I seen somethjng intereating the other day. They said Van Hiles had a recruiting analyst on his show recently. The guy was really hyping up Saunders. He also said that Kalaj Cobbins a 6'4 215 OLB 5.9 4 star and 140 overall was waivering in his commitment to LSU and had issues with Brad House. Idk UK is recruiting him but the analyst said that Cobbins keeps talking about UK and seemed very interested. Unless he is a can't miss talent UK is most likely full on LBs.
State of 2024 Recruiting
- Thread starter Rembrandt90
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I saw that too. I agree, it was interesting, especially his perspective on our defense. But Cobbins does not hold a UK scholarship offer, and I am pretty sure UK's 2024 LB scholarships are full. Cobbins is certainly interesting although we have commitments from a bunch of interesting LBs. He should have spoken up sooner!
Given our thin WR room right now I think there is more than enough space to take 2 more athletic talented recievers in the 2024 class
At the end of the day, my gut feeling is you will turn out to be right. We cannot equate need with enough room, though. We have a clear need for both Scott and Mikell. It would be great if we sign both. But is there enough room? IDK. That is more complicated.
We have 21 commits to our 2024 class and we are very close to a full roster now. Several "seniors" such as Oxendine, Jackson, McClain, and Bowles are likely to come back next year. We still need an OT or two, and we could use another safety and possibly even another RB if McClain doesn't return. Whether the players we need come in through the 2024 class or through the portal, Stoops will need scholarships for them. It boils down to how many Wildcat underclassmen leave through the portal during the upcoming offseason. In recent years, a large number of underclassmen have left, but a large number of incoming transfers have also been signed out of the portal. Like you, I just have a feeling Stoops will take Scott and Mizell if he can get them to commit, then manage accordingly. But I have looked at the roster, and I can't find more than 3-4 current Wildcat underclassmen who are obvious candidates to transfer out this time. Of course, Stoops probably knows. I don't.
There will probably be a couple go off football scholarship for medical reasons like last year.
Yep. Nik Hall, for one. I really hate to see that, but it is probably coming. But it still largely boils down to how many of our current underclassmen decide to leave through the portal. IDK, but I am just inclined to think there might be fewer departures this time. Could certainly be wrong.
So, thinking more about your comment, I find myself wondering whether Scott and-or Mikell will actually commit to us. The current conventional wisdom is that Scott left here after the FL game as a UK lean more or less. We all know his connection to Stone Saunders. If Kamron Mikell follows through with his Oct. 28 visit, then apparently Stoops will have gotten Mikell's final OV which is sometimes an advantage.
If Scott decides to instead of flip to soon firm up with Bama there is still time to get involved with other talented WR, committed elsewhere or not. Esp if our passing game shows out tomorrow!
I also hope Boley isn't starting in 2024 and can spend the yr learning & building his body. Kind of surprised the lack of talk/excitement about him signing. 12 months ago UK football recruiting talk was doom/gloom that he was allegedly the #1 target of other SEC schools, most notably Knoxville. Then thankfully we got Coen back, and won Boley over to commit early summer. Since then he rarely gets mentioned by many when talking about the 24 class commits they are excited about.
I also hope Boley isn't starting in 2024 and can spend the yr learning & building his body. Kind of surprised the lack of talk/excitement about him signing. 12 months ago UK football recruiting talk was doom/gloom that he was allegedly the #1 target of other SEC schools, most notably Knoxville. Then thankfully we got Coen back, and won Boley over to commit early summer. Since then he rarely gets mentioned by many when talking about the 24 class commits they are excited about.
IIRC there was a lot of excitement when Boley committed on May 18. Back then, we didn't have any other 2024 commitments. But that was 20 commitments ago, and the excitement has sort of spread out to the whole class, which looks very strong. Boley has had a few minor struggles for LCA this season, and that may have caused some short term concerns. In the long run, I think he has a great chance because of his great length and arm talent. But we now know there will be serious competition.
UK's coaches are recruiting WR prospect Donavon Hamilton out of Fishers, IN. Hamilton visited for UK-FL and got offered. Hamilton is 6'4" 190#. I haven't looked at his highlight tape yet, but it is said that this has been a breakout season and several Power 5 schools are looking at him. I am guessing we are no longer recruiting ECU commit Yannick Smith, with Hamilton being the new backup plan in case we miss on Mikell.
Scott was also here for UK-FL. Conventional wisdom is that he is about to flip to us. But I doubt time is on our side. If he is going to flip, you would think that would happen soon after his UK visit. The longer this drags out, the more likely he firms up for Bama I would guess.
Don’t know if this is true but I believe the medical RS would be sought for the 2020 season where he only played 4 games. That coupled with last year would make him a decent candidate for a medical RS possibly.
Smith twins did the same a few weeks before decommitting & flipping
Let's see.
They can't couple two different injury seasons. The rules don't work that way. If a player plays <5 games in a season, he can redshirt, but this is a one-time privilege. Players have up to 5 years to play 4, but can in some cases be granted a medical redshirt if they apply for it and get approved by the NCAA. For example, Ramon Jefferson is currently playing his 6th season because he redshirted at ME in 2017 and then was granted a medical redshirt in 2022 when he missed the entire season following his very first carry at UK.
Leary redshirted at NC St in 2018.
He played the full season in 2019. (RS freshman)
As you said, he played in 4 games in 2020 before being injured. This was the so-called "COVID season", so no player's eligibility was docked for playing in 2020.
He played the full season in 2021. (RS sophomore)
In 2022, he played in 5 games prior to being injured. (RS junior)
Tonight Leary will play in his 6th game of 2023. (RS senior)
As I understand the situation, it is pointless to claim a medical redshirt for 2020 since players were not charged a year of eligibility in 2020 against their 5 year window in the first place. That would be like taking two COVID years. I believe Leary's eligibility will expire after this season's bowl game. Assuming he would be willing, if UK can figure out some way to bring him back under the rules in 2024, I'm all for it because that could solve a lot of problems.
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Here is an interesting new item. We have previously noted here that Marc Nave recently decommitted from OH St. Nave is a 6'5" 315# OL prospect from Toledo. He is powerfully built. OH St recruited him as an OG, although Nave has played four OL positions at Central Catholic hs. Evaluators differ on whether Nave could play OT at the Power 5 level, but some think he could. Nave seems physically similar to George Asafo Adjei, who was recruited by most schools as an OG but ended up playing RT at UK before being drafted as an OT by the NY Giants. Asafo Adjei and Nave are almost exactly the same size, but Nave seems to have slightly longer arms. So, recognizing that we badly need more OTs, this is interesting.
I bring this up because there is a rumor this morning that Nave will visit UK sometime this fall. Coach Marrow is his UK recruiter.
If Nave were to decide to commit to UK, I am fairly sure our coaches would accept his commitment. He reportedly holds four SEC (including GA), three B10, and three ACC offers. When rebuilding an OL in a Power 5 conference, Nave is the kind of prospect that needs to be a take. This is premature, because we have no idea yet how interested Nave will be. But it is public knowledge Coach Marrow offered Nave on May 20, 2022, so UK has been talking with him for a long time.
I bring this up because there is a rumor this morning that Nave will visit UK sometime this fall. Coach Marrow is his UK recruiter.
If Nave were to decide to commit to UK, I am fairly sure our coaches would accept his commitment. He reportedly holds four SEC (including GA), three B10, and three ACC offers. When rebuilding an OL in a Power 5 conference, Nave is the kind of prospect that needs to be a take. This is premature, because we have no idea yet how interested Nave will be. But it is public knowledge Coach Marrow offered Nave on May 20, 2022, so UK has been talking with him for a long time.
That's exactly right, but it is unusual. In the twins' case, I never got the feeling that they were on the same page until they flipped to UK together.
My gut feeling was that Rico Scott would flip to UK fairly quickly after his visit for UK-FL if that was going to happen. Time was not on our side. For him to be reaffirming his commitment to AL in this time frame bodes poorly for our chances IMO. But recruiting is among the least predictable of human behaviors.
It appears that UK's coaches are still recruiting uncommitted WR prospects Kamron Mikell and Donovan Hamilton. Hamilton visited UK last weekend. Mikell is scheduled to visit UK on Oct. 28.
It appears we are also still recruiting OL prospects Aidan Bryant and Marc Nave.
With the unlikely but possible exception of Nave, we may have already seen all the inbound flips for our 2024 class. But there is still a long time between now and the December signing date.
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I thought I saw a long time ago that there is a way that Leary could play another year. It has stuck with me since I saw that. Do not remember the situation for that to happen though.
Truthfully, I am not sure Leary will ever be the same QB he was in 2021 at NC St. Maybe the pec muscle injury produced a lower arm slot that is causing his passes to sail. That could make sense. Maybe the speed and physicality of the SEC game are just too far above the ACC game. Maybe our receivers are dropping so many catchable passes that Leary's game is being limited by that. Maybe Leary was hurt more than we know by the big hit he took in the chest late in the Akron game. Maybe Coach Coen's offensive system is so different from what Leary ran at NC St that he still needs to master the play book more here. Maybe Leary has lost confidence. That might also make sense. Or, more likely, it may be a combination of several of these factors. But whatever it is, I'm still not convinced Leary is the right QB for Coen's system. There is no question that Leary can still throw hard. He isn't timid. He is trying. At times, he makes some good throws. But the consistency isn't there, and he is missing wide open receivers often enough to limit our offensive upside. You can hide some problems, but you cannot hide a QB who can't hit open receivers.
Coach Coen has brought in a new methodology, and he is building a new offensive culture here. The future at the QB position is probably either Boley or Saunders. Saunders won't be here in 2024 and I doubt Boley will be ready that soon. Maybe we will need to bring in another senior QB through the portal for 2024. In an ideal world, that isn't necessarily what some of us would prefer. But you have to do what you have to do.
I trust our coaches. My point of view may not be popular this morning. But Stoops has been here since the 2013 season and I trust him. He has earned it, and reasonable people understand that. I trusted Stoops before yesterday, and still do.
Thanks. All of us would prefer for Devin Leary to succeed. That hasn't happened yet and, as I said before, I believe there are multiple factors. The world is not a perfect place. These games are played by young humans who are trying in their own ways to get better at what they do. We want to win, but so do our opponents. I am not yet convinced that the rest of Leary's 2023 season will go just like the first six games have gone. He can probably play better, and maybe he will. When we look back later, we might concede we were a little harsh to judge a QB new to Coach Coen's system by his performances against FL and GA. But OTOH, he might not get better. This problem isn't something that can be solved by cutting down the play book. Some catchable passes have been dropped, and that isn't on Leary. But if he can't hit open receivers on key downs, that could be a mechanical issue. We know he possessed that talent at NC St. So this is a big challenge for Coach Coen, and I have become a little bit concerned by Coen's body language FWIW. We can be successful with a run heavy offense. Ee have done that before. But we can be more successful with a balanced offense and a dependable passing game. IDK if that is going to happen, but I trust Coach Coen to do what is possible.
In any case, the QB position is an open issue for 2024, and we can't move up the SEC pecking order without better and more consistent QB play.
Marc Nave from Toledo. Is a 6-5 315 OL that decommitted from OH ST. Auburn had offered also. Described as athletic, light on his feet, strong, great bend and explosive off the ball. Was 330 before the season but has been able to get down to 315. Ranked in the 30's in the nation for OL. Said to have a very high ceiling.
Here's another 2024 class update.
Kamron Mikell is still scheduled to OV UK on Oct. 28. His announcement has been scehduled for Nov. 23 for a long time, and Mikell has said he will not move that date forward for any school or coach. His Statesboro hs teammate Amontrae Bradford recently committed to CO after Bradford and Mikell visited CO together. While CO is an obvious possibility, recent hype from online gurus suggests Mikell may now be a TN lean. Like UK, TN is recruiting him as a WR. There was a lot of prior discussion on this thread about Mikell as a possible UK lean. But I never bought that narrative. Chances for Mikell committing to UK depend on whether he actually follows through with the trip to Lexington on Oct. 28, and how that trip goes if he does. I have always felt Mikell will commit to an SEC school, but UK has an uphill battle from here even if he visits.
UK's coaches are now recruiting OL prospect Andrew Dennis out of Mt. Pleasant, MI. It is unclear whether Dennis holds a UK offer yet but the offer would certainly be extended if Dennis decides to visit Lexington. Last weekend, Dennis decommitted from MI St. He reportedly holds at least two SEC and six B10 offers. It is unclear whether he would be an OT or an OG at the SEC level, but he is the #3-ranked hs football player in MI and a highly regarded prospect.
Marc Nave, OL prospect from Toledo who we have discussed here before, UVed Lexington last weekend. He plans an OV to UK later. Nave recently decommitted from OH St.
I believe UK's coaches have whiffed on flipping 2024 prospects Rico Scott, Cam Dooley, Artavius Jones, and Alex Foster.
UK's coaches have recently offered these 2024 prospects-
Donovan Hamilton, WR, Fishers, IN
Tyshawn Sanders, DB, Marion, SC
Sanders, currently an Appalachian St commit, is Quaysheed Scott's cousin. Meanwhile, Scott's stock has been rising rapidly following a tremendous season at Marion hs and his recruitment is accelerating. UK fans who doubted Scott's value have been proven wrong. Scott recently received an offer from SCar and will visit them, but says he is still a firm UK commit. So we will see.
For those who wonder about such things, I have seen some vague speculations recently about posssible decommitments. It was mentioned that OH St is staying in touch with Terhyon Nichols, and that SCar really wants Scott. But there is no public evidence at this time that any current UK commit is seriously contemplating a flip, unless you consider Scott's visit to SCar as firm evidence of a pending flip. Tyshawn Saunders does not have a SCar offer, so UK's coaches may be recruiting Sanders, in part, to make Scott more comfortable in Lexington. That's just a theory. The public report of the offer to Sanders suggests Sanders' highlight film is convincing and that his speed is a legitimate Power 5 carrying tool.
Kamron Mikell is still scheduled to OV UK on Oct. 28. His announcement has been scehduled for Nov. 23 for a long time, and Mikell has said he will not move that date forward for any school or coach. His Statesboro hs teammate Amontrae Bradford recently committed to CO after Bradford and Mikell visited CO together. While CO is an obvious possibility, recent hype from online gurus suggests Mikell may now be a TN lean. Like UK, TN is recruiting him as a WR. There was a lot of prior discussion on this thread about Mikell as a possible UK lean. But I never bought that narrative. Chances for Mikell committing to UK depend on whether he actually follows through with the trip to Lexington on Oct. 28, and how that trip goes if he does. I have always felt Mikell will commit to an SEC school, but UK has an uphill battle from here even if he visits.
UK's coaches are now recruiting OL prospect Andrew Dennis out of Mt. Pleasant, MI. It is unclear whether Dennis holds a UK offer yet but the offer would certainly be extended if Dennis decides to visit Lexington. Last weekend, Dennis decommitted from MI St. He reportedly holds at least two SEC and six B10 offers. It is unclear whether he would be an OT or an OG at the SEC level, but he is the #3-ranked hs football player in MI and a highly regarded prospect.
Marc Nave, OL prospect from Toledo who we have discussed here before, UVed Lexington last weekend. He plans an OV to UK later. Nave recently decommitted from OH St.
I believe UK's coaches have whiffed on flipping 2024 prospects Rico Scott, Cam Dooley, Artavius Jones, and Alex Foster.
UK's coaches have recently offered these 2024 prospects-
Donovan Hamilton, WR, Fishers, IN
Tyshawn Sanders, DB, Marion, SC
Sanders, currently an Appalachian St commit, is Quaysheed Scott's cousin. Meanwhile, Scott's stock has been rising rapidly following a tremendous season at Marion hs and his recruitment is accelerating. UK fans who doubted Scott's value have been proven wrong. Scott recently received an offer from SCar and will visit them, but says he is still a firm UK commit. So we will see.
For those who wonder about such things, I have seen some vague speculations recently about posssible decommitments. It was mentioned that OH St is staying in touch with Terhyon Nichols, and that SCar really wants Scott. But there is no public evidence at this time that any current UK commit is seriously contemplating a flip, unless you consider Scott's visit to SCar as firm evidence of a pending flip. Tyshawn Saunders does not have a SCar offer, so UK's coaches may be recruiting Sanders, in part, to make Scott more comfortable in Lexington. That's just a theory. The public report of the offer to Sanders suggests Sanders' highlight film is convincing and that his speed is a legitimate Power 5 carrying tool.
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Imo short of significant improvement boley just can't be out starter next year. He has a nice arm but his throws are all upper body, which isn't completely unusual for a kid his age. He has so much untapped velocity if he can get his throws starting from his base.
That said, his legs are unusually skinny. Looks like he never saw a squat rack in his life. QBs don't have to squat 600 like hurts, but they need some degree of lower body strength for the reasons states above.
We really need one more stop gap at QB. Then We can see where people are.
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Dennis very highly regarded. Very athletic and a high motor. Can play anywhere on the line but right now considered an athletic interior OL. A four star, could actually play DL if wanted. Has strong hands but will need to build on his strength.
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Yes, I forgot to mention Andrew Dennis can play on a Power 5 OL or DL. Big and athletic, but still lean. Has enough talent to play DE. I suspect UK is probably looking at him as an OT, but that is only a supposition on my part. He is the kind of player you sign and then let him play his way into a role in practice, because this guy is legitimate Power 5. MI St recruited him as an OG, but he decomitted from the Sparts last weekend. I haven't seen enough public evidence yet to assess how much of a factor UK will be in his recruitment. But someone apparently made him feel good about decommitting. It looks like maybe it could be Purdue. But he just decommitted, so many schools will be coming after him. #3 overall prospect in the state of MI. Not many athletic bigs like him out there and available at this point in the recruiting cycle.
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Likely significance of UK coaches' recent recruiting activities. JMO.
With 21 commitments, there have been rumors lately of possible decommitments although nothing credible yet. It has been reported that OH St is keeping in touch with Terhyon Nichols, which should not surprise anyone since Nichols lives in OH. Recently, SCar offered Quaysheed Scott and Scott is talking about an OV to SCar. Here again, Scott lives in SC. These guys did not commit to UK with any illusions that our 2023 team will go undefeated. Since Nichols and Scott are defensive commits, and since Coach White's defense has a generally strong reputation despite the last two weeks, concerns about defensive decommits are premature. Unless they lose faith in our coaches, they probably won't recommit. Not saying it can't happen though.
So UK's coaches have only a small handful of 2024 scholarships left to fill.
Some recent developments.
Offer to Donovan Hamilton. I believe this happened because our coaches know they probably won't be able to sign Kamron Mikell or Rico Scott. Hamilton is having a breakout senior season at Southeastern hs and Power 5 programs are noticing. Signing him would add size, length, and quantity depth to our receiver room.
Offer to Tyshawn Sanders. Four reasons. An opportunity to add useful speed to our secondary. Also, he is Quaysheed Scott's cousin, so this may help to keep Scott focused on UK rather than SCar (which recently offered him). He gives us insurance in case OH St pushes harder for Terhyon Nichols to flip this fall. And our coaches have whiffed on flipping Cam Dooley. So that's how these late season offers can happen for a late bloomer like Sanders with impressive highlight tape.
New recruitments of Marc Nave and Andrew Dennis. No surprise here. For months, we have been discussing the certainty that new OL names would pop up on UK's recruiting board this fall. Both Nave and Dennis are recent decommits who just became available.
With 21 commitments, there have been rumors lately of possible decommitments although nothing credible yet. It has been reported that OH St is keeping in touch with Terhyon Nichols, which should not surprise anyone since Nichols lives in OH. Recently, SCar offered Quaysheed Scott and Scott is talking about an OV to SCar. Here again, Scott lives in SC. These guys did not commit to UK with any illusions that our 2023 team will go undefeated. Since Nichols and Scott are defensive commits, and since Coach White's defense has a generally strong reputation despite the last two weeks, concerns about defensive decommits are premature. Unless they lose faith in our coaches, they probably won't recommit. Not saying it can't happen though.
So UK's coaches have only a small handful of 2024 scholarships left to fill.
Some recent developments.
Offer to Donovan Hamilton. I believe this happened because our coaches know they probably won't be able to sign Kamron Mikell or Rico Scott. Hamilton is having a breakout senior season at Southeastern hs and Power 5 programs are noticing. Signing him would add size, length, and quantity depth to our receiver room.
Offer to Tyshawn Sanders. Four reasons. An opportunity to add useful speed to our secondary. Also, he is Quaysheed Scott's cousin, so this may help to keep Scott focused on UK rather than SCar (which recently offered him). He gives us insurance in case OH St pushes harder for Terhyon Nichols to flip this fall. And our coaches have whiffed on flipping Cam Dooley. So that's how these late season offers can happen for a late bloomer like Sanders with impressive highlight tape.
New recruitments of Marc Nave and Andrew Dennis. No surprise here. For months, we have been discussing the certainty that new OL names would pop up on UK's recruiting board this fall. Both Nave and Dennis are recent decommits who just became available.
I do statistics for a living
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I know how to use Minitab and SQC Pak 7
Circumstantial evidence suggests Nave may have decommitted from OH St with his eye on UK. Here are the optics. Nave decommits and then almost immediately schedules a visit to UK. He has held a UK scholarship offer since May, 2022. Vince Marrow stayed in touch.
So let's say Nave looks at OH St's stacked OL depth chart and then looks at the three other OL prospects committed to OH St's class. He figures maybe his chances of getting onto the field in Columbus aren't very good so he gets cold feet. So he starts thinking maybe he could flip to an up and coming SEC team and improve his chances to play. This sounds plausible.
Then he visits UK on Oct. 14. In a sloppy performance, UK gets beat at home and UK's OL plays like cold crap. Maybe Nave sees an opportunity. Or maybe he gets scared off. At this point, who can say?
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