State of 2026 Recruiting

[Rembrandt90]

Anthony Davis, LB, Loganville, GA
Jamir Perez, DL, Cleveland, OH
Damari Simeon, DL, Richland, NJ

 

[Grumpyolddawg]

Did a little research on UK's bigger name players recently and where they are from :

Michigan :
Deone Walker
Maxwell Hairston
Justin Rogers
Khamari Anderson
DeAndre Square

Georgia :
C-Rod
Jamarion Wilcox
Trevin Wallace
Yusuf Corker
Trevard Lindley
Bud Dupree
Jamin Davis

Florida :
Hardley Gilmore (gone)
Jason Patterson
Danny Trevathan

Georgia and Michigan has been very good to UK. Florida, not so much. I know there are several other players who are from those states who have played at UK, I just listed the more productive ones.

My thoughts are this ;
Florida- UK has not landed near enough on filed talent from the super rich in talent Florida. Needs to be a lot more work put in there. Horrible.

Georgia has kind of cooled off lately, tons of talent there, and was very good to UK.

Michigan - Has been very good recently, need to keep up the networking there.

SC/Miss/Louisiana/Alabama - Maybe start trying to build some relationships in those very rich in talent areas. Seems like recently the Ohio kids we do get, end up leaving or do not pan out. And I know we have had NUMEROUS star players from Ohio, but in the last couple years it hasn't really paid off on the field.

If UK can land that many difference makers from Michigan, they damn sure can at least TRY to land some southern kids. JMO.

I believe one of the thinks that hurts teams like UK in Georgia is Tech trying to reestablish itself on the recruiting from. Paul Johnson destroyed Tech'relatiinship statewide with Georgia HS coaches. They are recruiting kids that don't quite get the Bama, or tOSU offer, but like all the Carolina teams, the 2nd tier Big10 teams. Reality is, start middle of Atlanta and get kids you want in a 50 mile radius and be in playoff every year.

 

[Rembrandt90]

In other words, recruiting is a competitive process. UK doesn't usually recruit head to head with GA Tech but it happens occasionally. GA Tech sure would like to have signed UK LBs Devin Smith and Grant Godfrey. I looked over GA Tech's roster but I don't see anyone UK seriously wanted other than Romello Height, who actually signed with Auburn before transferring later to GA Tech.

 

[Rembrandt90]

J'Vari Flowers, DB, Miami, FL
Courtney Heard, OL, Sharpsburg, GA
Hank James, DB, Paducah, KY
Mathieu Kanu, LB, Nokesville, VA
Zeke Marshall, LB/WR, Anderson, SC
Johnny Moody, DB, Birmingham, AL

 

[Rembrandt90]

Publicly reported UK OVs for the class so far-

May 30

Joel Ervin, OL, Ft Myers, FL
Jarvis Strickland, OL, Paducah, KY

June 6

Marcus Almada, DL, Marion MA
Jordan Crutchfield, DB, Ft Pierce, FL
Dylan Purter, DB, Tuskegee, AL
Elijah Satchell, LB, Camden, NJ

June 13

JT Barlow, DL, Evergreen, AL
Andrew Clark, DB, Richmond, VA
Darnell Collins, WR, Rome, GA
KJ DeRiso, ATH, Fayetteville, GA
Larry Miles, WR, Winter Garden, FL
Da'Ron Parks, OL, Sarasota, FL

June 15

Asharri Charles, LB, Venice, FL

June 20

Karsten Busch, LB, Louisville, KY
Jaedyn Terry, DB, Manchester, GA

 

[TuckyFB]

I know its early but we're literally the only SEC team without a 2026 commit right now.

 

[Grumpyolddawg]

In other words, recruiting is a competitive process. UK doesn't usually recruit head to head with GA Tech but it happens occasionally. GA Tech sure would like to have signed UK LBs Devin Smith and Grant Godfrey. I looked over GA Tech's roster but I don't see anyone UK seriously wanted other than Romello Height, who actually signed with Auburn before transferring later to GA Tech.

That is what I am saying. Paul Johnson ruined the relationship with every coach in the GHSA, his successor didn't do anything to change that. But the one they have now is rebuilding those connections. It's didnt happen overnight, but entering his 4th year Tech is being mentioned by lots of the top kids and they have signed some kids that they normally had no shot at. NIL changes everything, but they are starting to get GA. Kids that Bama, UGA, LSU and other places they had no shot at 3 years ago.

 

[Rembrandt90]

That is what I am saying. Paul Johnson ruined the relationship with every coach in the GHSA, his successor didn't do anything to change that. But the one they have now is rebuilding those connections. It's didnt happen overnight, but entering his 4th year Tech is being mentioned by lots of the top kids and they have signed some kids that they normally had no shot at. NIL changes everything, but they are starting to get GA. Kids that Bama, UGA, LSU and other places they had no shot at 3 years ago.

Nope. As I said before, UK rarely recruits head to head against GA Tech. There isn't a single example on GA Tech's current football roster of a direct recruiting victory over UK.

 

[Grumpyolddawg]

Publicly reported UK OVs for the class so far-

May 30

Joel Ervin, OL, Ft Myers, FL
Jarvis Strickland, OL, Paducah, KY

June 6

Marcus Almada, DL, Marion MA
Jordan Crutchfield, DB, Ft Pierce, FL
Dylan Purter, DB, Tuskegee, AL
Elijah Satchell, LB, Camden, NJ

June 13

JT Barlow, DL, Evergreen, AL
Andrew Clark, DB, Richmond, VA
Darnell Collins, WR, Rome, GA
KJ DeRiso, ATH, Fayetteville, GA
Larry Miles, WR, Winter Garden, FL
Da'Ron Parks, OL, Sarasota, FL

June 15

Asharri Charles, LB, Venice, FL

June 20

Karsten Busch, LB, Louisville, KY
Jaedyn Terry, DB, Manchester, GA

Rome has been good and producing multiple P4 athletes the last few years. Fayetteville has multiple HSs so don't know much about that kid. Manchester made a deep run into the playoffs in 24. semis I think and this kid was a big contributer.

 

[Rembrandt90]

I know its early but we're literally the only SEC team without a 2026 commit right now.

This always comes up. They won't sign until next December. It doesn't matter how early UK gains its first commitment. In recent years, our coaches have actually gained commitments from a lot of important players in the fall. The list of May and June OVs is interesting. Let's see what the final class looks like.

 

[SPECT imaging]

Wolf needs to sign up OT Kamari Blair from Clarksville, Tennessee for an official.

 

[Cardinals19702]

Publicly reported UK OVs for the class so far-

June 20

Karsten Busch, LB, Louisville, KY
Jaedyn Terry, DB, Manchester, GA

Not sure if Busch will keep that June 20th visit as he just committed to Louisville.

 

[Grumpyolddawg]

Not sure if Busch will keep that June 20th visit as he just committed to Louisville.

Yeah committed kids never take officials to other schools.

 

[vhcat70]

No hard data, but my impression is that the schools that get commitments earlier on average wind up with the better recruiting classes. Guys tend to want to get onboard early with top teams in order to not get left out as those teams typically are picking & choosing for most of their class vs. persuading later on as we typically need to do. JMO.

 

[Rembrandt90]

More new UK 2026 offers-

JT Barlow, DL, Evergreen, AL
Landon Barnes, LB, Duncanville, TX
Kamari Blair, OL, Clarksville, TN
Kohen Brown, slotR, Waxahachie, TX
Darnell Collins, DB, Rome, GA
Justin Edwards, LB/S, Orlando, FL
Jackson Ford, LB, Malvern, PA
Jordan Francis, DB, Stone Mt, GA
Keymian Henderson, WR, Carthage, TX
Tyreek Jemison, OL, Dallas, GA
Donovan Johnson, OL, Fayetteville, NC
Ronelle Johnson, DL, Blue Springs, MO
Tristan Lyles, LB, Phenix City, AL
Brady Marchese, WR, Cartersville, GA
Amante Martin, RB, Port Arthur, TX
Larry Miles, slotR, Orlando, FL
Danny Odem, DB, Orlando, FL
Brady Owens, TE, Arlington, VA
Jayden Petit, WR, Naples, FL
Dylan Purter, DB, Tuskegee, AL
Elijah Satchell, LB, Camden, NJ
Damari Simeon, DL, Richland, NJ
Robert Stith, WR, Niceville, FL
Ashley Walker, OL, Hollywood, FL
Julian Walker, DL, Irmo, SC
Jeremy Winston, WR, Rome, GA

 

[Rembrandt90]

Not sure if Busch will keep that June 20th visit as he just committed to Louisville.

Maybe, maybe not. My gut feeling is that Busch will stick with his hometown commitment. But hs players flip all the time, and it's possible Busch may have been uncertain about Coach Marrow (his UK recruiter) maybe headed to Bowling Green. I don't think anyone should mistake Busch for a critical recruit, but he has size and upside, and Coach Mike likes him. Verbal commitments mean little these days. The earlier the commitment, the more chance players could change their mind later.

 

[Rembrandt90]

No hard data, but my impression is that the schools that get commitments earlier on average wind up with the better recruiting classes. Guys tend to want to get onboard early with top teams in order to not get left out as those teams typically are picking & choosing for most of their class vs. persuading later on as we typically need to do. JMO.

I see what you are thinking, but early commitments often flip somewhere else.

This board sees a tsunami of negative recruiting comments every summer because UK's class is not ranked high enough for everyone in July. Then, UK picks up important commitments every fall. This is an annual ritual here. Performances of enrollees are the only part of recruiting that counts.

Most if not all SEC football teams always pick up crucial commitments late in the recruiting season. On our current roster, these players were examples of late commitments-

Cam Dooley
Tavion Gadson
Kendrick Gilbert
Grant Grayton
Marc Nave
Cam Miller
Dejerrian Miller
Jason Patterson
Mikkel Skinner
Jamarion Wilcox
Dyllon Williams

Here are some former Wildcats who committed to us late in their recruiting cycles-

Josh Allen
Jeff Badet
Lynn Bowden
Yusuf Corker
Kenneth Horsey
Jo Jo Kemp
Marcus McWilson
Kyle Meadows
Chris Oats
Octavious Oxendine
Josh Paschal
Davonte Robinson
Za'Darius Smith
Bunchy Stallings
AJ Stamps
Calvin Taylor
Trevin Wallace
JJ Weaver

So that's why I don't get concerned about early commitments.

 

[Rembrandt90]

No hard data, but my impression is that the schools that get commitments earlier on average wind up with the better recruiting classes. Guys tend to want to get onboard early with top teams in order to not get left out as those teams typically are picking & choosing for most of their class vs. persuading later on as we typically need to do. JMO.

One other thing. I like the early schedule list for June UK OVs. Some very good players will visit. Despite everything, Stoops and Marrow somehow continue to attract interest from legitimate SEC talent.

But there are some logical reasons why UK's coaches might save more of their dry powder for the fall this time. It would be a gamble but maybe a pretty good one. I don't have a crystal ball, of course. To use a free market analogy, UK's football program is in an intermediate term uptrend but also in a countercyclical short term downtrend back to the mean. In other words, the major trend since 2013 is up, but the countertrend since 2020 is down. That's how cyclical businesses behave. Stoops burned some good will and credibility in 2024. But he signed a strong class and then somehow brought in a really good group from the portal. So if I am a UK football coach, I might think the program could improve its recruiting traction by playing well in September and October. It could backfire. But at this point, they may want to bet on themselves by taking a core group of commitments in June and then adding big names in the fall. If they can. IDK. It's a crossroad for the program.

 

[Grumpyolddawg]

No hard data, but my impression is that the schools that get commitments earlier on average wind up with the better recruiting classes. Guys tend to want to get onboard early with top teams in order to not get left out as those teams typically are picking & choosing for most of their class vs. persuading later on as we typically need to do. JMO.

Not sure i agree with this, even agree less today than in the past. Sure there are some kids that commit early because they want to be at a particular school. But with NIL, today even if a top kid commits in Feb or March there will be 10-15 programs coming with bigger offers. But there is really no reason for the top kids to commit early. Some are asking and getting 5k to visit for a game and 10k for a weekend. We'll their hanger ons are. UGA has done fairly well in recruiting the last few years and it never picks up for UGA until mid summer. This year could be different and when Sept rolls around and we have 5-6 commits i am not too concerned

 

[Rembrandt90]

Not sure i agree with this, even agree less today than in the past. Sure there are some kids that commit early because they want to be at a particular school. But with NIL, today even if a top kid commits in Feb or March there will be 10-15 programs coming with bigger offers. But there is really no reason for the top kids to commit early. Some are asking and getting 5k to visit for a game and 10k for a weekend. We'll their hanger ons are. UGA has done fairly well in recruiting the last few years and it never picks up for UGA until mid summer. This year could be different and when Sept rolls around and we have 5-6 commits i am not too concerned

Basically agree. Each football player is an individual. Everyone is different. Some want to get recruiting out of the way and enjoy their senior year of hs. Some know what they want and don't procrastinate. Some commit early but then keep looking. Others enjoy the recruiting attention and get into a habit of waiting on more offers. I can understand all these different perspectives except for the flippers. Players ought to invest some serious prospective thought into it and have a handle on what they are looking for. And if they want to be treated honorably, then they ought to behave honorably. And some obviously do.

 

[Rembrandt90]

More new 2026 UK offers-

Jerquaden Guilford, WR, Ft Wayne, IN
Messiah Hampton, WR, Rochester, NY
Damaad Lewis, DL, Charlotte, NC
Aljour Miles, WR, Kaufman, TN
Kaleb Morris, DL, Semmes, AL
Brian Williams, WR, Lake Mary, FL
Corey Wells, DL, Petal, MS

 

[Grumpyolddawg]

Basically agree. Each football player is an individual. Everyone is different. Some want to get recruiting out of the way and enjoy their senior year of hs. Some know what they want and don't procrastinate. Some commit early but then keep looking. Others enjoy the recruiting attention and get into a habit of waiting on more offers. I can understand all these different perspectives except for the flippers. Players ought to invest some serious prospective thought into it and have a handle on what they are looking for. And if they want to be treated honorably, then they ought to behave honorably. And some obviously do.

I can agree with that, except for the flippers. 5 years ago I would agree with you, but in today's rules it's a different game. Just last year, LSU had a QB commit Mich wanted. They just kept coming after him with bigger offers, finally at 10-12 million he flipped. I can't blame a kid, the game is broken. I know that isn't the norm, but lots of 6 figure deals being made, hard for a kid who grew up in the projects on free lunches to not jump on that. UGA lost one last year who took a 7 figure offer, a handful of schools out there with what seems like endless money.

 

[Rembrandt90]

I can agree with that, except for the flippers. 5 years ago I would agree with you, but in today's rules it's a different game. Just last year, LSU had a QB commit Mich wanted. They just kept coming after him with bigger offers, finally at 10-12 million he flipped. I can't blame a kid, the game is broken. I know that isn't the norm, but lots of 6 figure deals being made, hard for a kid who grew up in the projects on free lunches to not jump on that. UGA lost one last year who took a 7 figure offer, a handful of schools out there with what seems like endless money.

I only said I can't understand the flippers. Sure, there is the occasional story like the one you shared. Of course, we also understand why a kid might flip after a coaching change at the school. But I am talking about kids that commit without thinking it through. Picking a college is an important life decision. Before going through the process, competitive athletes and their parents ought to think about objectives and expectations. Take all the visits and then decide carefully and deliberately, befitting an important decision. I feel for kids who don't receive parental guidance. But everyone these days demands "respect". And if someone wants respect, then behave respectfully. That's all I was thinking.

 

[Grumpyolddawg]

I only said I can't understand the flippers. Sure, there is the occasional story like the one you shared. Of course, we also understand why a kid might flip after a coaching change at the school. But I am talking about kids that commit without thinking it through. Picking a college is an important life decision. Before going through the process, competitive athletes and their parents ought to think about objectives and expectations. Take all the visits and then decide carefully and deliberately, befitting an important decision. I feel for kids who don't receive parental guidance. But everyone these days demands "respect". And if someone wants respect, then behave respectfully. That's all I was thinking.

I agree that it seems like some pick a school like the pick a shirt for the day. That lack of thought is annoying. But they are 16-18 year old inexperienced kids being treated like kings and hearing everything they want to hear from professionals. It's hardly a fair deal, but I do get the frustration with all the flips.