Ten top topics in UK football recruiting
Justin Rowland
CatsIllustrated.com Football Recruiting Analyst
Cats Illustrated is taking a look at ten storylines in the world of Kentucky football recruiting.
With nearly a full Class of 2016 and a fast start in the class a year younger than that one there's a lot to report on when it comes to UK football recruiting.
1. Gunnar Hoak is enrolling early.
Hoak announced this week that he would be enrolling early in Lexington and that's a very good thing. Not many Class of 2015 recruits enrolled early and there's no indication it will be a big change this year, but it's especially important when your quarterback gets in a semester early.
Gunnar Hoak plans to enroll at Kentucky in January.
It would be a surprise if Hoak factors into the quarterback competition going into the 2016 season, but even if he's a factor in 2017 or 2018, that added semester could prove valuable. Scouts and analysts seem to be increasingly high on Hoak but the one area he's always needed to improve on is to become a more vocal leader that rallies the players around him. Being in Lexington a semester early will help him to get acclimated to life with his teammates and with older players and will prove valuable.
His decision to enroll early was in part prompted by Shannon Dawson and the other coaches, who obviously felt like it was a good idea. And it could lead some others to give stronger consideration to early enrollment as well.
2. Remaining priorities?
If Kentucky has 23 spots in this class, barring attrition which would push the number higher, then there's just one more opening. That's assuming they can keep everyone on board.
We know that Carlos Becker is a player in the secondary that Kentucky would love to add largely because of his size. But it's not like the staff is itching to just pad the numbers in the secondary. Our best guess is the staff tries to take the best available player in the secondary, at defensive end, or even at receiver. They're in an enviable position of not having any glaring holes.
3. Still aiming high.
If you're wondering how Kentucky's coaches are planning to spend that last scholarship don't think for a second that they plan on settling on someone they're just okay with. Kentucky's coaches are making a push for five-star defensive tackle Rashan Gary from New Jersey.
That's Andy Buh's recruiting territory and D.J. Eliot was also instrumental in getting Josh Allen on board from New Jersey late in the last recruiting class. The Paramus Catholic prospect is phenomenal in camp settings because of his rare explosion off the snap for a big interior lineman.
For now fans should keep their expectations in check. Gary has mentioned Kentucky as a school he would like to visit. So have some other five-star prospects in recent classes. But coupled with the program's newfound recruiting momentum, particularly with younger players, the mere mention is cause enough for a little excitement and certainly a mention. Mark Stoops himself will be in touch with Gary moving forward.
4. Don't write off Aime.
Regardless of what he does in the short-term it would be wise not to write off JUCO defensive lineman Walvenski Aime as a possibility. For a player in the 290-pound range Aime is lean and more athletic than many probably realize. And although Kentucky has two nose tackles and another potential interior lineman in Kordell Looney, players like Looney and Aime are able to play inside or outside in Kentucky's scheme.
If Kentucky wants to take Aime the chances are they are able to get him. He recently visited Minnesota and they're in the mix, too, but Aime really loves Kentucky and he likes both Jimmy Brumbaugh and the way in which the coaches have "been there all along," more so than coaches at other schools.
The recent commitment of Kobe Smith may complicate things a little bit, and so does the fact that the staff can be so picky from here on out.
5. Eskridge visits soon.
Star 2018 commitment and likely four- or five-star Jermaine Eskridge was originally planning to visit Kentucky in Demember. He committed last week sight unseen and that always makes coaches a little nervous.
But Eskridge recently announced that he will visit Lexington on September 19 for the game against Florida. As if that's not enough of an encouraging sign, rumor has it he's already striking up a relationship with 2017 commitments like Mac Jones and Michael Warren, and he's certainly as enthusiastic as one could hope an early commitment to be. It's too early to even speculate on the likelihood that Kentucky keeps Eskridge on board, but at this point all the momentum the program can find is helpful.
Jaylin Bannerman has been putting on weight.
Eskridge will be joined by Jones on that visit and UK's 2017 quarterback commitment has already proven himself a valuable recruiter for the program.
6. Bannerman keeps getting bigger.
Not long ago Jaylin Bannerman was a rail thing defensive end project in the eyes of some.
Now he's a 'Jack' linebacker project that's about a dozen pounds bigger than at the time of his commitment, and that's causing some to reevaluate his long-term potential.
If one stops thinking about Bannerman as a 270 pound defensive end, which he may never be, and leaves open the possibility that he plays as a 6-foot-5, 240-pound outside linebacker at his best, a few years from now, then the sky really is the limit.
7. Ohio's still the priority.
There will always be the talk about the Commonwealth being priority number one, but Ohio is the top recruiting ground for UK if you go by the numbers.
Amid all the talk of Florida, due to Jones and Eskridge committing, it would be tempting to forget that Ohio is still Ground Zero. Russ Yeast, James Hudson and Michael Warren would attest to that.
Some years will be more Ohio-heavy than others, but sources believe the Buckeye State will still be the largest pool that the Wildcats draw from in the Class of 2017.
8. Don't sleep on this guy.
Time will tell but sources are indicating that 2017 linebacker recruit Tadarrius Patterson is one of the rising juniors that would love to join Kentucky's growing class in that recruiting cycle. Patterson's a bit undersized for an outside linebacker if you ignore the fact that he's not even a high school junior yet. Give him a couple of years to grow and see where he ends up.
He's a really good athlete that the Kentucky coaches verbally offered. Other Power Five programs have been slow to offer, but we wouldn't be shocked if he's a name that garners more recognition in the months ahead. He likes Kentucky - a lot.
9. Ohio receivers on the radar.
Danny Davis of Ohio is a player the Kentucky coaches are in love with and we've got good reason to believe he's reciprocating their interest. He's a four-star from Springfield, Ohio, an area Kentucky has recruited heavily under Stoops and on Vince Marrow's watch. Remember the name.
Kentucky is in pursuit of running back Mohamed Ibrahim.
He and Yeast aren't the only Buckeye State 2017 prospects worth remembering. Huber Heights (Ohio) Wayne receiver Matthew Wilcox has mid-major offers and likes Kentucky a lot. He obviously comes from a school with strong ties to the Stoops regime in Lexington.
We'll have a lot more on UK's other 2017 targets at other positions in the very near future, but rest assured that Marrow is likely to pull in another banner haul in his home state.
10. Expect another running back.
We're still hearing that Kentucky will take another 2017 running back. It may still be Mohamed Ibrahim, the Olney (Md.) Good Counsel player that just visited recently. Then again, it may not be. Tommy Mainord likes Ibrahim but with Warren on board there is no need to rush. In fact, rushing might be unwise. If you're going to take commitments early then it's best to make absolutely sure that you're solid on your evaluation. The staff obviously feels they have thoroughly vetted their four '17 commitments.
Kurt Taylor, the three-star running back from Georgia with a chisled frame, has a strong relationship with Jones, UK's quarterback commitment, and the two talked extensively about Kentucky while camping at UGA. Michigan recently offered Taylor, and with that the climb to his commitment just got a little tougher. He's still very high on Kentucky and likes the situation in Lexington, and our read is he would be at or near the top of UK's wish list at running back.
Justin Rowland
CatsIllustrated.com Football Recruiting Analyst
Cats Illustrated is taking a look at ten storylines in the world of Kentucky football recruiting.
With nearly a full Class of 2016 and a fast start in the class a year younger than that one there's a lot to report on when it comes to UK football recruiting.
1. Gunnar Hoak is enrolling early.
Hoak announced this week that he would be enrolling early in Lexington and that's a very good thing. Not many Class of 2015 recruits enrolled early and there's no indication it will be a big change this year, but it's especially important when your quarterback gets in a semester early.
Gunnar Hoak plans to enroll at Kentucky in January.
It would be a surprise if Hoak factors into the quarterback competition going into the 2016 season, but even if he's a factor in 2017 or 2018, that added semester could prove valuable. Scouts and analysts seem to be increasingly high on Hoak but the one area he's always needed to improve on is to become a more vocal leader that rallies the players around him. Being in Lexington a semester early will help him to get acclimated to life with his teammates and with older players and will prove valuable.
His decision to enroll early was in part prompted by Shannon Dawson and the other coaches, who obviously felt like it was a good idea. And it could lead some others to give stronger consideration to early enrollment as well.
2. Remaining priorities?
If Kentucky has 23 spots in this class, barring attrition which would push the number higher, then there's just one more opening. That's assuming they can keep everyone on board.
We know that Carlos Becker is a player in the secondary that Kentucky would love to add largely because of his size. But it's not like the staff is itching to just pad the numbers in the secondary. Our best guess is the staff tries to take the best available player in the secondary, at defensive end, or even at receiver. They're in an enviable position of not having any glaring holes.
3. Still aiming high.
If you're wondering how Kentucky's coaches are planning to spend that last scholarship don't think for a second that they plan on settling on someone they're just okay with. Kentucky's coaches are making a push for five-star defensive tackle Rashan Gary from New Jersey.
That's Andy Buh's recruiting territory and D.J. Eliot was also instrumental in getting Josh Allen on board from New Jersey late in the last recruiting class. The Paramus Catholic prospect is phenomenal in camp settings because of his rare explosion off the snap for a big interior lineman.
For now fans should keep their expectations in check. Gary has mentioned Kentucky as a school he would like to visit. So have some other five-star prospects in recent classes. But coupled with the program's newfound recruiting momentum, particularly with younger players, the mere mention is cause enough for a little excitement and certainly a mention. Mark Stoops himself will be in touch with Gary moving forward.
4. Don't write off Aime.
Regardless of what he does in the short-term it would be wise not to write off JUCO defensive lineman Walvenski Aime as a possibility. For a player in the 290-pound range Aime is lean and more athletic than many probably realize. And although Kentucky has two nose tackles and another potential interior lineman in Kordell Looney, players like Looney and Aime are able to play inside or outside in Kentucky's scheme.
If Kentucky wants to take Aime the chances are they are able to get him. He recently visited Minnesota and they're in the mix, too, but Aime really loves Kentucky and he likes both Jimmy Brumbaugh and the way in which the coaches have "been there all along," more so than coaches at other schools.
The recent commitment of Kobe Smith may complicate things a little bit, and so does the fact that the staff can be so picky from here on out.
5. Eskridge visits soon.
Star 2018 commitment and likely four- or five-star Jermaine Eskridge was originally planning to visit Kentucky in Demember. He committed last week sight unseen and that always makes coaches a little nervous.
But Eskridge recently announced that he will visit Lexington on September 19 for the game against Florida. As if that's not enough of an encouraging sign, rumor has it he's already striking up a relationship with 2017 commitments like Mac Jones and Michael Warren, and he's certainly as enthusiastic as one could hope an early commitment to be. It's too early to even speculate on the likelihood that Kentucky keeps Eskridge on board, but at this point all the momentum the program can find is helpful.
Jaylin Bannerman has been putting on weight.
Eskridge will be joined by Jones on that visit and UK's 2017 quarterback commitment has already proven himself a valuable recruiter for the program.
6. Bannerman keeps getting bigger.
Not long ago Jaylin Bannerman was a rail thing defensive end project in the eyes of some.
Now he's a 'Jack' linebacker project that's about a dozen pounds bigger than at the time of his commitment, and that's causing some to reevaluate his long-term potential.
If one stops thinking about Bannerman as a 270 pound defensive end, which he may never be, and leaves open the possibility that he plays as a 6-foot-5, 240-pound outside linebacker at his best, a few years from now, then the sky really is the limit.
7. Ohio's still the priority.
There will always be the talk about the Commonwealth being priority number one, but Ohio is the top recruiting ground for UK if you go by the numbers.
Amid all the talk of Florida, due to Jones and Eskridge committing, it would be tempting to forget that Ohio is still Ground Zero. Russ Yeast, James Hudson and Michael Warren would attest to that.
Some years will be more Ohio-heavy than others, but sources believe the Buckeye State will still be the largest pool that the Wildcats draw from in the Class of 2017.
8. Don't sleep on this guy.
Time will tell but sources are indicating that 2017 linebacker recruit Tadarrius Patterson is one of the rising juniors that would love to join Kentucky's growing class in that recruiting cycle. Patterson's a bit undersized for an outside linebacker if you ignore the fact that he's not even a high school junior yet. Give him a couple of years to grow and see where he ends up.
He's a really good athlete that the Kentucky coaches verbally offered. Other Power Five programs have been slow to offer, but we wouldn't be shocked if he's a name that garners more recognition in the months ahead. He likes Kentucky - a lot.
9. Ohio receivers on the radar.
Danny Davis of Ohio is a player the Kentucky coaches are in love with and we've got good reason to believe he's reciprocating their interest. He's a four-star from Springfield, Ohio, an area Kentucky has recruited heavily under Stoops and on Vince Marrow's watch. Remember the name.
Kentucky is in pursuit of running back Mohamed Ibrahim.
He and Yeast aren't the only Buckeye State 2017 prospects worth remembering. Huber Heights (Ohio) Wayne receiver Matthew Wilcox has mid-major offers and likes Kentucky a lot. He obviously comes from a school with strong ties to the Stoops regime in Lexington.
We'll have a lot more on UK's other 2017 targets at other positions in the very near future, but rest assured that Marrow is likely to pull in another banner haul in his home state.
10. Expect another running back.
We're still hearing that Kentucky will take another 2017 running back. It may still be Mohamed Ibrahim, the Olney (Md.) Good Counsel player that just visited recently. Then again, it may not be. Tommy Mainord likes Ibrahim but with Warren on board there is no need to rush. In fact, rushing might be unwise. If you're going to take commitments early then it's best to make absolutely sure that you're solid on your evaluation. The staff obviously feels they have thoroughly vetted their four '17 commitments.
Kurt Taylor, the three-star running back from Georgia with a chisled frame, has a strong relationship with Jones, UK's quarterback commitment, and the two talked extensively about Kentucky while camping at UGA. Michigan recently offered Taylor, and with that the climb to his commitment just got a little tougher. He's still very high on Kentucky and likes the situation in Lexington, and our read is he would be at or near the top of UK's wish list at running back.
