It's Friday and we've got a busy weekend ahead, don't we?
Blockbuster Recruiting Weekend
It figures to be one of the biggest recruiting weekends of the year for Kentucky football. Much of that is due to the sheer number of commitments that will be present.
Kobe Smith is taking his official visit and more on him in a bit. Not sure if Zy'Aire Hughes will be able to make it because it looks like McCracken County has a game Saturday night at 7:00 p.m.
But most of the commitments figure to be there. I don't think Jordan Griffin, Kayaune Ross or Tate Leavitt will be in Lexington, although Griffin should be at the UK-Missouri game and one or two more after that. This won't be Smith's last trip to Kentucky as he's been planning to attend a few games as well.
Notably, Jamar Watson recently confirmed he'll be attending. He's visiting with a teammate (who is not being recruited by UK) as well as his family. No reason to believe he's anything less than solid and I continue to hear Kentucky feels good about him.
Davonte Robinson will be at Kentucky's recruiting extravaganza. That's important because he's going to be at Notre Dame's big recruiting event, too -- on Oct. 17 against USC. He's played it so close to the vest I'm going to avoid making pronouncements on just where he stands on things, but I think it's one of those things where Robinson has always liked UK as the comfortable choice, the local choice -- and because he never really blew up or sought out outside attention, Notre Dame is just standing in the place of everyone else as the one school he'll look at to make sure Kentucky was the right choice.
We'll have to wait and see about the specifics as far as commitments attending but I wouldn't get hung up on it. If there were smoke surrounding one of UK's commitments and he didn't show, opting to visit another school -- that would be one thing. But there's no reason to believe anyone's wavering at the present time, aside from the occasional unsubstantiated internet rumor or "I'm still talking to this or that school," comment when a reporter approaches a kid.
It's huge to have all of the commitments, or most of them, on campus at the same time. That will make for a very good atmosphere to put the uncommitted recruits in.
Much of the uncommitted visitor list is still in flux. Tonight I heard back from Rivals100 freak athlete Javonte Richardson, who said his plans for the weekend are still up in the air. Apparently he's still in the early stages of hammering out plans. When asked, again, whether the visit is happening he said "hopefully," but he said his mother still needs to talk to his father about how realistic that trip would be. At the very least you have to be happy that one of the nation's best players from Ohio is still talking about wanting to visit. Could be a last second thing. Joshua Paschal, it seems, will not be visiting.
Four-star ILB Jacob Phillips has confirmed he's still going through with the trip.
In-state sleeper receiver C.J. Hayes should be at the game. Louisville's coaches are going to send someone to watch him play against North Hardin. I think John Schlarman is interested, too. One guy I'd say to keep a close eye on, visiting this weekend, is 6-foot-2 Alabama defensive back J'Marick Woods. I'm not saying he's on commitment watch right now, but I think he's someone the staff feels very strongly about.
I'm anxious to get down on the field before the game to see what the dynamic is like between Tyrell Ajian and some of the UK commits he knows, like Tobias Gilliam, Mac Jones, James Hudson and Mike Warren. How he acts around those guys could give some key insight into whether they're just some relationships among countless others that won't prove influential, or whether he really clicks with any of them. Tobias Gilliam is one of the point men for the whole class and seems to get along with all of the other commits and a lot of targets.
Chase Brice Interested in Kentucky?
When Mac Jones committed to Kentucky apparently Shannon Dawson told him that there was a possibility the Wildcats could take another quarterback. At the time it seemed like the most likely scenario -- not the only scenario -- was to move in the direction of a dual-threat/athlete type to bring a little of both into the position.
Again, that wasn't the only scenario. Now, based on recent reports, four-star quarterback Chase Brice is interested in Kentucky. That's big news as Brice is a four-star and one of the South's best quarterbacks. I think Jones is actually a little more consistent in terms of throwing a nice ball, accuracy and intangibles, and he's certainly bought all in. There's no need for Jones and another quarterback to be in conflict because he knew right up front that UK could take another quarterback.
Note, I'm not saying Kentucky leads for Brice. I spoke with Brice in a very casual setting at the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge in Baltimore and he gave passing mention to Kentucky at the time, but really seemed to light up when he talked about Clemson and Alabama. At the time I made a mental note that it sounds like he wants to play at a school like that.
But according to sources Brice has been more receptive to Kentucky's pitch than most seemed to realize. The biggest factor has been getting him to really listen to Dawson's track record with quarterbacks and to start to see the program's improvement. Now that the Cats are 2-0 with some high profile games remaining, they still have room to climb up Brice's list.
Brice was at Michigan State for their game against Oregon and didn't go on the record with a ton of quotes but indicated the Spartans had impressed him.
Here was my interview/report on Brice from three months ago.
What stood out to me about Brice was how maturely he carries himself and how he's a really thoughtful kid. Seems to have a quarterback's mind and persona. He's definitely a pro-style quarterback and it will be interesting to see how this plays out. I have not, to date, heard of any specific visit plans. But Brice recently said that he does want to visit Kentucky. If the Cats win another SEC game or two in the near future it could get very interesting with the big man.
How Solid is Kobe Smith?
There's been some talk lately about Kobe Smith hearing from Miami but based on what I'm hearing there isn't much reason to worry.
There's the obvious -- Miami's shaky coaching situation with Al Golden on the hot seat, a recruiting class that's a bit on edge, and the fact that Kentucky has successfully recruited against the Hurricanes under Stoops already (would have had Tyre Brady, got CJ Johnson).
Smith was committed to NC State for a very long time before decommitting. He didn't make that decision lightly. He went to Kentucky's camp already having a lot of interest in the Cats and when he was on campus apparently he just felt right at home. I've exchanged messages with a family member who has not so much addressed the issue of how solid he is (I know, I know -- sometimes you have to get to know people beyond the bland, obvious questions), but the family member has spoken with me in a way that leads me to believe Kobe is very happy with Kentucky.
He is really not a kid that opens up. If you ever get the impression that he's being standoffish, I understand. He just isn't much of a recruiting interview guy, which is A-Okay in my book and I understand it. But I believe his family has been somewhat involved behind the scenes and to my knowledge they're very happy with UK, too. He'll be playing in the Semper Fidelis All-American Game.
Another defensive tackle commit, Kordell Looney, will be playing in the Blue-Grey All-American Bowl. Of course, Landon Young, Drake Jackson and Kash Daniel will all be participating in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, which means Kentucky will have a very strong presence at that event. Keep an eye on how that roster has been shaping up, because when your program has three players in the Army Bowl it means it's very likely that they'll be doing some eleventh hour recruiting there. That's the kind of venue where Marcelys Jones and Travonte Valentine talk heated up, not to mention Mackensie Alexander and others.
Blockbuster Recruiting Weekend
It figures to be one of the biggest recruiting weekends of the year for Kentucky football. Much of that is due to the sheer number of commitments that will be present.
Kobe Smith is taking his official visit and more on him in a bit. Not sure if Zy'Aire Hughes will be able to make it because it looks like McCracken County has a game Saturday night at 7:00 p.m.
But most of the commitments figure to be there. I don't think Jordan Griffin, Kayaune Ross or Tate Leavitt will be in Lexington, although Griffin should be at the UK-Missouri game and one or two more after that. This won't be Smith's last trip to Kentucky as he's been planning to attend a few games as well.
Notably, Jamar Watson recently confirmed he'll be attending. He's visiting with a teammate (who is not being recruited by UK) as well as his family. No reason to believe he's anything less than solid and I continue to hear Kentucky feels good about him.
Davonte Robinson will be at Kentucky's recruiting extravaganza. That's important because he's going to be at Notre Dame's big recruiting event, too -- on Oct. 17 against USC. He's played it so close to the vest I'm going to avoid making pronouncements on just where he stands on things, but I think it's one of those things where Robinson has always liked UK as the comfortable choice, the local choice -- and because he never really blew up or sought out outside attention, Notre Dame is just standing in the place of everyone else as the one school he'll look at to make sure Kentucky was the right choice.
We'll have to wait and see about the specifics as far as commitments attending but I wouldn't get hung up on it. If there were smoke surrounding one of UK's commitments and he didn't show, opting to visit another school -- that would be one thing. But there's no reason to believe anyone's wavering at the present time, aside from the occasional unsubstantiated internet rumor or "I'm still talking to this or that school," comment when a reporter approaches a kid.
It's huge to have all of the commitments, or most of them, on campus at the same time. That will make for a very good atmosphere to put the uncommitted recruits in.
Much of the uncommitted visitor list is still in flux. Tonight I heard back from Rivals100 freak athlete Javonte Richardson, who said his plans for the weekend are still up in the air. Apparently he's still in the early stages of hammering out plans. When asked, again, whether the visit is happening he said "hopefully," but he said his mother still needs to talk to his father about how realistic that trip would be. At the very least you have to be happy that one of the nation's best players from Ohio is still talking about wanting to visit. Could be a last second thing. Joshua Paschal, it seems, will not be visiting.
Four-star ILB Jacob Phillips has confirmed he's still going through with the trip.
In-state sleeper receiver C.J. Hayes should be at the game. Louisville's coaches are going to send someone to watch him play against North Hardin. I think John Schlarman is interested, too. One guy I'd say to keep a close eye on, visiting this weekend, is 6-foot-2 Alabama defensive back J'Marick Woods. I'm not saying he's on commitment watch right now, but I think he's someone the staff feels very strongly about.
I'm anxious to get down on the field before the game to see what the dynamic is like between Tyrell Ajian and some of the UK commits he knows, like Tobias Gilliam, Mac Jones, James Hudson and Mike Warren. How he acts around those guys could give some key insight into whether they're just some relationships among countless others that won't prove influential, or whether he really clicks with any of them. Tobias Gilliam is one of the point men for the whole class and seems to get along with all of the other commits and a lot of targets.
Chase Brice Interested in Kentucky?
When Mac Jones committed to Kentucky apparently Shannon Dawson told him that there was a possibility the Wildcats could take another quarterback. At the time it seemed like the most likely scenario -- not the only scenario -- was to move in the direction of a dual-threat/athlete type to bring a little of both into the position.
Again, that wasn't the only scenario. Now, based on recent reports, four-star quarterback Chase Brice is interested in Kentucky. That's big news as Brice is a four-star and one of the South's best quarterbacks. I think Jones is actually a little more consistent in terms of throwing a nice ball, accuracy and intangibles, and he's certainly bought all in. There's no need for Jones and another quarterback to be in conflict because he knew right up front that UK could take another quarterback.
Note, I'm not saying Kentucky leads for Brice. I spoke with Brice in a very casual setting at the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge in Baltimore and he gave passing mention to Kentucky at the time, but really seemed to light up when he talked about Clemson and Alabama. At the time I made a mental note that it sounds like he wants to play at a school like that.
But according to sources Brice has been more receptive to Kentucky's pitch than most seemed to realize. The biggest factor has been getting him to really listen to Dawson's track record with quarterbacks and to start to see the program's improvement. Now that the Cats are 2-0 with some high profile games remaining, they still have room to climb up Brice's list.
Brice was at Michigan State for their game against Oregon and didn't go on the record with a ton of quotes but indicated the Spartans had impressed him.
Here was my interview/report on Brice from three months ago.
What stood out to me about Brice was how maturely he carries himself and how he's a really thoughtful kid. Seems to have a quarterback's mind and persona. He's definitely a pro-style quarterback and it will be interesting to see how this plays out. I have not, to date, heard of any specific visit plans. But Brice recently said that he does want to visit Kentucky. If the Cats win another SEC game or two in the near future it could get very interesting with the big man.
How Solid is Kobe Smith?
There's been some talk lately about Kobe Smith hearing from Miami but based on what I'm hearing there isn't much reason to worry.
There's the obvious -- Miami's shaky coaching situation with Al Golden on the hot seat, a recruiting class that's a bit on edge, and the fact that Kentucky has successfully recruited against the Hurricanes under Stoops already (would have had Tyre Brady, got CJ Johnson).
Smith was committed to NC State for a very long time before decommitting. He didn't make that decision lightly. He went to Kentucky's camp already having a lot of interest in the Cats and when he was on campus apparently he just felt right at home. I've exchanged messages with a family member who has not so much addressed the issue of how solid he is (I know, I know -- sometimes you have to get to know people beyond the bland, obvious questions), but the family member has spoken with me in a way that leads me to believe Kobe is very happy with Kentucky.
He is really not a kid that opens up. If you ever get the impression that he's being standoffish, I understand. He just isn't much of a recruiting interview guy, which is A-Okay in my book and I understand it. But I believe his family has been somewhat involved behind the scenes and to my knowledge they're very happy with UK, too. He'll be playing in the Semper Fidelis All-American Game.
Another defensive tackle commit, Kordell Looney, will be playing in the Blue-Grey All-American Bowl. Of course, Landon Young, Drake Jackson and Kash Daniel will all be participating in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, which means Kentucky will have a very strong presence at that event. Keep an eye on how that roster has been shaping up, because when your program has three players in the Army Bowl it means it's very likely that they'll be doing some eleventh hour recruiting there. That's the kind of venue where Marcelys Jones and Travonte Valentine talk heated up, not to mention Mackensie Alexander and others.
