Hope to have a bit more in the way of detail later on today. The big thing I am wondering is whether all the boxes have been checked and Rosenthal will definitely be accepted into the school. I have little doubt that the football program would welcome him with open arms.
This is a positive update: Same feeling this morning that there was early yesterday afternoon, so for the better part of 24 hours it has looked very good for Kentucky. Again, nobody has told me it's 100% done and finished but the Wildcats are still front and center here.
Rivals.com's Mike Farrell wrote this morning, "The entry of LSU transfer offensive lineman Dare Rosenthal caused quite a stir on Monday as rumors began swirling during the early morning about his likely addition. When it became official, Kentucky was the school that immediately put the full-court press on Rosenthal, but Baylor should also be taken very seriously here. Coach Dave Aranda has a good relationship with Rosenthal from his days as the defensive coordinator in Baton Rouge, and with limited time remaining before he would likely make a decision that familiarity may be enough for the Bears to win out.
However, I’ve heard that Kentucky is the likely destination as the smooth transition of DB Kelvin Joseph from LSU to Kentucky is a path to follow. Miami is a dark horse here, and it all depends on what visits he takes."
So right now you've got Dave Lackford, myself, Jimmy Smith (LSU Rivals), and Mike Farrell all saying Kentucky is the most likely landing spot.
There was some initial talk about Baylor because of the Aranda connection but in surveying the Bears' media landscape this morning the sense is that has not gained a lot of steam and they seem to understand that Kentucky has the momentum, as we predicted.
Florida State is another school that has been factoring in here and according to Dave there may have been more reason for concern here, if you're a Kentucky fan, than with some of the other schools mentioned. But in digging into this we have never heard that FSU is ahead of Kentucky as a preferred landing spot, just that it would have some appeal to him as a possible.
FSU is red hot on the trail right now with the No. 3 class in the nation on Rivals.com. They're probably feeling like they can go out and get anybody and do anything. However, at the end of the day, Rosenthal has still been with a person and at a place that typically sends its best to UK, at least recently.
The other possibility is that LSU convinces Rosenthal to return. I have always felt like this is unlikely because of the circumstances of Rosenthal entering the portal. He was not kicked off the team but they have a policy in place. I don't know the details of it or the exact details of how/why it is 'kicking in' and applying to Rosenthal but he was facing a suspension that would have cost him time in 2021. Rather than go into the certainty of missing extended time during what amounts to a "contract year", especially with NIL kicking in, I think a fresh start somewhere has been very attractive to him. LSU has wanted him to stick around. This is one of their best players, without question. But I haven't heard anything that makes me think he is going to withdraw from the portal at least to this point.
This is a positive update: Same feeling this morning that there was early yesterday afternoon, so for the better part of 24 hours it has looked very good for Kentucky. Again, nobody has told me it's 100% done and finished but the Wildcats are still front and center here.
Rivals.com's Mike Farrell wrote this morning, "The entry of LSU transfer offensive lineman Dare Rosenthal caused quite a stir on Monday as rumors began swirling during the early morning about his likely addition. When it became official, Kentucky was the school that immediately put the full-court press on Rosenthal, but Baylor should also be taken very seriously here. Coach Dave Aranda has a good relationship with Rosenthal from his days as the defensive coordinator in Baton Rouge, and with limited time remaining before he would likely make a decision that familiarity may be enough for the Bears to win out.
However, I’ve heard that Kentucky is the likely destination as the smooth transition of DB Kelvin Joseph from LSU to Kentucky is a path to follow. Miami is a dark horse here, and it all depends on what visits he takes."
So right now you've got Dave Lackford, myself, Jimmy Smith (LSU Rivals), and Mike Farrell all saying Kentucky is the most likely landing spot.
There was some initial talk about Baylor because of the Aranda connection but in surveying the Bears' media landscape this morning the sense is that has not gained a lot of steam and they seem to understand that Kentucky has the momentum, as we predicted.
Florida State is another school that has been factoring in here and according to Dave there may have been more reason for concern here, if you're a Kentucky fan, than with some of the other schools mentioned. But in digging into this we have never heard that FSU is ahead of Kentucky as a preferred landing spot, just that it would have some appeal to him as a possible.
FSU is red hot on the trail right now with the No. 3 class in the nation on Rivals.com. They're probably feeling like they can go out and get anybody and do anything. However, at the end of the day, Rosenthal has still been with a person and at a place that typically sends its best to UK, at least recently.
The other possibility is that LSU convinces Rosenthal to return. I have always felt like this is unlikely because of the circumstances of Rosenthal entering the portal. He was not kicked off the team but they have a policy in place. I don't know the details of it or the exact details of how/why it is 'kicking in' and applying to Rosenthal but he was facing a suspension that would have cost him time in 2021. Rather than go into the certainty of missing extended time during what amounts to a "contract year", especially with NIL kicking in, I think a fresh start somewhere has been very attractive to him. LSU has wanted him to stick around. This is one of their best players, without question. But I haven't heard anything that makes me think he is going to withdraw from the portal at least to this point.
