State of 2025 Recruiting

[bballcat4]

@Rembrandt90 - seeing you posting again is great news! Godspeed and welcome back.

It’s been a head-scratcher type of year.

So glad to see your name and posts!

 

[UNIVKY]

Thank you. It took some time and discomfort, but I am well enough now to enjoy the holidays. It has been a journey.

Welcome back......you have been missed. Here's to your continued good health!!!

 

[UNIVKY]

4 Star wide receiver Dejerrian Miller from St. Louis commits to Cats.


Sounds like a really good get for Cutter to throw to....

 

[mrschwump]

4 Star wide receiver Dejerrian Miller from St. Louis commits to Cats.


Sound like a really good get for Cutter to throw to....

Indeed and the Stoops haters have just ignored the pick up.

 

[Rembrandt90]

The commitment from Dejerrian Miller and the visit from Good Counsel hs product Grant Grayton are interesting. Despite flaws in performance on the field, Stoops' recruiting traction does not seem to have suffered yet. We lost Jakayden Ferguson, but I will argue that Miller has more potential. I would have expected more decommits given complexities of our 2024 season. So far, this gives us something to be happy about.

 

[Rembrandt90]

@Rembrandt90 - seeing you posting again is great news! Godspeed and welcome back.

It’s been a head-scratcher type of year.

So glad to see your name and posts!

Welcome back......you have been missed. Here's to your continued good health!!!

Thank you very much on this Thanksgiving weekend. I am lucky to be alive and I know it. Believe me, health is everything.

What I went through this summer and fall gave me a better perspective on football even though I love it as much as ever.

UK's football program has been declared dying or dead before. We are going to be okay.

 

[The-Hack]

The commitment from Dejerrian Miller and the visit from Good Counsel hs product Grant Grayton are interesting. Despite flaws in performance on the field, Stoops' recruiting traction does not seem to have suffered yet. We lost Jakayden Ferguson, but I will argue that Miller has more potential. I would have expected more decommits given complexities of our 2024 season. So far, this gives us something to be happy about.

What an irony: nine commitments from 4 Stars, heading for a Top 25 Class, and ranked (on the season) 86th!!

If anything, our 2025 Class, should it hold together, refutes that we have no NIL resources.

 

[Fadhi]

Davis, the running back from Ohio looks like a potential flip to Mizzu

 

[Madcat62]

Davis, the running back from Ohio looks like a potential flip to Mizzu

gone.

 

[Rembrandt90]

Assuming Vandagriff and Wimsatt leave, I count 82 scholarship players on our roster. Stoops needed outbound transfers to fit our 2025 recruiting class on the roster. There will be more departures.

Stoops has not lost his recruiting traction. Twelve states are represented in our class, ranked #24 by Rivals. I don't pay attention to class rankings because it takes 2-3 years to assess a class.

Stone Saunders will soon become the most productive passer in PA hs football history. Babe Parilli, George Blanda, Johnny Lujack, John Unitas, Joe Namath, Joe Montana, and Dan Marino were developed in the PA hs system. Saunders holds 28 offers including PA St, MI, and GA. Prediction- play early. Won't RS unless Boley dominates.

Brennan Ward, #47 hs football prospect in the state of OH, comes from a hs program that wasn't known for winning before him. Good size and athleticism but not as polished as Saunders. Holds 15 offers including MO and IN. Prediction- RS.

Dejerrian Miller, #5 hs football prospect in the state of MO, is 6'3" and comes from the strong hs program. Best WR prospect out of StL area since Luther Burden. Offer sheet includes 6 SEC programs plus MI and OR. Prediction- play early.

Quintin Simmons is the #20 hs football prospect in the state of OH. Prolific kick returner who can play wideout or slot. Holds offers from PA St, MI, and IN. Prediction- only RSs if Stoops gets a WR haul from the portal.

Cameron Miller, #12 hs football prospect in the state of NJ, flipped from WI to UK. Excelled as a CB, WR, and 100m sprinter. Holds offers from PA St, OH St, MI, GA, and OR. Prediction- play early.

Preston Bowman is the #26 football prospect in the state of OH, and excels as a sprinter, hurdler, and triple jump. Star WR, also punts. Holds offers from OH St, IN, and MI. Prediction- RS

Montavin Quisenberry, #10 prospect in the state of KY. Flipped from WV to UK. Slot receiver who returns punts. Not ready for the SEC yet, needs physical development. Holds 10 offers including Ole Miss. Prediction- RS.

Mikkel Skinner, #3 hs football prospect in the state of SC, flipped from Cincinnati to UK. Skinner runs 4.6 and can play the slot, split, or H back. With speed, strength, and hands, dangerous receiver who usually doesn't get taken down on first contact. Hard nosed multisport player who plays basketball and runs track. Holds 16 offers. Prediction- will play in 2025 unless Marrow gets a TE from the portal.

Darrin Strey, #6 hs football prospect in the state of MI, is a crown jewel in UK's class. Strong, athletic, nasty. Projects as an SEC OT, UK's #1 need. Holds 9 B10 and 4 SEC offers plus OR. Prediction- RS.

Jayden Clark, #37 hs prospect in the state of OH, is a late bloomer who missed the 2023 season with injury. Sitting out the 2023 season, he weighed 260#. Now he is >300#. Holds 20 offers including IN and Pitt. Prediction- RS.

Jeremy Atkins, #35 hs football prospect in the state of OH, has huge frame and good athleticism. Needs to fill out and get stronger, but upside is immense. Holds 12 offers. Prediction- RS.

Bryan Auguste, #174 hs prospect in the state of FL, can play any OL position except LT. Auguste comes from a winning program at Monarch hs and has high motor. Auguste holds 20 offers, including 4 from the ACC and 2 from the B10. Prediction- RS.

Nicholas Smith, #144 hs football prospect in the state of GA, made news when it was reported AL had offered. But he was already committed to UK. So he will become one of at least 6 "Smiths" at UK. Played DL and TE at Walnut Grove hs. Slots in as a 5-tech defender at UK, but could fill out into a 3-tech. Long-framed multisport athlete with 12 offers including 3 SEC. Prediction- RS.

Javeon Campbell, #2 prospect in the state of KY, was widely recruited but chose UK. Another top crown jewel of UK's class. Multisport athlete who took up football two years ago. Leading scorer in history of Western Hills basketball. A "character guy" and leader. 5-tech defender who may grow into a 3-tech. Holds offers from 8 SEC programs including AL and GA, plus OR, OH St, MI, and ND. Prediction- Probably RS because he is new to football, but could be pressed into action.

Kalen Edwards, #12 prospect in the state of TN, is a huge interior defender. Heir-apparent to Josaih Hayes' 0-tech job but could play 3-tech similar to Deone. Edwards can move for a huge guy and holds 9 SEC offers plus OR. Prediction- with Walker and Silver gone, Edwards plays.

Cedric Works, #3 prospect in the state of KY, the only LB prospect in UK's class. Has a lanky body with length and athleticism. Needs to add muscle before being ready for the SEC. Projects as a Jack LB. Physically similar to Jordan Wright at the same stage. Reportedly holds 17 offers including GA and PA St. Prediction- needs a RS but could play depending on Jack LB depth.

Martels Carter, #1 prospect in the state of KY, is another crown jewel in the class. Carter's family relocated to Paducah from Chattanooga after living in Rome, GA. Holds distinction of having been a star player in GA, TN, and KY. His recruitment attracted lots of SEC attention. Coach Marrow zeroed in on him and turned him toward UK. Multisport star who runs the 100m dash. Tilghman hs is loaded and Carter is their best player. Reportedly holds 13 SEC offers plus OR and MI. Prediction- he plays.

Andrew Purcell, #11 hs football prospect in the state of AL, is considered by some the highest upside prospect in our class. Purcell has the skills to play field CB and the durable body necessary to play FS. He is quick, athletic, intelligent, and leaps better than most other players. If Purcell was taller, he may have been the most heavily recruited player in our class. Purcell reportedly holds 5 SEC offers plus OR, IN, Clemson, and Miami. Prediction- probably plays.

Demarcus Gardner, #74 hs football prospect in the state of GA. Multisport star who competes in 100m and 200m dashes. One of the best long jumpers in GA. Has length and skills for CB but could grow into a FS. Holds 11 offers, including 2 from the SEC. Prediction- RS.

Dyllon Williams, #31 hs football prospect in the state of AL, flipped from MO to UK. Multisport star who runs 100m and 400m dashes and excels in triple jump. An "overhang" S at Demopolis hs who may play nickel at UK. Stout run defender. Weighs 190#, but might fill out similarly to Afari. Holds at least 4 SEC offers. Prediction- RS.

Grant Grayton, #39 hs football prospect in MD, comes from Good Counsel hs, same program that produced Josh Paschal. Grayton flipped from MN to UK. Stout playing downhill against the run. Reportedly holds at least 11 offers. Prediction- RS.

This is a better class than most think. Some will say but, but, but TN's class is better. I will watch for 2-3 years before I form conclusions. I have seen too many underrated UK recruits.

Most signings don't work. True everywhere. We remember those who play well. Every program has plenty of misses. How to judge a 17 year old? That's why the transfer portal is active.

Like many posters, I lived through Curci, Claiborne, Curry, Mumme, Morriss, Brooks, Joker, Stoops. John Logan, Qua Huzzie, Alex Smith, Aaron Boyd were supposed to be great UK players but all failed. OTOH, Jacob Tamme, Trevard Lindley, Myron Pryor, and Danny Trevathan were not highly rated and weren't expected to be great players, but had those special intangibles. That's competitive sports. It is why you have an 85 man roster when only 11 can play. Perseverance, brains, and good health are most important.

Some fans are calling for Stoops' and Barnhart's heads on a platter. Just put it out of your mind that Barnhart had the courage to hire Mark Pope and extend Nick Mingione. Forget that. LOL! Quick, let's spend $60 million and fire our football staff. Some were just as hot to fire Stoops and Barnhart when we were 10-3. We all know the drill. When things are going well, they don't post.

Stoops insists he can turn it around. IDK if he can or not. Maybe, maybe not. I don't have any agenda, except I love my school and want the Wildcats to be successful. I know it has been done before though. Bret Bielema is turning it around at IL. Kenny Dillingham at AZ St. Frank Beamer got it done at VA Tech. SMU is 11-1. But these are exceptions, and aren't SEC programs. People are free to disagree but IMHO Stoops still has competitive fire and understands how he did it in 2018. It's his family's culture. Some fans compare Stoops and Cal. But those situations are different.

UK has more money than ever to spend on football, but so does every SEC school. Most of them, unlike us, have larger core recruiting territories. Building up UK's football program has always been difficult. Stoops has the right idea about expanding the recruiting territory and Barnhart supports that with $$. Marrow is right about one thing. One year doesn't necessarily doom a program. But it does increase the upslope of the recovery.

It all starts in the trenches. By now, we should understand that. Our 2024 team was very talented except on the OL, and that eventually sucked the morale out of our locker room. When things are the toughest, that's when we find out what people are made of.

Stoops and Marrow want to fight on. I respect that. Sometimes it takes adversity to get people refocused. Now they need to work some magic in the transfer portal. I will watch them rebuild the roster before I leap to conclusions, because my only agenda is the pro-UK one. After my experiences of the fall, I am just glad to be alive. Never give in.

 

[Uncle Adolph]

Assuming Vandagriff and Wimsatt leave, I count 82 scholarship players on our roster. Stoops needed outbound transfers to fit our 2025 recruiting class on the roster. There will be more departures.

Stoops has not lost his recruiting traction. Twelve states are represented in our class, ranked #24 by Rivals. I don't pay attention to class rankings because it takes 2-3 years to assess a class.

Stone Saunders will soon become the most productive passer in PA hs football history. Babe Parilli, George Blanda, Johnny Lujack, John Unitas, Joe Namath, Joe Montana, and Dan Marino were developed in the PA hs system. Saunders holds 28 offers including PA St, MI, and GA. Prediction- play early. Won't RS unless Boley dominates.

Brennan Ward, #47 hs football prospect in the state of OH, comes from a hs program that wasn't known for winning before him. Good size and athleticism but not as polished as Saunders. Holds 15 offers including MO and IN. Prediction- RS.

Dejerrian Miller, #5 hs football prospect in the state of MO, is 6'3" and comes from the strong hs program. Best WR prospect out of StL area since Luther Burden. Offer sheet includes 6 SEC programs plus MI and OR. Prediction- play early.

Quintin Simmons is the #20 hs football prospect in the state of OH. Prolific kick returner who can play wideout or slot. Holds offers from PA St, MI, and IN. Prediction- only RSs if Stoops gets a WR haul from the portal.

Cameron Miller, #12 hs football prospect in the state of NJ, flipped from WI to UK. Excelled as a CB, WR, and 100m sprinter. Holds offers from PA St, OH St, MI, GA, and OR. Prediction- play early.

Preston Bowman is the #26 football prospect in the state of OH, and excels as a sprinter, hurdler, and triple jump. Star WR, also punts. Holds offers from OH St, IN, and MI. Prediction- RS

Montavin Quisenberry, #10 prospect in the state of KY. Flipped from WV to UK. Slot receiver who returns punts. Not ready for the SEC yet, needs physical development. Holds 10 offers including Ole Miss. Prediction- RS.

Mikkel Skinner, #3 hs football prospect in the state of SC, flipped from Cincinnati to UK. Skinner runs 4.6 and can play the slot, split, or H back. With speed, strength, and hands, dangerous receiver who usually doesn't get taken down on first contact. Hard nosed multisport player who plays basketball and runs track. Holds 16 offers. Prediction- will play in 2025 unless Marrow gets a TE from the portal.

Darrin Strey, #6 hs football prospect in the state of MI, is a crown jewel in UK's class. Strong, athletic, nasty. Projects as an SEC OT, UK's #1 need. Holds 9 B10 and 4 SEC offers plus OR. Prediction- RS.

Jayden Clark, #37 hs prospect in the state of OH, is a late bloomer who missed the 2023 season with injury. Sitting out the 2023 season, he weighed 260#. Now he is >300#. Holds 20 offers including IN and Pitt. Prediction- RS.

Jeremy Atkins, #35 hs football prospect in the state of OH, has huge frame and good athleticism. Needs to fill out and get stronger, but upside is immense. Holds 12 offers. Prediction- RS.

Bryan Auguste, #174 hs prospect in the state of FL, can play any OL position except LT. Auguste comes from a winning program at Monarch hs and has high motor. Auguste holds 20 offers, including 4 from the ACC and 2 from the B10. Prediction- RS.

Nicholas Smith, #144 hs football prospect in the state of GA, made news when it was reported AL had offered. But he was already committed to UK. So he will become one of at least 6 "Smiths" at UK. Played DL and TE at Walnut Grove hs. Slots in as a 5-tech defender at UK, but could fill out into a 3-tech. Long-framed multisport athlete with 12 offers including 3 SEC. Prediction- RS.

Javeon Campbell, #2 prospect in the state of KY, was widely recruited but chose UK. Another top crown jewel of UK's class. Multisport athlete who took up football two years ago. Leading scorer in history of Western Hills basketball. A "character guy" and leader. 5-tech defender who may grow into a 3-tech. Holds offers from 8 SEC programs including AL and GA, plus OR, OH St, MI, and ND. Prediction- Probably RS because he is new to football, but could be pressed into action.

Kalen Edwards, #12 prospect in the state of TN, is a huge interior defender. Heir-apparent to Josaih Hayes' 0-tech job but could play 3-tech similar to Deone. Edwards can move for a huge guy and holds 9 SEC offers plus OR. Prediction- with Walker and Silver gone, Edwards plays.

Cedric Works, #3 prospect in the state of KY, the only LB prospect in UK's class. Has a lanky body with length and athleticism. Needs to add muscle before being ready for the SEC. Projects as a Jack LB. Physically similar to Jordan Wright at the same stage. Reportedly holds 17 offers including GA and PA St. Prediction- needs a RS but could play depending on Jack LB depth.

Martels Carter, #1 prospect in the state of KY, is another crown jewel in the class. Carter's family relocated to Paducah from Chattanooga after living in Rome, GA. Holds distinction of having been a star player in GA, TN, and KY. His recruitment attracted lots of SEC attention. Coach Marrow zeroed in on him and turned him toward UK. Multisport star who runs the 100m dash. Tilghman hs is loaded and Carter is their best player. Reportedly holds 13 SEC offers plus OR and MI. Prediction- he plays.

Andrew Purcell, #11 hs football prospect in the state of AL, is considered by some the highest upside prospect in our class. Purcell has the skills to play field CB and the durable body necessary to play FS. He is quick, athletic, intelligent, and leaps better than most other players. If Purcell was taller, he may have been the most heavily recruited player in our class. Purcell reportedly holds 5 SEC offers plus OR, IN, Clemson, and Miami. Prediction- probably plays.

Demarcus Gardner, #74 hs football prospect in the state of GA. Multisport star who competes in 100m and 200m dashes. One of the best long jumpers in GA. Has length and skills for CB but could grow into a FS. Holds 11 offers, including 2 from the SEC. Prediction- RS.

Dyllon Williams, #31 hs football prospect in the state of AL, flipped from MO to UK. Multisport star who runs 100m and 400m dashes and excels in triple jump. An "overhang" S at Demopolis hs who may play nickel at UK. Stout run defender. Weighs 190#, but might fill out similarly to Afari. Holds at least 4 SEC offers. Prediction- RS.

Grant Grayton, #39 hs football prospect in MD, comes from Good Counsel hs, same program that produced Josh Paschal. Grayton flipped from MN to UK. Stout playing downhill against the run. Reportedly holds at least 11 offers. Prediction- RS.

This is a better class than most think. Some will say but, but, but TN's class is better. I will watch for 2-3 years before I form conclusions. I have seen too many underrated UK recruits.

Most signings don't work. True everywhere. We remember those who play well. Every program has plenty of misses. How to judge a 17 year old? That's why the transfer portal is active.

Like many posters, I lived through Curci, Claiborne, Curry, Mumme, Morriss, Brooks, Joker, Stoops. John Logan, Qua Huzzie, Alex Smith, Aaron Boyd were supposed to be great UK players but all failed. OTOH, Jacob Tamme, Trevard Lindley, Myron Pryor, and Danny Trevathan were not highly rated and weren't expected to be great players, but had those special intangibles. That's competitive sports. It is why you have an 85 man roster when only 11 can play. Perseverance, brains, and good health are most important.

Some fans are calling for Stoops' and Barnhart's heads on a platter. Just put it out of your mind that Barnhart had the courage to hire Mark Pope and extend Nick Mingione. Forget that. LOL! Quick, let's spend $60 million and fire our football staff. Some were just as hot to fire Stoops and Barnhart when we were 10-3. We all know the drill. When things are going well, they don't post.

Stoops insists he can turn it around. IDK if he can or not. Maybe, maybe not. I don't have any agenda, except I love my school and want the Wildcats to be successful. I know it has been done before though. Bret Bielema is turning it around at IL. Kenny Dillingham at AZ St. Frank Beamer got it done at VA Tech. SMU is 11-1. But these are exceptions, and aren't SEC programs. People are free to disagree but IMHO Stoops still has competitive fire and understands how he did it in 2018. It's his family's culture. Some fans compare Stoops and Cal. But those situations are different.

UK has more money than ever to spend on football, but so does every SEC school. Most of them, unlike us, have larger core recruiting territories. Building up UK's football program has always been difficult. Stoops has the right idea about expanding the recruiting territory and Barnhart supports that with $$. Marrow is right about one thing. One year doesn't necessarily doom a program. But it does increase the upslope of the recovery.

It all starts in the trenches. By now, we should understand that. Our 2024 team was very talented except on the OL, and that eventually sucked the morale out of our locker room. When things are the toughest, that's when we find out what people are made of.

Stoops and Marrow want to fight on. I respect that. Sometimes it takes adversity to get people refocused. Now they need to work some magic in the transfer portal. I will watch them rebuild the roster before I leap to conclusions, because my only agenda is the pro-UK one. After my experiences of the fall, I am just glad to be alive. Never give in.

So glad you are back !

 

[Crazycat68]

Assuming Vandagriff and Wimsatt leave, I count 82 scholarship players on our roster. Stoops needed outbound transfers to fit our 2025 recruiting class on the roster. There will be more departures.

Stoops has not lost his recruiting traction. Twelve states are represented in our class, ranked #24 by Rivals. I don't pay attention to class rankings because it takes 2-3 years to assess a class.

Stone Saunders will soon become the most productive passer in PA hs football history. Babe Parilli, George Blanda, Johnny Lujack, John Unitas, Joe Namath, Joe Montana, and Dan Marino were developed in the PA hs system. Saunders holds 28 offers including PA St, MI, and GA. Prediction- play early. Won't RS unless Boley dominates.

Brennan Ward, #47 hs football prospect in the state of OH, comes from a hs program that wasn't known for winning before him. Good size and athleticism but not as polished as Saunders. Holds 15 offers including MO and IN. Prediction- RS.

Dejerrian Miller, #5 hs football prospect in the state of MO, is 6'3" and comes from the strong hs program. Best WR prospect out of StL area since Luther Burden. Offer sheet includes 6 SEC programs plus MI and OR. Prediction- play early.

Quintin Simmons is the #20 hs football prospect in the state of OH. Prolific kick returner who can play wideout or slot. Holds offers from PA St, MI, and IN. Prediction- only RSs if Stoops gets a WR haul from the portal.

Cameron Miller, #12 hs football prospect in the state of NJ, flipped from WI to UK. Excelled as a CB, WR, and 100m sprinter. Holds offers from PA St, OH St, MI, GA, and OR. Prediction- play early.

Preston Bowman is the #26 football prospect in the state of OH, and excels as a sprinter, hurdler, and triple jump. Star WR, also punts. Holds offers from OH St, IN, and MI. Prediction- RS

Montavin Quisenberry, #10 prospect in the state of KY. Flipped from WV to UK. Slot receiver who returns punts. Not ready for the SEC yet, needs physical development. Holds 10 offers including Ole Miss. Prediction- RS.

Mikkel Skinner, #3 hs football prospect in the state of SC, flipped from Cincinnati to UK. Skinner runs 4.6 and can play the slot, split, or H back. With speed, strength, and hands, dangerous receiver who usually doesn't get taken down on first contact. Hard nosed multisport player who plays basketball and runs track. Holds 16 offers. Prediction- will play in 2025 unless Marrow gets a TE from the portal.

Darrin Strey, #6 hs football prospect in the state of MI, is a crown jewel in UK's class. Strong, athletic, nasty. Projects as an SEC OT, UK's #1 need. Holds 9 B10 and 4 SEC offers plus OR. Prediction- RS.

Jayden Clark, #37 hs prospect in the state of OH, is a late bloomer who missed the 2023 season with injury. Sitting out the 2023 season, he weighed 260#. Now he is >300#. Holds 20 offers including IN and Pitt. Prediction- RS.

Jeremy Atkins, #35 hs football prospect in the state of OH, has huge frame and good athleticism. Needs to fill out and get stronger, but upside is immense. Holds 12 offers. Prediction- RS.

Bryan Auguste, #174 hs prospect in the state of FL, can play any OL position except LT. Auguste comes from a winning program at Monarch hs and has high motor. Auguste holds 20 offers, including 4 from the ACC and 2 from the B10. Prediction- RS.

Nicholas Smith, #144 hs football prospect in the state of GA, made news when it was reported AL had offered. But he was already committed to UK. So he will become one of at least 6 "Smiths" at UK. Played DL and TE at Walnut Grove hs. Slots in as a 5-tech defender at UK, but could fill out into a 3-tech. Long-framed multisport athlete with 12 offers including 3 SEC. Prediction- RS.

Javeon Campbell, #2 prospect in the state of KY, was widely recruited but chose UK. Another top crown jewel of UK's class. Multisport athlete who took up football two years ago. Leading scorer in history of Western Hills basketball. A "character guy" and leader. 5-tech defender who may grow into a 3-tech. Holds offers from 8 SEC programs including AL and GA, plus OR, OH St, MI, and ND. Prediction- Probably RS because he is new to football, but could be pressed into action.

Kalen Edwards, #12 prospect in the state of TN, is a huge interior defender. Heir-apparent to Josaih Hayes' 0-tech job but could play 3-tech similar to Deone. Edwards can move for a huge guy and holds 9 SEC offers plus OR. Prediction- with Walker and Silver gone, Edwards plays.

Cedric Works, #3 prospect in the state of KY, the only LB prospect in UK's class. Has a lanky body with length and athleticism. Needs to add muscle before being ready for the SEC. Projects as a Jack LB. Physically similar to Jordan Wright at the same stage. Reportedly holds 17 offers including GA and PA St. Prediction- needs a RS but could play depending on Jack LB depth.

Martels Carter, #1 prospect in the state of KY, is another crown jewel in the class. Carter's family relocated to Paducah from Chattanooga after living in Rome, GA. Holds distinction of having been a star player in GA, TN, and KY. His recruitment attracted lots of SEC attention. Coach Marrow zeroed in on him and turned him toward UK. Multisport star who runs the 100m dash. Tilghman hs is loaded and Carter is their best player. Reportedly holds 13 SEC offers plus OR and MI. Prediction- he plays.

Andrew Purcell, #11 hs football prospect in the state of AL, is considered by some the highest upside prospect in our class. Purcell has the skills to play field CB and the durable body necessary to play FS. He is quick, athletic, intelligent, and leaps better than most other players. If Purcell was taller, he may have been the most heavily recruited player in our class. Purcell reportedly holds 5 SEC offers plus OR, IN, Clemson, and Miami. Prediction- probably plays.

Demarcus Gardner, #74 hs football prospect in the state of GA. Multisport star who competes in 100m and 200m dashes. One of the best long jumpers in GA. Has length and skills for CB but could grow into a FS. Holds 11 offers, including 2 from the SEC. Prediction- RS.

Dyllon Williams, #31 hs football prospect in the state of AL, flipped from MO to UK. Multisport star who runs 100m and 400m dashes and excels in triple jump. An "overhang" S at Demopolis hs who may play nickel at UK. Stout run defender. Weighs 190#, but might fill out similarly to Afari. Holds at least 4 SEC offers. Prediction- RS.

Grant Grayton, #39 hs football prospect in MD, comes from Good Counsel hs, same program that produced Josh Paschal. Grayton flipped from MN to UK. Stout playing downhill against the run. Reportedly holds at least 11 offers. Prediction- RS.

This is a better class than most think. Some will say but, but, but TN's class is better. I will watch for 2-3 years before I form conclusions. I have seen too many underrated UK recruits.

Most signings don't work. True everywhere. We remember those who play well. Every program has plenty of misses. How to judge a 17 year old? That's why the transfer portal is active.

Like many posters, I lived through Curci, Claiborne, Curry, Mumme, Morriss, Brooks, Joker, Stoops. John Logan, Qua Huzzie, Alex Smith, Aaron Boyd were supposed to be great UK players but all failed. OTOH, Jacob Tamme, Trevard Lindley, Myron Pryor, and Danny Trevathan were not highly rated and weren't expected to be great players, but had those special intangibles. That's competitive sports. It is why you have an 85 man roster when only 11 can play. Perseverance, brains, and good health are most important.

Some fans are calling for Stoops' and Barnhart's heads on a platter. Just put it out of your mind that Barnhart had the courage to hire Mark Pope and extend Nick Mingione. Forget that. LOL! Quick, let's spend $60 million and fire our football staff. Some were just as hot to fire Stoops and Barnhart when we were 10-3. We all know the drill. When things are going well, they don't post.

Stoops insists he can turn it around. IDK if he can or not. Maybe, maybe not. I don't have any agenda, except I love my school and want the Wildcats to be successful. I know it has been done before though. Bret Bielema is turning it around at IL. Kenny Dillingham at AZ St. Frank Beamer got it done at VA Tech. SMU is 11-1. But these are exceptions, and aren't SEC programs. People are free to disagree but IMHO Stoops still has competitive fire and understands how he did it in 2018. It's his family's culture. Some fans compare Stoops and Cal. But those situations are different.

UK has more money than ever to spend on football, but so does every SEC school. Most of them, unlike us, have larger core recruiting territories. Building up UK's football program has always been difficult. Stoops has the right idea about expanding the recruiting territory and Barnhart supports that with $$. Marrow is right about one thing. One year doesn't necessarily doom a program. But it does increase the upslope of the recovery.

It all starts in the trenches. By now, we should understand that. Our 2024 team was very talented except on the OL, and that eventually sucked the morale out of our locker room. When things are the toughest, that's when we find out what people are made of.

Stoops and Marrow want to fight on. I respect that. Sometimes it takes adversity to get people refocused. Now they need to work some magic in the transfer portal. I will watch them rebuild the roster before I leap to conclusions, because my only agenda is the pro-UK one. After my experiences of the fall, I am just glad to be alive. Never give in.

Nice work!!! Thanks brother.

 

[mrschwump]

Great run down Rembrandt, thanks.

Couple of things I've gleaned while wading thru all the sophomoric name calling by a bunch of 4th grade idiots...the staff is really high on Jayden Clark. Think he's healthy now and could be the top OL signee. If he rates higher than Strey that would be a huge plus. Think I heard VM say he played with Jeremy Atkins family member, family is classy, hard working and thinks that given S/C time Atkins will make a NFL OL. Pic I saw of late flip Grant Grayton, the guy looks like a LB more than a DB. UK needs ILBs. Wonder if they'll keep Austin Ramsey at NT? Brad White really likes the guy, saw some meaningful snaps the last third of the season. White says he has great hands, very strong. Martels Carter had a huge state championship game for Tilghman...as a WR. Could UK give him a shot there?

Going to be a unique experience watching the '25 team being built. Glad to have people such as yourself to discuss their progress.

 

[K_TIME]

It all starts in the trenches. By now, we should understand that. Our 2024 team was very talented except on the OL, and that eventually sucked the morale out of our locker room. When things are the toughest, that's when we find out what people are made of.

Stoops and Marrow want to fight on. I respect that. Sometimes it takes adversity to get people refocused. Now they need to work some magic in the transfer portal. I will watch them rebuild the roster before I leap to conclusions, because my only agenda is the pro-UK one. After my experiences of the fall, I am just glad to be alive. Never give in.

Good to see you back healthy enough to be on the board

I do like this class….would have loved to held onto Marquis Davis as Rb and would have been ecstatic

But it’s hard to get hyped up over a class that leaves when it’s their time to shine. Seeing guys like Fearby, Anderson at TE, Wade at Jadk etc leave had gotten old to sell recruits anymore when it’s a revolving door. Maybe that changes…have no idea

But Ky was not a good talent in 2024 save the Oline….you can’t blame that whole season on the Oline alone. Florida, Auburn, heck UL ran thru UK like diahrrea

Uk hasn’t been playing hard and disciplined across the board since 2021. So many mental issues and schematic problems…Stoops has let this happen across the staff. I can’t see why 2025 will magically appear to be good given we lost like 60% of our starters and Qb spot id the only place to carry a teams and Boley is far from ready. This ain’t year 2…it’s year 13 and the look is 70% of this class will not be here in 4 years. That is hard to buy this rosy outlook

 

[ukalum1988]

Assuming Vandagriff and Wimsatt leave, I count 82 scholarship players on our roster. Stoops needed outbound transfers to fit our 2025 recruiting class on the roster. There will be more departures.

Stoops has not lost his recruiting traction. Twelve states are represented in our class, ranked #24 by Rivals. I don't pay attention to class rankings because it takes 2-3 years to assess a class.

Stone Saunders will soon become the most productive passer in PA hs football history. Babe Parilli, George Blanda, Johnny Lujack, John Unitas, Joe Namath, Joe Montana, and Dan Marino were developed in the PA hs system. Saunders holds 28 offers including PA St, MI, and GA. Prediction- play early. Won't RS unless Boley dominates.

Brennan Ward, #47 hs football prospect in the state of OH, comes from a hs program that wasn't known for winning before him. Good size and athleticism but not as polished as Saunders. Holds 15 offers including MO and IN. Prediction- RS.

Dejerrian Miller, #5 hs football prospect in the state of MO, is 6'3" and comes from the strong hs program. Best WR prospect out of StL area since Luther Burden. Offer sheet includes 6 SEC programs plus MI and OR. Prediction- play early.

Quintin Simmons is the #20 hs football prospect in the state of OH. Prolific kick returner who can play wideout or slot. Holds offers from PA St, MI, and IN. Prediction- only RSs if Stoops gets a WR haul from the portal.

Cameron Miller, #12 hs football prospect in the state of NJ, flipped from WI to UK. Excelled as a CB, WR, and 100m sprinter. Holds offers from PA St, OH St, MI, GA, and OR. Prediction- play early.

Preston Bowman is the #26 football prospect in the state of OH, and excels as a sprinter, hurdler, and triple jump. Star WR, also punts. Holds offers from OH St, IN, and MI. Prediction- RS

Montavin Quisenberry, #10 prospect in the state of KY. Flipped from WV to UK. Slot receiver who returns punts. Not ready for the SEC yet, needs physical development. Holds 10 offers including Ole Miss. Prediction- RS.

Mikkel Skinner, #3 hs football prospect in the state of SC, flipped from Cincinnati to UK. Skinner runs 4.6 and can play the slot, split, or H back. With speed, strength, and hands, dangerous receiver who usually doesn't get taken down on first contact. Hard nosed multisport player who plays basketball and runs track. Holds 16 offers. Prediction- will play in 2025 unless Marrow gets a TE from the portal.

Darrin Strey, #6 hs football prospect in the state of MI, is a crown jewel in UK's class. Strong, athletic, nasty. Projects as an SEC OT, UK's #1 need. Holds 9 B10 and 4 SEC offers plus OR. Prediction- RS.

Jayden Clark, #37 hs prospect in the state of OH, is a late bloomer who missed the 2023 season with injury. Sitting out the 2023 season, he weighed 260#. Now he is >300#. Holds 20 offers including IN and Pitt. Prediction- RS.

This is a better class than most think. Some will say but, but, but TN's class is better. I will watch for 2-3 years before I form conclusions. I have seen too many underrated UK recruits.

Most signings don't work. True everywhere. We remember those who play well. Every program has plenty of misses. How to judge a 17 year old? That's why the transfer portal is active.

Like many posters, I lived through Curci, Claiborne, Curry, Mumme, Morriss, Brooks, Joker, Stoops. John Logan, Qua Huzzie, Alex Smith, Aaron Boyd were supposed to be great UK players but all failed. OTOH, Jacob Tamme, Trevard Lindley, Myron Pryor, and Danny Trevathan were not highly rated and weren't expected to be great players, but had those special intangibles. That's competitive sports. It is why you have an 85 man roster when only 11 can play. Perseverance, brains, and good health are most important.

Some fans are calling for Stoops' and Barnhart's heads on a platter. Just put it out of your mind that Barnhart had the courage to hire Mark Pope and extend Nick Mingione. Forget that. LOL! Quick, let's spend $60 million and fire our football staff. Some were just as hot to fire Stoops and Barnhart when we were 10-3. We all know the drill. When things are going well, they don't post.

Stoops insists he can turn it around. IDK if he can or not. Maybe, maybe not. I don't have any agenda, except I love my school and want the Wildcats to be successful. I know it has been done before though. Bret Bielema is turning it around at IL. Kenny Dillingham at AZ St. Frank Beamer got it done at VA Tech. SMU is 11-1. But these are exceptions, and aren't SEC programs. People are free to disagree but IMHO Stoops still has competitive fire and understands how he did it in 2018. It's his family's culture. Some fans compare Stoops and Cal. But those situations are different.

UK has more money than ever to spend on football, but so does every SEC school. Most of them, unlike us, have larger core recruiting territories. Building up UK's football program has always been difficult. Stoops has the right idea about expanding the recruiting territory and Barnhart supports that with $$. Marrow is right about one thing. One year doesn't necessarily doom a program. But it does increase the upslope of the recovery.

It all starts in the trenches. By now, we should understand that. Our 2024 team was very talented except on the OL, and that eventually sucked the morale out of our locker room. When things are the toughest, that's when we find out what people are made of.

Stoops and Marrow want to fight on. I respect that. Sometimes it takes adversity to get people refocused. Now they need to work some magic in the transfer portal. I will watch them rebuild the roster before I leap to conclusions, because my only agenda is the pro-UK one. After my experiences of the fall, I am just glad to be alive. Never give in.

Thanks for your detailed breakdown of each signee, and as others have said, it’s great to have you back on the board.

Losing Davis was a huge blow to the recruiting class, let’s not sugarcoat it. But what’s done is done, and we have to move forward with the guys we have.

Regarding our signees, the one I might quibble about is Stone Saunders. He clearly is the best HS QB prospect Stoops has signed, and I hope he stays healthy and is properly developed. Do you really believe he’ll play enough to burn his RS? According to public comments Stoops has talked about bringing in a QB via the portal. I reluctantly agree with this because I’m not sure Boley is 100% ready to be the starter.

I believe the portal QB and Boley will be the top two QBs…. Maybe Saunders truly is better, more physically developed, etc to be the #2 guy(?)

As for the 2025 season, my personal expectations are pretty low. Unless Stoops and staff knock it out of the park in the portal and reform the dysfunctional locker room culture that has been allowed to set in, I don’t see 2025 being improved over 2024. I hope I’m wrong.

 

[mrschwump]

Good to see you back healthy enough to be on the board

I do like this class….would have loved to held onto Marquis Davis as Rb and would have been ecstatic

But it’s hard to get hyped up over a class that leaves when it’s their time to shine. Seeing guys like Fearby, Anderson at TE, Wade at Jadk etc leave had gotten old to sell recruits anymore when it’s a revolving door. Maybe that changes…have no idea

But Ky was not a good talent in 2024 save the Oline….you can’t blame that whole season on the Oline alone. Florida, Auburn, heck UL ran thru UK like diahrrea

Uk hasn’t been playing hard and disciplined across the board since 2021. So many mental issues and schematic problems…Stoops has let this happen across the staff. I can’t see why 2025 will magically appear to be good given we lost like 60% of our starters and Qb spot id the only place to carry a teams and Boley is far from ready. This ain’t year 2…it’s year 13 and the look is 70% of this class will not be here in 4 years. That is hard to buy this rosy outlook

Gotta start somewhere, maybe it'll work, maybe it won't but one thing for sure....it'll never work if you don't start.

 

[mrschwump]

Thanks for your detailed breakdown of each signee, and as others have said, it’s great to have you back on the board.

Losing Davis was a huge blow to the recruiting class, let’s not sugarcoat it. But what’s done is done, and we have to move forward with the guys we have.

Regarding our signees, the one I might quibble about is Stone Saunders. He clearly is the best HS QB prospect Stoops has signed, and I hope he stays healthy and is properly developed. Do you really believe he’ll play enough to burn his RS? According to public comments Stoops has talked about bringing in a QB via the portal. I reluctantly agree with this because I’m not sure Boley is 100% ready to be the starter.

I believe the portal QB and Boley will be the top two QBs…. Maybe Saunders truly is better, more physically developed, etc to be the #2 guy(?)

As for the 2025 season, my personal expectations are pretty low. Unless Stoops and staff knock it out of the park in the portal and reform the dysfunctional locker room culture that has been allowed to set in, I don’t see 2025 being improved over 2024. I hope I’m wrong.

Saunders will be here for Spring so they should get a good look at him.

 

[Rembrandt90]

Thanks for your detailed breakdown of each signee, and as others have said, it’s great to have you back on the board.

Losing Davis was a huge blow to the recruiting class, let’s not sugarcoat it. But what’s done is done, and we have to move forward with the guys we have.

Regarding our signees, the one I might quibble about is Stone Saunders. He clearly is the best HS QB prospect Stoops has signed, and I hope he stays healthy and is properly developed. Do you really believe he’ll play enough to burn his RS? According to public comments Stoops has talked about bringing in a QB via the portal. I reluctantly agree with this because I’m not sure Boley is 100% ready to be the starter.

I believe the portal QB and Boley will be the top two QBs…. Maybe Saunders truly is better, more physically developed, etc to be the #2 guy(?)

As for the 2025 season, my personal expectations are pretty low. Unless Stoops and staff knock it out of the park in the portal and reform the dysfunctional locker room culture that has been allowed to set in, I don’t see 2025 being improved over 2024. I hope I’m wrong.

Thank you for your gracious comment, and Happy Holidays to you. It is very good to be alive.

I didn't sugarcoat anything. Just to be clear about that.

Losing Marquise Davis is bad for 3 reasons. He was the only RB in our class (although we can still sign one in February and-or take RBs through the portal). Now we have to defend against him when we play MO, which I dread because, like all of our signees, he is a good player. And it is a crack in Coach Marrow's recruiting armor in the state of OH, which we don't need right now. But I understand what Davis is thinking, and I hope he doesn't die of boredom at MO. (I would.)

OTOH, anyone who follows recruiting understands that every coaching staff gets some of the players they wanted, but not all. Every coaching staff has hits and misses every year. They make the next decision and move forward, like you said.

You suggest Stone Saunders is 'clearly' the best QB Stoops has signed. Cutter Boley and Drew Barker would debate that. It goes back to what I said before. We can't assess a class for a couple of years because players get hurt, players transfer, players overachieve, players underachieve. However, it is fair to say Saunders is the most accomplished hs QB Stoops has signed. I like Saunders' mental toughness and suspect he will play well. But I thought the same about Barker. When we get down to it, Saunders will have to beat out Boley to get onto the field. That should get interesting. Yes, I think the greater likelihood is that Saunders will probably not RS. But it depends on our QB roster at that time. Generally, you can't get through an entire SEC season with only one QB. Coach Hamdan used three this year. If Saunders RSs, two other QB will have to beat him out on our 2025 depth chart. I am not a fortune teller, but that sounds fairly unlikely to me as things stand. But things can change.

As you suggest, Stoops will try to get a QB out of the portal. He has said as much. I expect Vandagriff and Wimsatt to leave. Let's look at this from the standpoint of players in the portal. If you are a transferring QB, do you want to sign with a 4-8 program whose OL has been terrible? It will take a lot of charisma from Coach Hamdan to get that guy onboard. Can a starting job be promised? No. Can a role be promised? No. Beau Allen didn't even get onto the field. Until something important changes, I believe a protracted battle will occur between Saunders and Boley for the starting QB job. Boley has the advantage of getting here a year earlier. Saunders has the advantage of having played against much better competition as a hs player. What Saunders has accomplished as the Bishop McDevitt hs QB is remarkable.

Having said that, you could turn out to be right. Stuff happens.

The overarching question is whether Stoops, Hamdan, and Wolford can fix our OL. If they can't, then no QB will be successful here. I think I can see gradual improvement coming in the interior. But at the OT positions, things will depend almost completely on the transfer portal unless Malachi Wood makes huge progress in one offseason. I like Strey but we cannot expect a true freshman to fix this. I found it interesting that Stoops recently offered Derrick Simmons, a transfer OT from Western Carolina. That's a promising path forward but Simmons will have many options. Who can Stoops and Wolford snag from the portal? Do we have enough cred left to improve our OL in one offseason? I really don't know. We are now at a point where Stoops just has to deliver. Either he can or else he can't. I'm not going to hammer the guy until I see results. But after 2024, none of us can really be confident. OTOH, know it can be done, whether or not I am confident about it. The plain fact is that fans are reactive. Most fans didn't see 2018 and the Citrus Bowl win over PA St coming. But Stoops and Marrow knew what they had. Can he do it again, or is he washed up? I am not a fortune teller. If he pulls it off, all the grief merchants on the board will disappear again until the next setback. Truthfully, I have been sick since the summer, so I haven't studied every fall game like I usually do. But I have seen enough to know we need a vastly improved OL for this to work. That's task #1. But I believe our defense can be put back together because our defensive staff develops NFL players very well. Defensively speaking, I love the young talent on hand and I see why Stoops signed so many LBs in the last class. I watched GA beat TX yesterday and it was another reminder that defenses win championships.

 

[Rembrandt90]

Good to see you back healthy enough to be on the board

I do like this class….would have loved to held onto Marquis Davis as Rb and would have been ecstatic

But it’s hard to get hyped up over a class that leaves when it’s their time to shine. Seeing guys like Fearby, Anderson at TE, Wade at Jadk etc leave had gotten old to sell recruits anymore when it’s a revolving door. Maybe that changes…have no idea

But Ky was not a good talent in 2024 save the Oline….you can’t blame that whole season on the Oline alone. Florida, Auburn, heck UL ran thru UK like diahrrea

Uk hasn’t been playing hard and disciplined across the board since 2021. So many mental issues and schematic problems…Stoops has let this happen across the staff. I can’t see why 2025 will magically appear to be good given we lost like 60% of our starters and Qb spot id the only place to carry a teams and Boley is far from ready. This ain’t year 2…it’s year 13 and the look is 70% of this class will not be here in 4 years. That is hard to buy this rosy outlook

Thank you for your well wishes at the Holiday season. It's very good to be alive. Cardiac rehab is a life changer. Be one with the treadmill! I have discovered gourmet coffee and salads again. LOL!

I really like our 2025 recruiting class. Of course- no doubt - it would be that much better with Davis. Spilled milk.

OTOH, I really like Wilcox, Patterson, and Mizell. I am being totally honest when I say I have liked all 3 of them all along. That is a matter of record. Davis is the shiny new penny who gives doubting people something new to worry over. He is a good player for sure, but has never played in a college game. I take nothing for granted anymore.

I have my own ideas, but haven't actually been inside UK's locker room. The transfer portal rules are what they are. Players come, players go. The guts of the matter will be played out on the field. I'm not sure how Stoops and Hamdan will convince good players with other options to transfer to UK, but I know Stoops has done it before. When next fall comes, we will find out if Stoops' confidence is justified. Between now and then, I do believe Stoops, Marrow, Hamdan, and White will give it their best shot and full attention. I for one am glad all of them are staying here. Even now, a lot of talented young players remain on our roster. Stoops is confident. We will find out if he can deliver. Either he can or else he can't. I'm not going to drive myself crazy over this. I just want UK to be successful. Clearly, Stoops is at the biggest crossroad of his career.

But in any case, I really think someone has to speak up for Barnhart. Some people here are too clueless to give him credit for anything. Barnhart fixed basketball when everyone said he couldn't. The evidence suggests he carefully played Cal's ego and manipulated Cal into a lateral move without costing UK a penny in buyout expenses. He hired Pope when no one else wanted Pope. How is that working? He gave Nick Mingioni and extension when everyone wanted Mingioni fired. How is that working? He fired Kyra Elzy and hired Kenny Brooks. He has improved every other UK sport so I am confident he will get football fixed as well. People calling for Barnhart's scalp here have absolutely no idea how our athletics department and our Board of Trustees work. They don't want to know. It's a bad habit and it contributes nothing to substantive dialog on this website. They are making this into a primal scream. People believe what they want to believe.

 

[downw/ball-lineD]

What was everyone’s opinion of the 6’6 260lb DE/OLB fern creek product that led the state in sacks? Michigan came and got him. Moten was his name I think. Anyone see him play? Wh no Uk interest? OLB appears to be a position of need. TIA

 

[ukalum1988]

But in any case, I really think someone has to speak up for Barnhart. Some people here are too clueless to give him credit for anything. Barnhart fixed basketball when everyone said he couldn't. The evidence suggests he carefully played Cal's ego and manipulated Cal into a lateral move without costing UK a penny in buyout expenses. He hired Pope when no one else wanted Pope. How is that working? He gave Nick Mingioni and extension when everyone wanted Mingioni fired. How is that working? He fired Kyra Elzy and hired Kenny Brooks. He has improved every other UK sport so I am confident he will get football fixed as well. People calling for Barnhart's scalp here have absolutely no idea how our athletics department and our Board of Trustees work. They don't want to know. It's a bad habit and it contributes nothing to substantive dialog on this website. They are making this into a primal scream. People believe what they want to believe.

Thank you for your detailed response to mine and K_TIME’s post. I largely agree with most of what you’ve posted.

Yes, I agree that many people don’t appreciate Barnhart. He’s made a few bad hires (Joker, Gillespie, Elzy) but had generally been able to make the appropriate course corrections.

The big problem I have at the moment is the $9M per annum contract MB awarded Stoops right before the 2022 Vandy game. Perhaps I’m engaging in 20/20 hindsight, but UK is now awarding Top 10 pay for Top 60 results. I don’t expect him to admit it publicly but I bet he wishes he could have a do-over on that one.

I’ll conclude by saying that my sympathies are with those in the UK Athletics Department who will have to market Football season tickets for the 2025 season.

 

[Rembrandt90]

Thank you for your detailed response to mine and K_TIME’s post. I largely agree with most of what you’ve posted.

Yes, I agree that many people don’t appreciate Barnhart. He’s made a few bad hires (Joker, Gillespie, Elzy) but had generally been able to make the appropriate course corrections.

The big problem I have at the moment is the $9M per annum contract MB awarded Stoops right before the 2022 Vandy game. Perhaps I’m engaging in 20/20 hindsight, but UK is now awarding Top 10 pay for Top 60 results. I don’t expect him to admit it publicly but I bet he wishes he could have a do-over on that one.

I’ll conclude by saying that my sympathies are with those in the UK Athletics Department who will have to market Football season tickets for the 2025 season.

Joker, Gillispie, and Elzy were not necessarily "bad hires" per se. They were upside hires who didn't perform. Maybe that is semantics but hindsight is always 20-20. Athletics directors never have the benefit of hindsight. My criticism of the Joker's hire is that our sights were not set high enough on the upslope of a streak of 5 bowl games. But UK was known as a "football coach's graveyard" at that point. Joker was backed by Brooks himself, so I get it. It didn't work out because Joker was a bust as a recruiter. Barnhart recognized the mistake and quickly went in a new direction.

It is worth mentioning that Barnhart supported both Rich Brooks and Stoops in 2005 and 2015 when fans loudly insisted both should be fired. That's how much fans understand program management.

My criticism of the Gillispie hire is that the vetting process missed his drinking problems, because they had not become serious enough yet. It got much worse in the UK pressure cooker, but a more thorough background check might have identified the vulnerability sooner. At the time, to be fair, Gillispie was one of the hottest coaches in the country. People forget this. Other major schools wanted him. His TX A&M players loved him and star Aggie PG Acie Law painted Gillispie as the second coming of Phog Allen. Barnhart gets unfair criticism for hiring Gillispie. Gillispie's personal implosion under pressure was Gillispie's fault. Barnhart didn't make him drink. And Gillispie turned out to be a really bad drunk. So Barnhart fired Gillispie and changed course.

It is also fair to note that many UK fans were unwilling to give Barnhart credit for hiring Cal. But when things went bad during the latter part of Cal's tenure, they turned around and placed all the blame on Barnhart. This is unreasonable. At some point, Gillispie and Cal have to be held responsible for underachieving. With permission from the Board of Trustees, athletics directors can hire and fire. Athletics directors can provide encouragement. But athletics directors cannot force a coach to handle pressure and be reasonable. Everyone responds differently to pressure.

Barnhart has gotten no credit for manipulting Cal's ego into resigning
for a lateral move to Little Rock. It didn't cost UK a penny, but saved $40 million. Earlier, Barnhart manipulated Tubby Smith into taking another job. This is not a coincidence. Barnhart knows how to talk and listen.

Kyra Elzy has a great basketball mind but couldn't recruit. Once this played out, the Kenny Brooks hire was praiseworthy. Barnhart can't be criticized over Elzy without receiving a lot of credit for Brooks.

I would say it isn't worth debating now, except Barnhart deserves a defense on the basis of his total body of work and the very difficult circumstances he inherited at UK. Barnhart has improved every UK sport. Football is in a lull right now, but look what Barnhart inherited more than 2 decades ago. No new athletics director steps into good circumstances, but Lee Todd knew the situation at UK was nearing a disaster over departmental corruption and noncompliance. Many people still just don't get this.
Cheating under Hagan, Newton, and Ivy had been rampant and was entrenched. Barnhart and Sandy Bell took the heat and cleaned up the department but still receive no credit for this, except from our Board of Trustees. Much of the hostility still comes from bitter sources of past corruption, and gets echoed here by people who should know better.

Yes, it appears unfortunate at the moment that Stoops is one of the nation's highest paid college football coaches. I believe I understand how Barnhart had to do this, but let's just agree for now that the contract is probably the only factor protecting Stoops on the basis of 2024. Let's put this another way. If (as Stoops is insisting) Stoops knows what to do to fix the football program, then how did we get into this predicament in the first place? I believe I understand what happened. I think it could happen to almost any coach under certain circumstances. But it was probably avoidable. Stoops has been transparent about his discomfort with NIL, fundraising, and staffing. I accept what he says as being sincere. But Stoops is the program manager and he has brothers who have been head coaches. Let's agree Stoops didn't see all of this coming far enough ahead to make necessary changes to address it. He ended up behind the eight-ball. But it had nothing to do with any lack of support. In fact, UK has supported Stoops to the hilt. Now, if Stoops thinks he has it all figured out, let's see how he gets it done. He has made it clear that he isn't leaving. But this is the most important crossroad of Stoops' coaching career, and he has a whole flock of smart brothers and friends to consult, not to mention a supportive athletics director as well. Stoops has another shot, but the window of opportunity won't last nearly as long as the contract, because Stoops himself has given UK's Board of Trustees a taste of winning and progressing.

 

[Rembrandt90]

Couple of things I've gleaned while wading thru all the sophomoric name calling by a bunch of 4th grade idiots...the staff is really high on Jayden Clark. Think he's healthy now and could be the top OL signee. If he rates higher than Strey that would be a huge plus.

Happy Holidays mrschwump. Jayden Clark missed the 2023 season and the combines with an injury. Most staffs didn't fully evaluate him. At the beginning of 2023, he weighed 260#. Now he weighs >300# on a nice 6'5" frame. From what I have seen on highlight film, I like Darrin Strey's upside better than any other UK OL signee. Strey will be ready sooner too. But Clark and Atkins are the wildcards in the room. Coach Marrow loves them. Clark may need time to develop but he has all the necessary tangibles and intangibles including high football IQ. Could be the surprise of the class.

Think I heard VM say he played with Jeremy Atkins family member, family is classy, hard working and thinks that given S/C time Atkins will make a NFL OL.

Jermiel Atkins needs time. At 6'8" 290# (maybe), he is a string bean like Malachi Wood and Landon Young were in the beginning. Atkins needs to play SEC football at 325-340#. Judging by highlight film, he is plenty athletic enough. Similar to Wood, although Atkins played against much better hs competition.

UK needs ILBs.

Alex Afari, Antwan Smith, and Quintavion Norman will return at Will LB. It hurt when D'Eryk Jackson applied for the NFL draft. The scuttlebutt was saying Jackson wanted to come back to UK in 2025. They redshirted Daveren Rayner, so he is back. I like Grant Godfrey a lot. Devin Smith was hurt in 2024 but has a high floor. But they are recruiting Landyn Watson, Brad Spence, and Reginald Hughes through the portal because you are clearly right, they need Mike LBs to replace Jackson's production.

Wonder if they'll keep Austin Ramsey at NT? Brad White really likes the guy, saw some meaningful snaps the last third of the season. White says he has great hands, very strong.

Unless something changes, Ramsey permanently moved over to NT. At Roman Catholic hs, he played mostly OT but some DT too. Same pathway Justin Rogers and Marquan McCall took at UK. Playing NT is mostly a matter of brute strength, bulk, and disciplined pad level. Ramsey has the first two tools, and his hands are strong and active. He will learn. With Keeshawn Silver gone, NT belongs to Hayes, Gilbert, and Ramsey. Gilbert has to get stronger. Hayes is a supersenior with an injury history. Ramsey has 3 years of eligibility left and an opportunity to become a good SEC football player. I suspect Kalen Edwards will be crosstrained at DT and NT, although he may end up mostly at DT like Deone Walker did.

Martels Carter had a huge state championship game for Tilghman...as a WR. Could UK give him a shot there?

Martels Carter will be a prolific player with a chance to be a 4 year starter at UK. He will play FS as a true freshman and should make the playing chart in September. He will not be a WR although the mass exodus from UK's WR room makes that an obvious question. For a coaching staff that wants to run the football more, Carter's immense talent won't be wasted on the offense. Stoops knows defense wins important games. Carter will become a defensive star at UK and likely one of the great stories of 2025. Carter is an exceptional signing for Coach Marrow, who is also recruiting huge Tilghman hs OT Jarvis Strickland.

Going to be a unique experience watching the '25 team being built. Glad to have people such as yourself to discuss their progress.

I have been pro-Stoops. The guy has brothers who have been head coaches. The family understands everything about football. When Mark needs to hire an assistant coach, he asks his brother Bob what he thinks about the candidates. Bob has been involved in national championships. But Mark has to get himself "lean and mean" again. The last couple of years have not been good to him. His family life changed drastically with the divorce. His kids moved to CO. By his own admission, NIL fundraising is taking up so much of his time that he doesn't have time left to coach. To me, that explains a lot. I can see that a fundamental reorganization of the off-field staff is in order, at a minimum.

NIL is making the college game into minor league pro football. Huge TV money is pouring into every SEC athletics department. UK's 2021 season was forfeited. The transfer portal has gotten nuts. The schedule has gotten much more complicated. Everything is changing so fast that UK's head coach needs all of his focus plus a beefed up senior staff.

When Stoops says he knows what needs to be done, I believe him. Can he still actually do it? That's the question. IDK. But he gets another shot so we can just disregard the hate-Stoops crowd and the fire Stoops talk for now. Nothing lasts forever, but most of the negative nancies have been calling for Stoops to be let go since 2015. We win, they say something is wrong. We lose, they say everything is wrong. Is anything ever right?

Most fans are reactive, but athletics directors and Boards of Trustees are proactive. Big ships don't turn on a dime, but UK's football program will get fixed one way or another. How? Every sport at UK has gotten fixed or is getting fixed fast. Football is the financial engine of our athletics department. It will be fixed by UK's Board of Trustees and athletics department. In the meantime, the recruiting traction of our coaching staff is vital.

 

[mrschwump]

Re Stoops/NLI...Stoops himself has touched on major improvements in that area being made since Eddie Gran took on the role of General Manager, taking a lot of the fund raising burden of Stoops. Stoops has said funds are adequate for what's necessary. That's good enough for me.

 

[Grumpyolddawg]

Watched the GHSA state championships this week thanks to GPTV. There was a RB from Northeast Macon named Nick Woodford. Career gained over 6200 yards scored 88 tds, 5'8" 210 with no offers. Kid can play, looked fast enough, UGA has 7 RBs right now so no room.