There's a lot going on with two junior days in the books, plenty of visitors coming through on other days earlier this year, and much more. Kentucky's already got thirteen commitments so you're looking to take ten more.
HERE'S WHERE THINGS STAND
QB: Need at least one.
RB: Have two, probably good.
WR: Have three. Could take another. Maybe a slot or smaller guy, or maybe best available.
TE: Have one. Could be good. Maybe flexible here.
OT: Have one. Will take another. Possibly two.
OG: Need at least one.
C: Have one, all set.
DE: Need at least two.
DT: Need a couple.
OLB: Have one, probably take another.
ILB: Need one, could take two.
CB: Depends on how you slot them. D Robinson, Griffin, Gilliam could all be corners. Could still take a great one.
S: See above. Probably best available between CB/S at this this point.
ALL EYES ON KENDALL
There's talk Kendall will return to Rocky Top for a spring practice to see how the offense will go under new leadership. This will be his second trip back to UT in a short period of time. Read into that what you will. His family keeps a tight lid on things.
I've said all along that I think Tennessee has had Kendall's heart. However, Tennessee may also force Kendall to make a business decision. They took more quarterbacks than Kendall's camp expected them to. There's been talk linking Tennessee to Jarrett Guarantano lately. Will he go with his heart, which seems to be pulling him to Knoxville, or will he open things up or, better yet for UK, flip to the 'Cats?
I can tell you that no decision has been made, or if it has he hasn't told anybody. Kentucky is waiting to see what he's going to do. Kendall has told them that he will not leave them hanging for long. Yesterday I was told a decision could come as soon as today, or at least they would be able to read the tea leaves more. That has not happened, to my knowledge. Shannon Dawson has been willing to wait thus far but I also have reason to believe he's not going to wait too much longer. Kentucky simply has to get a quarterback this year. It probably won't be deWeaver because they've not gone all in with him.
HOLDING THE CLASS TOGETHER
Keeping the '16 class together will be a major point of emphasis - the major point of emphasis going forward, especially with more than half the class together already. The fact that there are so many commitments so early is a very good sign. That's more time to bond, to communicate, to see one another on visits, etc. The '16 class is much more like the '14 class in terms of how close-knit they are and their enthusiasm for one another and the program than the '15 class. That's a good sign.
Looking into the future, here are the "story lines" to follow in terms of keeping the class together.
I'm of the opinion, based on good information, that Drake Jackson and Landon Young will not flip, no matter what. It would take a ton for Kayaune Ross to flip anywhere. Zyaire Hughes admits he's gone "back and forth" on how solid he is. Davonte Robinson will probably stick, too, but he is entertaining the idea of camping at Ohio State.
Up in Ohio I feel good about Kentucky's chances of holding onto the bulk of their guys but it would be foolish to write off Ohio State, Michigan or even Michigan State if they offer. Those schools always carry a ton of clout. So without needless emotional angst, we can also acknowledge the modern realities of recruiting - i.e., it's not over 'til they sign.
Sources I've spoken with expect Jaylin Bannerman, Asim Rose, Tobias Gilliam and Benny Snell to continue to pick up a lot more offers. Pitt offered Gilliam after he committed to UK. Gilliam has said he might take other visits, but he said it would be to support friends and teammates. Iowa offered Snell just before he committed to Kentucky. Rose and Bannerman are athletes in the mold of Landon Young and Davonte Robinson. They're freakish in certain respects.
Justin Rigg has told me that right now he's focused on Kentucky but he was unsure of how he would react to other offers or camp invites. Haven't spoken with Holtzclaw since his commitment but I would suspect that he'd be in the same boat-- too early to tell. This is projecting. Not based on any tangible or clear reason to worry. Just shooting straight with you.
Jordan Griffin is like any Georgia kid Kentucky recruits. Just have to wait and see who offers. I feel good about UK holding onto Roland Walder.
I realize there will be a tendency to act like these players all think like the most rabid fans of you here, but reality is reality and certain schools do carry weight. We will just have to wait and see how it plays out, but right now I think the forecast is good for keeping most of the class together. Much of that will be determined by the on-field product.
WHO I'M MOST IMPRESSED WITH
This is only my opinion, based on what I've seen and what I've heard from people I trust both on the ground close to these guys and people closer to UK.
"High floor players" - i.e. players that I am very confident will be contributors. They may not have the highest ceiling, but these guys are some combination of: physically developed, very productive, well-evaluated, hard workers, etc.
-- Drake Jackson
-- Benny Snell
-- Zyaire Hughes
-- Justin Rigg
-- Tobias Gilliam
-- Roland Walder
"High ceiling players" - These are the most athletic players in the class for Kentucky, IMO. FWIW, if these guys "get it right", they have the most NFL potential. That doesn't mean I'm predicting them to be the best. Just that I think they have the most raw athleticism.
-- Davonte Robinson
-- Jaylin Bannerman
-- Landon Young
-- A.J. Rose
"See how they develop & fit" - These would be players that have unique attributes but only time will tell how they fit in the system. They're not so much like Bannerman, who is nowhere near as filled out as he's going to be, or as explosive as Robinson or Rose. They're more players that have skill sets that really translate based on how coaches find a niche for them.
-- Kayaune Ross
-- Dakota Holtzclaw
-- Jordan Griffin
The players that I would be most excited about, if I were in the football offices or if my job hinged on their success, would be Jackson, Robinson, Bannerman, Young, Rose and Walder.
I think Robinson, Bannerman and Rose are absolute athletic specimens that could be really special if they put in the work.
TOP TARGETS BY POSITION
QB: Kendall or they move on to the evaluation period.
RB: N/A
WR: Ruben Flowers, Tyler Simmons, not sure where Wakefield stands. Not a huge position need.
TE: Not ruling it out but not ready to list players.
OT: Stone Forsythe (UK leads), JUCO Malcolm Pridgeon, Darius Harper, Alex Gellerstedt.
OG: Luke Fortner (UK leads; watch him), Baveon Johnson, Jack Wohlabaugh.
C: N/A -- although Fortner can play T, G or C.
DE: Jordan Smith, Zo Bridges, Michael Boykin.
DT: Kordell Looney, Chris Martin, Keyshon Camp, Aaron Thompson, several others.
ILB: Ethan Tucky, Erroll Thompson, Donta Evans
OLB: Brock Miller, Jonathan Jones
CB: Roderick Campbell, Rakeem Hightower, John Broussard, several others.
S: Sean Mahone, James Pierre, Jeawon Taylor, others.
HERE'S WHERE THINGS STAND
QB: Need at least one.
RB: Have two, probably good.
WR: Have three. Could take another. Maybe a slot or smaller guy, or maybe best available.
TE: Have one. Could be good. Maybe flexible here.
OT: Have one. Will take another. Possibly two.
OG: Need at least one.
C: Have one, all set.
DE: Need at least two.
DT: Need a couple.
OLB: Have one, probably take another.
ILB: Need one, could take two.
CB: Depends on how you slot them. D Robinson, Griffin, Gilliam could all be corners. Could still take a great one.
S: See above. Probably best available between CB/S at this this point.
ALL EYES ON KENDALL
There's talk Kendall will return to Rocky Top for a spring practice to see how the offense will go under new leadership. This will be his second trip back to UT in a short period of time. Read into that what you will. His family keeps a tight lid on things.
I've said all along that I think Tennessee has had Kendall's heart. However, Tennessee may also force Kendall to make a business decision. They took more quarterbacks than Kendall's camp expected them to. There's been talk linking Tennessee to Jarrett Guarantano lately. Will he go with his heart, which seems to be pulling him to Knoxville, or will he open things up or, better yet for UK, flip to the 'Cats?
I can tell you that no decision has been made, or if it has he hasn't told anybody. Kentucky is waiting to see what he's going to do. Kendall has told them that he will not leave them hanging for long. Yesterday I was told a decision could come as soon as today, or at least they would be able to read the tea leaves more. That has not happened, to my knowledge. Shannon Dawson has been willing to wait thus far but I also have reason to believe he's not going to wait too much longer. Kentucky simply has to get a quarterback this year. It probably won't be deWeaver because they've not gone all in with him.
HOLDING THE CLASS TOGETHER
Keeping the '16 class together will be a major point of emphasis - the major point of emphasis going forward, especially with more than half the class together already. The fact that there are so many commitments so early is a very good sign. That's more time to bond, to communicate, to see one another on visits, etc. The '16 class is much more like the '14 class in terms of how close-knit they are and their enthusiasm for one another and the program than the '15 class. That's a good sign.
Looking into the future, here are the "story lines" to follow in terms of keeping the class together.
I'm of the opinion, based on good information, that Drake Jackson and Landon Young will not flip, no matter what. It would take a ton for Kayaune Ross to flip anywhere. Zyaire Hughes admits he's gone "back and forth" on how solid he is. Davonte Robinson will probably stick, too, but he is entertaining the idea of camping at Ohio State.
Up in Ohio I feel good about Kentucky's chances of holding onto the bulk of their guys but it would be foolish to write off Ohio State, Michigan or even Michigan State if they offer. Those schools always carry a ton of clout. So without needless emotional angst, we can also acknowledge the modern realities of recruiting - i.e., it's not over 'til they sign.
Sources I've spoken with expect Jaylin Bannerman, Asim Rose, Tobias Gilliam and Benny Snell to continue to pick up a lot more offers. Pitt offered Gilliam after he committed to UK. Gilliam has said he might take other visits, but he said it would be to support friends and teammates. Iowa offered Snell just before he committed to Kentucky. Rose and Bannerman are athletes in the mold of Landon Young and Davonte Robinson. They're freakish in certain respects.
Justin Rigg has told me that right now he's focused on Kentucky but he was unsure of how he would react to other offers or camp invites. Haven't spoken with Holtzclaw since his commitment but I would suspect that he'd be in the same boat-- too early to tell. This is projecting. Not based on any tangible or clear reason to worry. Just shooting straight with you.
Jordan Griffin is like any Georgia kid Kentucky recruits. Just have to wait and see who offers. I feel good about UK holding onto Roland Walder.
I realize there will be a tendency to act like these players all think like the most rabid fans of you here, but reality is reality and certain schools do carry weight. We will just have to wait and see how it plays out, but right now I think the forecast is good for keeping most of the class together. Much of that will be determined by the on-field product.
WHO I'M MOST IMPRESSED WITH
This is only my opinion, based on what I've seen and what I've heard from people I trust both on the ground close to these guys and people closer to UK.
"High floor players" - i.e. players that I am very confident will be contributors. They may not have the highest ceiling, but these guys are some combination of: physically developed, very productive, well-evaluated, hard workers, etc.
-- Drake Jackson
-- Benny Snell
-- Zyaire Hughes
-- Justin Rigg
-- Tobias Gilliam
-- Roland Walder
"High ceiling players" - These are the most athletic players in the class for Kentucky, IMO. FWIW, if these guys "get it right", they have the most NFL potential. That doesn't mean I'm predicting them to be the best. Just that I think they have the most raw athleticism.
-- Davonte Robinson
-- Jaylin Bannerman
-- Landon Young
-- A.J. Rose
"See how they develop & fit" - These would be players that have unique attributes but only time will tell how they fit in the system. They're not so much like Bannerman, who is nowhere near as filled out as he's going to be, or as explosive as Robinson or Rose. They're more players that have skill sets that really translate based on how coaches find a niche for them.
-- Kayaune Ross
-- Dakota Holtzclaw
-- Jordan Griffin
The players that I would be most excited about, if I were in the football offices or if my job hinged on their success, would be Jackson, Robinson, Bannerman, Young, Rose and Walder.
I think Robinson, Bannerman and Rose are absolute athletic specimens that could be really special if they put in the work.
TOP TARGETS BY POSITION
QB: Kendall or they move on to the evaluation period.
RB: N/A
WR: Ruben Flowers, Tyler Simmons, not sure where Wakefield stands. Not a huge position need.
TE: Not ruling it out but not ready to list players.
OT: Stone Forsythe (UK leads), JUCO Malcolm Pridgeon, Darius Harper, Alex Gellerstedt.
OG: Luke Fortner (UK leads; watch him), Baveon Johnson, Jack Wohlabaugh.
C: N/A -- although Fortner can play T, G or C.
DE: Jordan Smith, Zo Bridges, Michael Boykin.
DT: Kordell Looney, Chris Martin, Keyshon Camp, Aaron Thompson, several others.
ILB: Ethan Tucky, Erroll Thompson, Donta Evans
OLB: Brock Miller, Jonathan Jones
CB: Roderick Campbell, Rakeem Hightower, John Broussard, several others.
S: Sean Mahone, James Pierre, Jeawon Taylor, others.
