I took about 36 hours to get a little bit of a break before all hell breaks loose during what should be a wild recruiting run for Kentucky these next few weeks. Just a programming note, I will be at Kentucky's major camp events this summer. Definitely the night camps, the big man camp and the ones that should feature the bus tours of prospects as well as the elite guys from the region. During this time we'll also be tracking all the behind-the-scenes chatter with regard to a ton of official visits that will be taking place. Hopefully we'll get Jeff, Dave and Travis up for the big camps as well and really blow out the coverage. There will be plenty of scouting stuff, what we hear from parents, 7v7 coaches, HS coaches, etc., and the sights/sounds stuff that's always posted.
A few more recruiting notes (and I probably shouldn't have to explain this, but if you are wondering why the recruiting content is really heavy now, well, we're out of season and that's just what's important at the moment)...
In today's edition of The War Room, I wanted to take some time to focus on the trenches. UK is absolutely cleaning up with the big dudes (5-star Rogers, 4-star Young, 4-star Goods) like a big-time SEC program should, and there are other options available.
Here's where things stand.
- Phenix City (Ala.) Central offensive lineman Joshua Jones recently listed his top seven and Kentucky was on it. I mentioned that in some recent notes. I think I mentioned that he will be officially visiting Kentucky in June. I followed up and asked Jones what other officials he's sure of and the only one he said was Tennessee. So while I wouldn't go so far as to say it's between Kentucky and Tennessee, it certainly means something that those are the only two officials he seems to have in mind right now.
- Pickerington Central (Ohio) defensive tackle Ty Hamilton, related to one-time UK commit turned Buckeye defensive lineman Davon Hamilton, is someone we mentioned early in the process. Just noting that Ryan Snyder of the Penn State Rivals site here reported yesterday that Hamilton's three scheduled official visits are to Penn State, Indiana and Michigan with a decision coming down in July. Just reading the tea leaves here, Kentucky has two elite defensive tackle commitments and a couple more guys that they've invested a lot of time and energy into so they might have just gracefully exited here.
- Speaking of Penn State, they had seemed to emerge as a potential competitor for Detroit offensive lineman Deondre Buford, who officially visited UK the same weekend as four eventual commits (Rogers, Allen, Phillips, Young). I have not heard of things progressing too much between Penn State and Rogers although that is something to watch for. What I can say is that it seems like Buford, who really lays low, is someone that UK's visitors from that weekend have stayed in touch with and continued to work on and I'm hearing they still feel good about where they stand with him. My pick here is still Kentucky. To my knowledge he has not scheduled any other officials.
- More on Elyria (Ohio) offensive lineman Branson Taylor: My impression is he is pretty wide open. As in, I believe he will keep an open ear for Kentucky, but from Wisconsin and Michigan State to LSU and a bunch of other Power Five schools (Big Ten heavy list, as you'd imagine), he hasn't really tipped his hand so I'm interested in finding out what officials he will schedule. That will be the first real sign of where his head is at. What I have heard is that Pitt and Tennessee are two schools he is likely to take officials to and Kentucky seems like a realistic possibility for a visit as well.
- Former Kentucky commitment Richie Leonard is officially visiting Georgia Tech this weekend. With Leonard set to announce his decision on July 5th (his mother's birthday), this is a pivotal visit as is his scheduled June 5th official to Lexington. There was a lot of buzz about Florida State and understandably so, as the Seminoles got him on campus several times and he didn't hide his interest in Willie Taggart's program leading up to his decommitment from Kentucky. But right now GT and UK are his only scheduled officials.
Russell Johnson here on Rivals has written that Leonard will be spending a lot of time with another GT o-line target this weekend, Tate Johnson, but I'm not sure how far that connection will take them. I still believe UK has the inside track. Leonard has been a regular in Lexington and this is his first time visiting the Atlanta school. Brent Key is recruiting him for Georgia Tech and there is a relationship there but the bonds with UK are stronger, and remember, I think the main reason he decommitted was he was kind of a loner on UK's commitment list for quite a while. Very different dynamic now.
Taking everything into account, I believe the Leonard/FSU momentum has waned. Unless or unless he schedules an official to Florida State, even an unofficial (he has not been a frequent visitor at the local schools of late as he was earlier in the process), I'm leaning heavily Kentucky here.
- In case you missed it, about a week ago former Kentucky o-line commit Gerald Mincey released a top five that included Florida State, Florida, Mississippi State, Georgia and Miami. He's a very good player. Not a surprise that Kentucky is not included. No knock on Kentucky there, just never really seemed like his heart was in it.
- Kentucky is trying to keep the lines of communication open with five-star Paris Johnson and it's possible that he visits again at some point but right now it is mostly Ohio State and LSU.
- Also up in Ohio, four-star Rivals100 defensive lineman Darrion Henry is probably going to make a decision earlier than he thought he would at one point. He has mentioned Kentucky as a top five school in the past. I would still put them in the darkhorse column and it will be important to get that official set up asap.
- Four-star Tennessee defensive lineman Jay Hardy is someone the staff is trying to stay in contact with but there is a ton of competition involved. Ohio State offered recently and that seemed to make an impression.
- I've heard that four-star DT Octavious Oxendine is likely to officially visit Purdue, though I still think Kentucky and Tennessee are the main schools for now. He doesn't go on record a whole lot so I'm digging and trying to find out if having two big-time d-tackles is any issue for him as far as Kentucky is concerned.
- Four-star Miami defensive end commit Samuel Anaele has been a hot topic of conversation here with some folks wondering whether he's as good as his ranking indicates and what the circumstances of his status with the Canes might be. I have known Michael Tunsil, a coach down that way, for quite a while and he is plugged in with Anaele.
I think there was some concern because of his performance against OL Marcus Dumervil at a camp earlier this year but aside from some high profile losses in those 1-on-1's he was supposed to be pretty good. I think his stuff is a little raw but the body is there and the ability, if latent, is there. Hard to believe he would not be a take and Miami doesn't seem to be pushing him out the door. I don't know anything about the details of his academic standing or how that forecasts but he is apparently at his third high school and there has been some chatter that it will be something to watch.
- UK offered D-Lineman Riyad Wilmot from Florida a while back and his interest was very high when that happened. Will be interested in seeing if he camps and how he looks getting off the bus so to speak if he does. He looks quick off the ball and agile, interested to see how strong he is and if he can hold his own in the trenches in the SEC.
- Memphis (Tenn.) White Haven offensive lineman Ray Curry is a good looking physical guy who seems to like Arkansas and Mississippi State a lot. Back in April, Curry announced a long list of favorites that included Kentucky, Louisville, Ole Miss, Missouri, Nebraska, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, LSU and Mississippi State. From what I've heard he's in no hurry to make his decision.
- Dickson County, Tenn., defensive lineman Tre'Vonn Rybka told me this week that Kentucky is still in contact with him but he has not scheduled an official yet. This guy has a couple dozen offers and has really become a pretty big deal, and about three weeks ago he told the A&M site on Rivals that Kentucky and LSU were the two schools standing out to him the most. He has been to Lexington a couple of times. Will keep you posted on his plans if he does decide to visit soon.
- Clarksville, Tenn., offensive tackle Jason Eaton was in Lexington much earlier this year and after that trip he said Kentucky was one of the nicest places he has ever been. In fact after that visit he told Cats Illustrated that Kentucky was standing out. Now a three-star (5.6 RR) prospect, Eaton has offers from BYU, IU, KU, UK, LSU, Missouri and South Carolina. The 6'7, 320-pound tackle's most recent offers are from Charlotte and Austin Peay, however, so I would say this is definitely a guy who would need to camp.
A few more recruiting notes (and I probably shouldn't have to explain this, but if you are wondering why the recruiting content is really heavy now, well, we're out of season and that's just what's important at the moment)...
In today's edition of The War Room, I wanted to take some time to focus on the trenches. UK is absolutely cleaning up with the big dudes (5-star Rogers, 4-star Young, 4-star Goods) like a big-time SEC program should, and there are other options available.
Here's where things stand.
- Phenix City (Ala.) Central offensive lineman Joshua Jones recently listed his top seven and Kentucky was on it. I mentioned that in some recent notes. I think I mentioned that he will be officially visiting Kentucky in June. I followed up and asked Jones what other officials he's sure of and the only one he said was Tennessee. So while I wouldn't go so far as to say it's between Kentucky and Tennessee, it certainly means something that those are the only two officials he seems to have in mind right now.
- Pickerington Central (Ohio) defensive tackle Ty Hamilton, related to one-time UK commit turned Buckeye defensive lineman Davon Hamilton, is someone we mentioned early in the process. Just noting that Ryan Snyder of the Penn State Rivals site here reported yesterday that Hamilton's three scheduled official visits are to Penn State, Indiana and Michigan with a decision coming down in July. Just reading the tea leaves here, Kentucky has two elite defensive tackle commitments and a couple more guys that they've invested a lot of time and energy into so they might have just gracefully exited here.
- Speaking of Penn State, they had seemed to emerge as a potential competitor for Detroit offensive lineman Deondre Buford, who officially visited UK the same weekend as four eventual commits (Rogers, Allen, Phillips, Young). I have not heard of things progressing too much between Penn State and Rogers although that is something to watch for. What I can say is that it seems like Buford, who really lays low, is someone that UK's visitors from that weekend have stayed in touch with and continued to work on and I'm hearing they still feel good about where they stand with him. My pick here is still Kentucky. To my knowledge he has not scheduled any other officials.
- More on Elyria (Ohio) offensive lineman Branson Taylor: My impression is he is pretty wide open. As in, I believe he will keep an open ear for Kentucky, but from Wisconsin and Michigan State to LSU and a bunch of other Power Five schools (Big Ten heavy list, as you'd imagine), he hasn't really tipped his hand so I'm interested in finding out what officials he will schedule. That will be the first real sign of where his head is at. What I have heard is that Pitt and Tennessee are two schools he is likely to take officials to and Kentucky seems like a realistic possibility for a visit as well.
- Former Kentucky commitment Richie Leonard is officially visiting Georgia Tech this weekend. With Leonard set to announce his decision on July 5th (his mother's birthday), this is a pivotal visit as is his scheduled June 5th official to Lexington. There was a lot of buzz about Florida State and understandably so, as the Seminoles got him on campus several times and he didn't hide his interest in Willie Taggart's program leading up to his decommitment from Kentucky. But right now GT and UK are his only scheduled officials.
Russell Johnson here on Rivals has written that Leonard will be spending a lot of time with another GT o-line target this weekend, Tate Johnson, but I'm not sure how far that connection will take them. I still believe UK has the inside track. Leonard has been a regular in Lexington and this is his first time visiting the Atlanta school. Brent Key is recruiting him for Georgia Tech and there is a relationship there but the bonds with UK are stronger, and remember, I think the main reason he decommitted was he was kind of a loner on UK's commitment list for quite a while. Very different dynamic now.
Taking everything into account, I believe the Leonard/FSU momentum has waned. Unless or unless he schedules an official to Florida State, even an unofficial (he has not been a frequent visitor at the local schools of late as he was earlier in the process), I'm leaning heavily Kentucky here.
- In case you missed it, about a week ago former Kentucky o-line commit Gerald Mincey released a top five that included Florida State, Florida, Mississippi State, Georgia and Miami. He's a very good player. Not a surprise that Kentucky is not included. No knock on Kentucky there, just never really seemed like his heart was in it.
- Kentucky is trying to keep the lines of communication open with five-star Paris Johnson and it's possible that he visits again at some point but right now it is mostly Ohio State and LSU.
- Also up in Ohio, four-star Rivals100 defensive lineman Darrion Henry is probably going to make a decision earlier than he thought he would at one point. He has mentioned Kentucky as a top five school in the past. I would still put them in the darkhorse column and it will be important to get that official set up asap.
- Four-star Tennessee defensive lineman Jay Hardy is someone the staff is trying to stay in contact with but there is a ton of competition involved. Ohio State offered recently and that seemed to make an impression.
- I've heard that four-star DT Octavious Oxendine is likely to officially visit Purdue, though I still think Kentucky and Tennessee are the main schools for now. He doesn't go on record a whole lot so I'm digging and trying to find out if having two big-time d-tackles is any issue for him as far as Kentucky is concerned.
- Four-star Miami defensive end commit Samuel Anaele has been a hot topic of conversation here with some folks wondering whether he's as good as his ranking indicates and what the circumstances of his status with the Canes might be. I have known Michael Tunsil, a coach down that way, for quite a while and he is plugged in with Anaele.
I think there was some concern because of his performance against OL Marcus Dumervil at a camp earlier this year but aside from some high profile losses in those 1-on-1's he was supposed to be pretty good. I think his stuff is a little raw but the body is there and the ability, if latent, is there. Hard to believe he would not be a take and Miami doesn't seem to be pushing him out the door. I don't know anything about the details of his academic standing or how that forecasts but he is apparently at his third high school and there has been some chatter that it will be something to watch.
- UK offered D-Lineman Riyad Wilmot from Florida a while back and his interest was very high when that happened. Will be interested in seeing if he camps and how he looks getting off the bus so to speak if he does. He looks quick off the ball and agile, interested to see how strong he is and if he can hold his own in the trenches in the SEC.
- Memphis (Tenn.) White Haven offensive lineman Ray Curry is a good looking physical guy who seems to like Arkansas and Mississippi State a lot. Back in April, Curry announced a long list of favorites that included Kentucky, Louisville, Ole Miss, Missouri, Nebraska, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, LSU and Mississippi State. From what I've heard he's in no hurry to make his decision.
- Dickson County, Tenn., defensive lineman Tre'Vonn Rybka told me this week that Kentucky is still in contact with him but he has not scheduled an official yet. This guy has a couple dozen offers and has really become a pretty big deal, and about three weeks ago he told the A&M site on Rivals that Kentucky and LSU were the two schools standing out to him the most. He has been to Lexington a couple of times. Will keep you posted on his plans if he does decide to visit soon.
- Clarksville, Tenn., offensive tackle Jason Eaton was in Lexington much earlier this year and after that trip he said Kentucky was one of the nicest places he has ever been. In fact after that visit he told Cats Illustrated that Kentucky was standing out. Now a three-star (5.6 RR) prospect, Eaton has offers from BYU, IU, KU, UK, LSU, Missouri and South Carolina. The 6'7, 320-pound tackle's most recent offers are from Charlotte and Austin Peay, however, so I would say this is definitely a guy who would need to camp.
