We are only about three weeks away from Kentucky's first camp of the summer. Same amount of time until the first official visits for 2022 prospects get going.
Needless to say there's a whole lot going on. Many moving parts. So this isn't going to be comprehensive, just a compendium of the latest that I've been hearing.
** Kentucky is hopeful that a relationship at Lake Travis H.S. in Texas can help them with Bo Edmundson, quarterback at the school. Lake Travis obviously puts out a ton of talent. Their offensive coordinator is Tommy Mangino, who was at Kentucky until recently. Michigan State, Utah, Tulsa, Oklahoma State, Penn State, SMU, and UTSA are among the other schools that have offered.
** This is as heated as it's ever been between Kentucky and Ohio State on the recruiting trail.
1) Kiyaunta Goodwin picks Kentucky over OSU
2) Ryan Baer, high on UK's board, is starting to hear more from OSU
3) UK, OSU, and others going head to head for Aamil Wagner
4) Kentucky's trying to flip Tegra Tshabola
** Goodwin is as solid as it gets from everything I'm hearing.
** Baer is someone that Kentucky really wants. Getting the impression he may actually be the highest offensive lineman on the board right now. Baer has official visits scheduled to Virginia (6/4), Illinois (6/11), Kentucky (6/18), and Tennessee (6/25). One person I've spoken with is adamant that Tennessee is lower than the others on his list and they cited the anticipated NCAA issues the Vols could be facing. Have had one person tell me the sanctions could be some of the more severe that an SEC school has seen in a while.
Baer is going to camp at Ohio State the first week of summer. That's going to tell us a lot. By the time the UK official gets here I think we'll know what's going to happen. Kentucky's staff seems to have a mutual respect with Virginia's. They do go head to head for guys occasionally and have only heard sources speak well of the staff Bronco Mendenhall has there in Charlottesville. They do things the right way, they're respectful, etc. Would be surprised if he goes to Illinois. Virginia and Kentucky look strong now but it's not fixed yet. But again whether OSU offers is going to be something that really defines the last stage of his recruitment.
** Tegra Tshabola is at or around the top of Kentucky's board at o-line as well. While Eric Wolford is integral with almost every offensive line recruit that Kentucky is after this one is all Vince Marrow. Not really tag teaming here, it's mostly Marrow working that Lakota West pipeline. At last check Kentucky is still optimistic about a flip and seems to think Tegra cancelling the UK visit is about making the situation more manageable with less pressure on Tshabola in the short term.
** Four-star OT Aamil Wagner was Kentucky-ND and then Ohio State offered a while ago as you remember. He's going to officially visit Ohio State (6/4), Kentucky (6/11), Notre Dame (6/18), and Penn State (6/25). Not sure how this one is ultimately going to play out but I can tell you that Kentucky is still getting very good feedback and vibes from him.
** With Steve Clinkscale leaving the staff it's going to be harder to land two way lineman Deon Walker out of Michigan. Clinkscale and Walker were really close. However, unlike with somebody like Myles Pollard, Barion Brown, or D'Arco Perkins-McCallister (Clinkscale recruits in Tennessee), UK still has a relationship there with Wolford and they are not going to back away. I do think it will be a bit more difficult without Clink though.
Have heard that Walker's coach is going to bring him down to Kentucky this summer but he's not going to be taking official visits until later in the process. Getting him on campus unofficially in June would be a really good sign.
** Based on what I'm hearing Nashville, Tenn., offensive lineman Grayson Morgan is higher on Kentucky's board than I originally realized. Kentucky, Maryland, and Vanderbilt are the main schools involved with OVs set to UK and Maryland. Hearing that Kentucky believes he is pretty elite in terms of mobility. Right there with Aamil Wagner in that respect. Is officially visiting Kentucky the weekend of 6/25 but very close to believing he's a take for UK.
** Also visiting 6/25 is Hunter McLain an unranked offensive tackle prospect with other offers from Iowa State, Marshall, and UMass. The Daleville (Va.) Lord Botetourt o-tackle is a little off the recruiting radar but he's definitely someone to watch this month.
** You first saw offensive lineman Drew Bobo (son of Mike Bobo) mentioned here months ago and haven't gone too much into it because I haven't had clarity. But can confirm that Kentucky does like him. The concern that has probably kept them from moving too far and too fast is a lot of people (at different schools) believe there's a real chance that late in the process he becomes a take for Auburn with his dad there.
** Kentucky continues to recruit Lafayette, Ala., two-way lineman Antavious Woody. He's started to hear from more schools as a defensive line prospect after winning a defensive line MVP award at a camp. Increasingly a defensive prospect in the eyes of college coaches but Woody is someone Kentucky would take on either side of the ball.
** You know I mentioned a while back that most of the guys they have been on from the South are A) Highly ranked, B) Probably not going to officially visit during the summer because UK wants to save those officials for late. Hearing now some good news, that they are tentatively expecting some of those very highly ranked 2022 guys to make it to campus this summer UNOFFICIALLY, which would set them up well for the longer haul. I should have more on those trips when they get closer but because every school is battling it out for visit dates in such a cutthroat way I think UK is trying to keep this stuff off the grid for a while.
** Kentucky is still actively recruiting four-star Rivals250 OLB Demario Tolan out of Florida but he has officials scheduled to Tennessee (6/4), Auburn (6/11), LSU (6/18), and Miami (25). Pretty coveted player with almost four dozen offers. I'd say they have some work to do.
** Another linebacker out of Florida they are continuing to pursue is Micah Pollard and I'd say they probably have a better chance with him than Tolan.
** But UK is probably in a better position with Joshua Josephs than either of those two guys. Josephs has scheduled official visits to Tennessee (6/4), Penn State (6/11), and Michigan (6/18). Nobody has told me this, but strong suspicion he may be one of the guys they are saving an official for later on.
** Of course there was the recent linebacker offer to Mani Powell and Kentucky seems to believe they are going to be able to land him. When you've got Marrow and Sumrall recruiting as tag-team partners that's going to make for a very strong pitch. Arkansas has the first FutureCasts for Powell. Not quite putting in a FutureCast but Kentucky has a good shot.
Needless to say there's a whole lot going on. Many moving parts. So this isn't going to be comprehensive, just a compendium of the latest that I've been hearing.
** Kentucky is hopeful that a relationship at Lake Travis H.S. in Texas can help them with Bo Edmundson, quarterback at the school. Lake Travis obviously puts out a ton of talent. Their offensive coordinator is Tommy Mangino, who was at Kentucky until recently. Michigan State, Utah, Tulsa, Oklahoma State, Penn State, SMU, and UTSA are among the other schools that have offered.
** This is as heated as it's ever been between Kentucky and Ohio State on the recruiting trail.
1) Kiyaunta Goodwin picks Kentucky over OSU
2) Ryan Baer, high on UK's board, is starting to hear more from OSU
3) UK, OSU, and others going head to head for Aamil Wagner
4) Kentucky's trying to flip Tegra Tshabola
** Goodwin is as solid as it gets from everything I'm hearing.
** Baer is someone that Kentucky really wants. Getting the impression he may actually be the highest offensive lineman on the board right now. Baer has official visits scheduled to Virginia (6/4), Illinois (6/11), Kentucky (6/18), and Tennessee (6/25). One person I've spoken with is adamant that Tennessee is lower than the others on his list and they cited the anticipated NCAA issues the Vols could be facing. Have had one person tell me the sanctions could be some of the more severe that an SEC school has seen in a while.
Baer is going to camp at Ohio State the first week of summer. That's going to tell us a lot. By the time the UK official gets here I think we'll know what's going to happen. Kentucky's staff seems to have a mutual respect with Virginia's. They do go head to head for guys occasionally and have only heard sources speak well of the staff Bronco Mendenhall has there in Charlottesville. They do things the right way, they're respectful, etc. Would be surprised if he goes to Illinois. Virginia and Kentucky look strong now but it's not fixed yet. But again whether OSU offers is going to be something that really defines the last stage of his recruitment.
** Tegra Tshabola is at or around the top of Kentucky's board at o-line as well. While Eric Wolford is integral with almost every offensive line recruit that Kentucky is after this one is all Vince Marrow. Not really tag teaming here, it's mostly Marrow working that Lakota West pipeline. At last check Kentucky is still optimistic about a flip and seems to think Tegra cancelling the UK visit is about making the situation more manageable with less pressure on Tshabola in the short term.
** Four-star OT Aamil Wagner was Kentucky-ND and then Ohio State offered a while ago as you remember. He's going to officially visit Ohio State (6/4), Kentucky (6/11), Notre Dame (6/18), and Penn State (6/25). Not sure how this one is ultimately going to play out but I can tell you that Kentucky is still getting very good feedback and vibes from him.
** With Steve Clinkscale leaving the staff it's going to be harder to land two way lineman Deon Walker out of Michigan. Clinkscale and Walker were really close. However, unlike with somebody like Myles Pollard, Barion Brown, or D'Arco Perkins-McCallister (Clinkscale recruits in Tennessee), UK still has a relationship there with Wolford and they are not going to back away. I do think it will be a bit more difficult without Clink though.
Have heard that Walker's coach is going to bring him down to Kentucky this summer but he's not going to be taking official visits until later in the process. Getting him on campus unofficially in June would be a really good sign.
** Based on what I'm hearing Nashville, Tenn., offensive lineman Grayson Morgan is higher on Kentucky's board than I originally realized. Kentucky, Maryland, and Vanderbilt are the main schools involved with OVs set to UK and Maryland. Hearing that Kentucky believes he is pretty elite in terms of mobility. Right there with Aamil Wagner in that respect. Is officially visiting Kentucky the weekend of 6/25 but very close to believing he's a take for UK.
** Also visiting 6/25 is Hunter McLain an unranked offensive tackle prospect with other offers from Iowa State, Marshall, and UMass. The Daleville (Va.) Lord Botetourt o-tackle is a little off the recruiting radar but he's definitely someone to watch this month.
** You first saw offensive lineman Drew Bobo (son of Mike Bobo) mentioned here months ago and haven't gone too much into it because I haven't had clarity. But can confirm that Kentucky does like him. The concern that has probably kept them from moving too far and too fast is a lot of people (at different schools) believe there's a real chance that late in the process he becomes a take for Auburn with his dad there.
** Kentucky continues to recruit Lafayette, Ala., two-way lineman Antavious Woody. He's started to hear from more schools as a defensive line prospect after winning a defensive line MVP award at a camp. Increasingly a defensive prospect in the eyes of college coaches but Woody is someone Kentucky would take on either side of the ball.
** You know I mentioned a while back that most of the guys they have been on from the South are A) Highly ranked, B) Probably not going to officially visit during the summer because UK wants to save those officials for late. Hearing now some good news, that they are tentatively expecting some of those very highly ranked 2022 guys to make it to campus this summer UNOFFICIALLY, which would set them up well for the longer haul. I should have more on those trips when they get closer but because every school is battling it out for visit dates in such a cutthroat way I think UK is trying to keep this stuff off the grid for a while.
** Kentucky is still actively recruiting four-star Rivals250 OLB Demario Tolan out of Florida but he has officials scheduled to Tennessee (6/4), Auburn (6/11), LSU (6/18), and Miami (25). Pretty coveted player with almost four dozen offers. I'd say they have some work to do.
** Another linebacker out of Florida they are continuing to pursue is Micah Pollard and I'd say they probably have a better chance with him than Tolan.
** But UK is probably in a better position with Joshua Josephs than either of those two guys. Josephs has scheduled official visits to Tennessee (6/4), Penn State (6/11), and Michigan (6/18). Nobody has told me this, but strong suspicion he may be one of the guys they are saving an official for later on.
** Of course there was the recent linebacker offer to Mani Powell and Kentucky seems to believe they are going to be able to land him. When you've got Marrow and Sumrall recruiting as tag-team partners that's going to make for a very strong pitch. Arkansas has the first FutureCasts for Powell. Not quite putting in a FutureCast but Kentucky has a good shot.
