I believe one service had Washington as a four star. And I remember one thing with his evaluation was how good a route runner he is.
State of 2024 Recruiting
- Thread starter Rembrandt90
- Start date
Just read an article that called Jaden Smith a 4 star. It said that MI lost one of their top recruits in Smith and said he can play safety or LB.
UK's 2024 recruiting class-
Cutter Boley, QB, Lexington, KY
Cam Dooley, DB, Valley, AL
Hardley Gilmore, WR, Pahokee, FL
Hayes Johnson, OL, Campbellsville, KY
Jacob Kauwe, P/K, Billings, MT
Jiquavious Marshall, DB, Macon, GA
Tovani Mizell, RB, Ft Lauderdale, FL
Marc Nave, OL, Toledo
Terhyon Nichols, DB, Cincinnati, OH
Quintavion Norman, LB, Covington, GA
Jason Patterson, RB, Snead, FL
Caleb Redd, LB, St Louis, MO
Brian Robinson, DL, Westerville, OH
Willie Rodriguez, TE, Alexandria, KY
Quaysheed Scott, DB, Marion, SC
Aba Selm, OL, Independence, KY
Antwan Smith, DB, Atlanta, GA
Devin Smith, LB, Brunswick, GA
Jacob Smith, LB, Corbin, KY
Jaden Smith, LB/S, Charlotte, NC
Jerod Smith, DL, Corbin, KY
Steven Soles, LB, Powell, TN
David Washington, slotR, Philadelphia, PA
This is our final 2024 recruiting class.
IMO, this class will have a bigger impact than its online class ranking because there are so many underrated players in the class. I am referring to Dooley, Gilmore, Marshall, Nave, Nichols, Norman, Patterson, Redd, Robinson, Rodriguez, Scott, and Soles, all of whom will very likely become better players than their current player ratings would predict. This is not to mention the Smith twins, Devin Smith, Boley, and Mizell, who should also be important players at UK. Not suggesting anyone in the class won't.
The biggest impact of this class will be on the defensive side. But there are some interesting offensive players as well. It is a balanced class, and likely one of Stoops' best here.
The following are already enrolled and should participate in spring practice-
Boley
Gilmore
Johnson
Marshall
Nichols
Patterson
Robinson
Selm
Smith twins
A. Smith
Soles
Cutter Boley, QB, Lexington, KY
Cam Dooley, DB, Valley, AL
Hardley Gilmore, WR, Pahokee, FL
Hayes Johnson, OL, Campbellsville, KY
Jacob Kauwe, P/K, Billings, MT
Jiquavious Marshall, DB, Macon, GA
Tovani Mizell, RB, Ft Lauderdale, FL
Marc Nave, OL, Toledo
Terhyon Nichols, DB, Cincinnati, OH
Quintavion Norman, LB, Covington, GA
Jason Patterson, RB, Snead, FL
Caleb Redd, LB, St Louis, MO
Brian Robinson, DL, Westerville, OH
Willie Rodriguez, TE, Alexandria, KY
Quaysheed Scott, DB, Marion, SC
Aba Selm, OL, Independence, KY
Antwan Smith, DB, Atlanta, GA
Devin Smith, LB, Brunswick, GA
Jacob Smith, LB, Corbin, KY
Jaden Smith, LB/S, Charlotte, NC
Jerod Smith, DL, Corbin, KY
Steven Soles, LB, Powell, TN
David Washington, slotR, Philadelphia, PA
This is our final 2024 recruiting class.
IMO, this class will have a bigger impact than its online class ranking because there are so many underrated players in the class. I am referring to Dooley, Gilmore, Marshall, Nave, Nichols, Norman, Patterson, Redd, Robinson, Rodriguez, Scott, and Soles, all of whom will very likely become better players than their current player ratings would predict. This is not to mention the Smith twins, Devin Smith, Boley, and Mizell, who should also be important players at UK. Not suggesting anyone in the class won't.
The biggest impact of this class will be on the defensive side. But there are some interesting offensive players as well. It is a balanced class, and likely one of Stoops' best here.
The following are already enrolled and should participate in spring practice-
Boley
Gilmore
Johnson
Marshall
Nichols
Patterson
Robinson
Selm
Smith twins
A. Smith
Soles
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Wow.
Twelve are already in campus, or half the class?!?!?!!
This class has a special feel to it.
Robinson, Smith Twins, and Nichols will not be able to be kept off the field this fall IMO. Immediate impact.
Brian Robinson will make the 2024 playing rotation, probably at DE. Robinson is a gym rat. He should be up to at least 280# by next August and he has more natural talent than anyone else on our DL except possibly Walker. Robinson is going to play. He will be a star at UK.
At 260-270#, I don't see how Jerod Smith beats out the more experienced returning Wildcat defensive linemen this year so he probably redshirts. No reason to waste him. Walker, Hayes, Silver, Rybka, Gilbert, and DHY were all highly rated prospects. Not that it matters, but most of them were rated as high or higher than Jerod. Jerod has a nice future at UK though.
Jacob Smith has to beat out Tyreese Fearbry to make the two-deep chart at Jack LB. Weaver is the starter. Fearbry was ranked similarly to Jacob as a prospect but Fearbry is older and more developed. Jacob may or may not get the redshirt, but I suspect he probably plays because Weaver will be gone after 2024.
Nichols is good enough to play. If they decide to develop him as a CB (likely), he will probably play this year. If they decide to develop him as a safety, he would probably redshirt because Story and Childress are 5th year seniors and Lovett and Bryant would also play ahead of him. Either way, he is going to be a good player for us.
Which one of the Smith twins had shoulder surgery, I'd think he's almost assured a RS year? Don't forget DHY had knee surgery so that may set him back.
True about DHY's knee but he should be ready by August if there haven't been any setbacks.
I can't find anything online about either Smith twin having surgery. That doesn't mean it didn't happen. Even if it did, he would recover from shoulder surgery before August unless there was a setback. Also, shoulder surgery does not delay aerobic training. But both twins need to get stronger.
Poster above you answered my question, it was Jacob who had the surgery. He was shown in a pic a few weeks ago wearing some type of awkward looking contraption, a sling of sorts. If he has a bad shoulder he can't lift and if he can't lift he can't build upper body strength. Many types of shoulder injuries, some not too serious but SLAP tear or rotator cuff could be major.
Regardless, he will be ready by August unless he has a setback in his rehab. But you are right, he won't be able to lift until around May or June. Jacob needs to play next fall because this will be Weaver's final season of eligibility. Jacob should be ready. He won't be the strongest player on the team at that point, but that is a problem for all freshmen not named Brian Robinson.
Yep, lots of players have nagging shoulder issues taken care of in the winter months, take spring off to heal and rehab and back better than new for fall.
Anfernee Crease, OL, Navarro JC, Corsicana, TX
Another late addition to our 2024 recruiting class. Crease is a flip from SMU. He is being recruited by Coach Wolford.
UK is his only SEC offer, and one of only three Power 5 offers. You might ask, then, why UK is taking him. And there is a very good answer. For one thing, Crease has three years of eligibility left. And he is big. 6'6" 310#. So we can call him a project with a high floor. UK's OT roster is thin, and Gerald Mincey, Courtland Ford, and Marques Cox are due to use up their remaining eligibility in 2024. So, Crease can at least provide quality depth as Coach Wolford rebuilds our OL roster over the next three years. Remember, upsides of offensive linemen are difficult to predict. See Dylan Ray, Eli Cox, Luke Fortner, Kenneth Horsey, Logan Stenberg, Bunchy Stallings.
Another late addition to our 2024 recruiting class. Crease is a flip from SMU. He is being recruited by Coach Wolford.
UK is his only SEC offer, and one of only three Power 5 offers. You might ask, then, why UK is taking him. And there is a very good answer. For one thing, Crease has three years of eligibility left. And he is big. 6'6" 310#. So we can call him a project with a high floor. UK's OT roster is thin, and Gerald Mincey, Courtland Ford, and Marques Cox are due to use up their remaining eligibility in 2024. So, Crease can at least provide quality depth as Coach Wolford rebuilds our OL roster over the next three years. Remember, upsides of offensive linemen are difficult to predict. See Dylan Ray, Eli Cox, Luke Fortner, Kenneth Horsey, Logan Stenberg, Bunchy Stallings.
Daniel Mincey, OL, FT Lauderdale, FL
Gerald Mincey's younger brother, an OG prospect from the famed Cardinal Gibbons hs program, is enrolled at UK. When I first heard about this, I made an incorrect assumption he is a PWO. We now know Daniel is on scholarship, becoming the final addition to our 2024 recruiting class. Maybe Gerald and Daniel were a package deal, IDK. UK was Daniel's only Power 4 offer, although Toledo and Appalachian St, strong lower conference programs, also offered and pursued him. He has a 6'5" frame and a good narrative from the hs level. At Cardinal Gibbons, he started at OT and OG on one of the best hs football teams in the south. Under normal circumstances, I don't think he would get a scholarship on Coach Wolf's OL. That doesn't mean he won't play, but FWIW his offer sheet pales in comparison to Koby Keenum, Ben Christman, Austin Ramsey, Marc Nave, Aba Selm, Hayes Johnson, and Tucker Kattus. But, as we know, there have been cases like Bunchy, Eli, and the Horseman when UK's coaches took a very lightly recruited offensive lineman and made an all SEC player out of him. So college football is full of surprises. Still, I see Nave, Ramsey, Selm, Johnson, and Kattus being the future at OG.
Gerald Mincey's younger brother, an OG prospect from the famed Cardinal Gibbons hs program, is enrolled at UK. When I first heard about this, I made an incorrect assumption he is a PWO. We now know Daniel is on scholarship, becoming the final addition to our 2024 recruiting class. Maybe Gerald and Daniel were a package deal, IDK. UK was Daniel's only Power 4 offer, although Toledo and Appalachian St, strong lower conference programs, also offered and pursued him. He has a 6'5" frame and a good narrative from the hs level. At Cardinal Gibbons, he started at OT and OG on one of the best hs football teams in the south. Under normal circumstances, I don't think he would get a scholarship on Coach Wolf's OL. That doesn't mean he won't play, but FWIW his offer sheet pales in comparison to Koby Keenum, Ben Christman, Austin Ramsey, Marc Nave, Aba Selm, Hayes Johnson, and Tucker Kattus. But, as we know, there have been cases like Bunchy, Eli, and the Horseman when UK's coaches took a very lightly recruited offensive lineman and made an all SEC player out of him. So college football is full of surprises. Still, I see Nave, Ramsey, Selm, Johnson, and Kattus being the future at OG.
yep - like Brandon Burlsworth at Arkansas from walk-on guard to All American.
Coach Stoops' UK tenure is replete with stories of high level overachievers, SJ, Levis, Bunchy, Stenberg, Fortner, Horsey, Eli, Snell, CRod, Juice, Lewis, Bohanna, Taylor, Allen, D'Eryk, Valentine, Hairston, and so forth. This happens when a coaching staff is confident in its in-house evaluations and players enjoy playing for the coaching staff. Obviously Coach Marrow. The late John Schlarman was another great example. Jon Sumrall, as well. I am impressed so far with Coach Collins and Coach Hamdan. That's why I always stop short of criticizing this staff's recruiting decisions even though it is appropriate and fair to discuss the offer sheet.
Which 2024 signees will play in more than 4 games next fall? I don't think it is likely to be as many as the conventional wisdom is saying now, because our team is deep with experienced talent at so many positions. Most will be freshmen who enrolled in January and practiced with our team this spring.
My guesses-
Hardley Gilmore
Jason Patterson
Brian Robinson
Possibly David Washington, if there are important injuries in the WR rotation. Possibly Tovani Mizell, if there are important injuries in the RB rotation. Possibly Terhyon Nichols or Quaysheed Scott, if our more experienced CBs can't step up and get it done in coverage, because CB may be the biggest question on this team.
Possibly Jacob Smith, if he is 100% physically by September (which he should be), because JJ Weaver won't be back at UK in 2025.
But I expect the total number to be lower than the gurus think.
My guesses-
Hardley Gilmore
Jason Patterson
Brian Robinson
Possibly David Washington, if there are important injuries in the WR rotation. Possibly Tovani Mizell, if there are important injuries in the RB rotation. Possibly Terhyon Nichols or Quaysheed Scott, if our more experienced CBs can't step up and get it done in coverage, because CB may be the biggest question on this team.
Possibly Jacob Smith, if he is 100% physically by September (which he should be), because JJ Weaver won't be back at UK in 2025.
But I expect the total number to be lower than the gurus think.
Man that is really incredible considering how great some of these youngsters are and going to be. Ten years ago I couldn’t have imagined some of these guys even coming here, let alone coming here to redshirt and pay their dues before playing. We’ve come so far and I couldn’t be more proud to be a Kentucky Wildcat Football fanatic! lol. Also, thanks to everyone who kept this thread going and giving us all the information you have. It really does make a big difference and helps so many of us keep up with our Cats.
Well put!!
I spent decades watching the program lurch from poor to mediocre, and treasured our occasional cold weather bowls.
Take a gander at not only the “other offers,” but the other visits our commitments have made.
Marshall and Vandy aren’t the only programs losing recruits to us!!
UK has had strong football years like '76, '77, '84, and '06. But '76-77 open up ethical discussions about whether cheating is smart or morally justified when you know some other SEC schools were also doing it and, especially, whether it was worth the sanctions and bad press that ensued. Either way, strong football seasons came harder for UK. There were understandable logistical reasons for this, plus the "basketball school" label.
Times change. Mark Stoops has busted the "basketball school" label. Some people may still buy it, but UK supports football with more than ample resources now. Every football facility has been modernized and the recruiting budget is now UK's largest ever.
IMO, we can boil down UK's historical football difficulties to two main issues. One was inadequate (one could say incompetent) management of the sport at the level of the athletics department by Harry Lancaster, Cliff Hagan, and CM Newton. This is not to say Lancaster, Hagan, and Newton were incompetent athletics directors, only that they managed one major sport incompetently because football was not their priority at the time. One can make the excuse that this reflected direction from above, but it wasn't that simple. All three were basketball guys by background, who were not connected in the college football world. And all three presided over football programs scandalized by clumsy cheating.
The other problem was one that no UK football coach was able to solve without cheating. That is, until Stoops. Because KY is a small, northern SEC state, the primary recruiting base has simply been too small. Stoops, an OH native, has addressed this by hiring Vince Marrow (also an OH native) and annexing the state of OH into UK's primary recruiting base. Now, with the recruiting budget growing, metropolitan areas adjacent to KY's borders are also being included. In addition to Cincinnati, also St Louis, Nashville, and maybe even the Richmond and Indy areas. Plus, almost the entire I-75 and I-71 corridors. The success of Stoops' growing recruiting footprint is slowly neutralizing KY's geographical disadvantages within the SEC. Critics of Stoops should carefully consider this, because it is a difference maker.
UK's 2025 class currently includes 7 commitments. All 7 have impressive offer sheets including numerous Power 4 offers. Our 2024 class was also very strong, and Brian Robinson is among the best defensive prospects Stoops has ever signed. This is what Stoops has been able to accomplish.
Based on everything I am seeing, I think this juco will become the final addition to our 2024 class.
Dennious Jackson, DL, Contra Costa CC, San Pablo, CA
Jackson, 6'5" 340#, attended Lakeside hs in Evans, GA. He may require a nutritional program and intense aerobics over the summer, but should be able to play 10-12 snaps a game in our NT rotation by September and possibly more later.
Dennious Jackson, DL, Contra Costa CC, San Pablo, CA
Jackson, 6'5" 340#, attended Lakeside hs in Evans, GA. He may require a nutritional program and intense aerobics over the summer, but should be able to play 10-12 snaps a game in our NT rotation by September and possibly more later.
Yes, he would be a zero tech at UK. Josaih Hayes' knee injury created a need.
Now there is a crystal ball prediction for Dennious Jackson to UK, FWIW.
