Selm, OL, Independence, KY
Antwan Smith, LB, Atlanta, GA
Rumors and CB picks are suggesting UK may receive commitments from RB Jason Patterson and edge defender Brian Robinson this summer. Each represents a possible step forward toward an impact class. Defensive lineman Kendall Jackson is another possible UK lean to keep an eye on.
I hope KJ is a lean. UK needs another good DL commit for this class
Here’s Nichols Rivals’ profile . . . hey he is a 4 Star with reported offers from Notre Dame, Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State and many other notables:
Take a gander at that photo. He looks determined . . . that stare may have damaged the camera!
Take a gander at that photo. He looks determined . . . that stare may have damaged the camera!
Last edited:
To add to Rembrandt’s caution about dissing this Class to date, you have to remember that the Rivals’ ranking system is very dependent on the total number of commitments.
We are currently “ranked” 46th, but 42 of the teams ranked ahead of us have more total commitments.
Check these rankings in February, and I suspect we’ll be somewhere between our high (14th) and our low (36th) since Stoops arrived. And even then, he will likely not sign more than 20 true frosh, but add through the portal, which has yielded more than 50% former 4 Star commits the last 3 classes.
We are currently “ranked” 46th, but 42 of the teams ranked ahead of us have more total commitments.
Check these rankings in February, and I suspect we’ll be somewhere between our high (14th) and our low (36th) since Stoops arrived. And even then, he will likely not sign more than 20 true frosh, but add through the portal, which has yielded more than 50% former 4 Star commits the last 3 classes.
Toward that end, is PWO NG Sebastian Scott on campus? He could be the steal of the '23 class.
The best way to truly compare classes is not total volume of players, it‘s average star ranking per commit. UK currently ranks #14 out of 16 in the SEC when adding in Texas and Oklahoma.
I am pretty sure he is not. But not positive.
Doesn't necessarily mean he isn't coming. Not all of the PWOs arrive in June. But I have done some online research and haven't yet found any information to confirm Scott is still UK bound. If he arrives, that will be the tell.
Last edited:
Clearly, by far the best way to TRULY compare classes is to look at them in terms of results on the field at the time the players expend their final college eligibility. This requires patience, but it is pretty straightforward for results-oriented fans.
I have tried to describe this before. Josh Allen, Quinton Bohanna, and Calvin Taylor weren't even ranked as prospects, but they became stars at UK. So they hurt our online class rankings but helped our football team. There you have it. Allen was a unanimous first team All American and won the Bronco Nagursky Trophy, Jack Lambert Trophy, and Chuck Bednarik Award. Benny Snell and Bunchy Stallings were lightly recruited low 3 stars but became All Americans at UK. Nobody in Power 5 wanted Luke Fortner but now he is the starting center for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Some believe the value of a class is demonstrated by the average online star ranking of a commit or by the class ranking. There are all kinds of flaws in this logic because some players don't even make it to campus, and those who do will often not perform on the field in the way their star ratings anticipate.
Paying credence to summer class rankings is even less rational, because it is like judging the outcome of a baseball game by the first 3 innings. Earlier, Bluecoon1 spoke to this-
Mark Stoops is results-oriented. Stoops deals with the relatively complicated challenge of being based in a small state. Unlike most SEC football coaches, Stoops can't be competitive in the SEC by locking up instate recruiting and then cherrypicking out of state. Stoops has to recruit his roster primarily out of state, by going up against the other SEC (and B10) schools inside their own states. You can't expect Stoops to recruit like Kirby Smart or Nick Saban because the geographic and demographic situations are completely different. For those who still haven't gotten a handle on this, look at UK's roster and then look at the other SEC rosters. Note that UK has relatively few contributory players from the state of KY, whereas most SEC teams have many contributory instate recruits. The simple fact is that the state of KY does not produce very many SEC caliber football players.
Mark Stoops is a traditional football coach. He recruits and develops athletic tools. If we look with open minds, we see that Stoops is valuing length, speed, intelligence, character, and multisport athleticism in his signees. Stoops doesn't care about player ratings and doesn't give a damn about class rankings. He wants long, fast, driven athletes he and his coaches can develop over a period of years at UK. Our 2024 class is being built that way. Stoops isn't the only successful coach who recruits this way, but he is one of the best. If some of you can't wean yourselves off of online class rankings, you will continue to be forlorn while Stoops continues to build, win, and produce NFL draftees.
Now more than ever recruiting class ranking are bunk. 40 to 50% of UKs signing class will transfer within 2 yrs. Someone from the '23 class hit the portal after 10 days!!!! And it is exactly the same all over CFB for everyone except the top guys, Bama, Georgia, Ohio.
That record breaking #1 Texas A&M 22 class already has lost at least half the kids. But still now & forever analysts and commentary will give them credit and factor in for rankings a #1 recruiting class.
That record breaking #1 Texas A&M 22 class already has lost at least half the kids. But still now & forever analysts and commentary will give them credit and factor in for rankings a #1 recruiting class.
So UK could finish last in the SEC in recruiting year in and year out and many of you guys would convince yourself that it’s no big deal?
Result
Recruiting rankings matter even less now with portal.
It’s been explained to you and others on here yet you still want to complain.
We all want the best players possible but you’d be hard pressed to find many people that scoff at Mark Stoops RESULTS on the field.
Results on the field MATTER.
Recruiting rankings matter even less now with portal.
It’s been explained to you and others on here yet you still want to complain.
We all want the best players possible but you’d be hard pressed to find many people that scoff at Mark Stoops RESULTS on the field.
That is a rhetorical misrepresentation. I feel like I just got through explaining this.
You have accepted a validity narrative for online class rankings and you evidently have a hard time looking at the issue from different perspectives. That's fine, of course, but some people on this thread also have long histories as observers of recruiting, despite having arrived at conclusions inconsistent with yours. No one said they want to "convince themselves that finishing last in the SEC recruiting is no big deal". And BTW, Stoops has been a successful recruiter by any rational football (on field, NOT online) performance metric. He isn't last in the SEC, so that is not a realistic question in the first place.
Did Josh Allen improve the class ranking? No
Did Allen improve his team? Yes
Did Luke Fortner improve the class ranking? No
Did Fortner improve his team? Yes
Did Bunchy Stallings improve the class ranking? No
Did Bunchy improve his team? Yes
Did Benny Snell improve the class ranking? No
Did Benny improve his team? Yes
Did CRod improve the class ranking? No
Did CRod improve his team? Yes
Did Quinton Bohanna improve the class ranking? No
Did Bohanna improve the team? Yes
Did Calvin Taylor improve the class ranking? No
Did Taylor improve his team? Yes
Did Michael Drennen improve the class ranking? Yes
Did Drennen improve the team? No
Did Kiyaunta Goodwin improve the class ranking? Yes
Did Goodwin improve the team? No
Did Matt Elam improve the class ranking? Yes
Did Elam improve his team? Not much
Like it or not, there have been lots of other players besides these who can be cited as having opposite impacts on class ranking versus team quality. I can go on all day offering reasons and examples that demonstrate why online class rankings do not forecast the quality of a team AS LONG AS the coaching staff has an effective evaluation and development methodology that is not accurately assessed by websites marketing online class rankings. Even the different websites often do not agree among themselves on player ratings and class rankings. Mark Stoops and his coaches evaluate prospects for length, speed, attitude, intelligence, and multisport atheticism. They do not recruit by online player rankings. They can't, because they are compelled to find most of their prospects out of state and compete directly with the instate schools to sign them. And yet we have handled teams like FL, SCal, LSU, PA St, and UL on the field despite those schools often having higher recruiting class rankings.
I have made an effort to explain this. You are sold on online class rankings. That is your choice, even if it seems simplistic to others here.
In any case, if you do not think Coach Stoops's staff is getting the job done with recruiting, then we disagree.
We’re filling needs with players who fit the system in terms of both style of play & the measurables that the coaches are looking for. That is far more important than just loading up on higher ranked players who may not be ideal fits. Especially, considering the quality of our roster that the recruits are brought in to supplement. I’ve had some issues with Stoops as far as offensive philosophy & in-game decision making. But, I’ve come to fully trust his & the staff’s ability to evaluate & coach up players. I haven’t second guessed their recruiting & development in years.
They are really good in that regard. And, as many have mentioned, we have done extremely well in the portal, too. So, personally, I see no reason to worry or question much on the recruiting side of things, at this stage. And, IMO, we’ve had a cpl rosters that were good enough to possibly win the East with a better offensive approach. So, I have little doubt that our staff can get the types of players that we need to win big. We may not be overflowing with 4* players in this class, so far. But, most of them are great fits in areas of need, with prototypical skills & measurables for what the coaches want to do, schematically.
Similar threads
