I can't promise these are always going to be a daily thing but this time of year, particularly this year with a five-star and three fours on board, is really important. Coaches are on the road. Camps are starting soon. Next weekend brings a ton of official visits. I want this place to keep you on top of everything as it happens.
Today's edition will touch on the work Kentucky is doing in the Great Lake State courtesy of defensive backs coach Steven Clinkscale, who has the honor of recruiting the highest-ranked Rivals.com recruit in Kentucky history as well as reeling in two key defensive contributors two classes ago.
What Clinkscale does in Michigan, what Jon Sumrall does in the Deep South, and what Brad White does on the east coast is selectively target a handful of high-end players who have legitimate interest in Kentucky and could be difference-makers. This is not part of their wider net approach with the Commonwealth or the state of Ohio. In terms of quantity it will not generally match the work done in Florida or Georgia either.
But Rogers, Marquan McCall and DeAndre Square should have you convinced that Kentucky is now a force to be reckoned with in the backyard of the Big Ten's Wolverines and Spartans.
As I said recently, Clinkscale has recruited Michigan for a decade. It took a little while for him to get his feet under him there in this new UK gig because the Cats simply didn't have a history or much name recognition there but that's true any time you are breaking into new territory or placing a new assistant somewhere. Now the work is paying off.
- First off, Justin Rogers. I'm more confident today that Kentucky will be able to keep him on board through signing than I was before he committed and there is a sense around the program that folks are optimistic about that. Almost a little indignant that the question has been posed. It has been reported that Rogers will be visiting with Enzo Jennings and maybe some other Michigan guys this summer but from what I've heard recently the plans are still in the works. If you hear a date, as of the last day or two, be skeptical. They're working to get him down but every trip from here on out will be an unofficial. Rogers told me himself recently via text that he does not know when his next visit will be. He is open to using up his last two official visits later in the process but is noncommittal when it comes to such trips. He says he's solid and while his recruitment was very fluid as an uncommitted prospect, Kentucky led after his official visit and remained the leader through the trip to UGA.
- The next highest-ranked player from Michigan on Kentucky's board is four-star Rivals250 cornerback Enzo Jennings, who is right outside the Rivals100. Kentucky is apparently recruiting him as a corner and some others have been on the fence as to whether he's a corner or a safety. That will work itself out whenever he enrolls somewhere. He's a big, physical defensive back who has been on the circuit for a long time. He calls UK "like a second home," has said he loves it and I recently said I thought it was a battle between Penn State and Kentucky for Jennings. The Nittany Lions are definitely a force to be dealt with here. That's why I haven't logged a UK pick as of yet. But it's certainly possible that could happen down the road. As of this week, Jennings' official visit date to Kentucky is up in the air. Initially Mike Singer from here at Rivals had Jennings tell him June 7th, but Singer told me Jennings seemed a little uncertain about that date. I've asked around and can confirm that there is a date on the books but there's a realization that it could definitely change. So don't assume he's in Lexington for that big OV weekend just more than a week from now.
- I am confident Kentucky leads for Deondre Buford. I picked him to Kentucky on April 28th and am standing by that. I asked around following the Penn State offer and was told that is not currently something to worry about.
- But there are prospects still in play and probably of more immediate significance for our purposes here than Boone, Washington and Stewart.
- While four-star running back Peny Boone likes Kentucky, he's a little lower than some other backs on the Cats' board and I would not call him a top target in Michigan at the moment.
- 6-foot-4, 215-pound Bay City, Mich., three-star (5.7 RR) receiver Devell Washington is committed to West Virginia but the Wildcats are keeping the lines of communication open with him. I wouldn't say a flip is imminent nor would I predict one down the road at this point but you always keep your hat in the ring in case the facts on the ground change.
- The other already-committed Michigan prospect still hearing from Kentucky is three-star (5.7 RR) Gibralter (Mich.) Carlson athlete Ian Stewart (6'3, 185), who just committed to Michigan State a little more than a week ago.
Three-star Southfield, Mich., defensive end Bryce Austin has named Kentucky as one of his top five schools along with Michigan State, Penn State, Pittsburgh and Purdue. He's a guy who could play defensive end or tackle so he's well-suited physically for the demands of Kentucky's 3-4 defensive scheme and he's a basketball guy so has the skills that typically show up in guys on the court away from football season. Austin has not been a sleeper for a long time but his stock and offer list has really taken off in the last couple of months with schools from around the country trying to get in the mix. Supposedly Austin visited Penn State recently. There is one pick for Michigan State in the Rivals Forecast module but there don't seem to be a lot of hardened opinions among the cross section of analysts that I trust as to where he's leaning.
5-foot-10, 185-pound three-star (5.7 RR) athlete Cameron Martinez of Muskegon, Mich., saw a little boost in the Rivals positional rankings per the network's latest update and he is also, we've been told, a top remaining target in the state. Martinez has not narrowed things down too much but we can infer some things. He has unofficially and officially visited Northwestern, his trip to the Big Ten school being his first OV of the recruiting process. After that OV, Martinez told the Northwestern Rivals site that he has a few favorites but was not ready to go public with them. However it is definitely worth mentioning that he has been to Northwestern five times to date. If I had to pick a standout school for Martinez it would probably be Pat Fitzgerald's based on familiarity and what his travel plans alone should tell us.
- I do not believe Kentucky is staying in touch with four-star Michigan receiver Rashawn Williams, committed to Indiana.
Miscellaneous beyond Michigan...
- DB commit Andru Phillips tells me he will be in Lexington on June 7. I would suspect John Young and Beau Allen will also make appearances. Anything like that helps with so many top campers and uncommitted OVs. Phillips seems rock solid.
- Touched base again with OL Quantavious Leslie of Rome, Ga., and he confirmed UK's interest and said the staff is pushing for him to visit this summer presumably to camp.
- Have had a couple of people tell me that Kentucky really has an embarrassment of options on the o-line so they can be very picky and the bar for camp offers or offers-turned-committables is going to be pretty high.
That is also something that could impact offensive lineman Kendrick Perkins of Tampa (Fla.) Berkeley Prep. Whereas I was starting to believe he was close to the take column, needing only a performance at camp that reinforced what the coaches already thought, based on what I've heard recently I think he might need a really standout effort.
- I believe it was posted here yesterday but Camden, N.J., linebacker Tirek Austin-Cave included Kentucky in his top schools list. West Virginia, Syracuse, Miami, Nebraska, Pitt, Rutgers, Minnesota and Temple are the other schools still in play. In other words, he didn't narrow it down all that much and there were no surprises. From when I spoke with Austin-Cave after his Kentucky offer, he added Minnesota and Temple to his list.
- Elijah Young's favorites are South Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi State and Missouri, in no particular order. @Travis Graf has posted about him a couple of times and was out in front of Kentucky making that top five. He's a quality receiver prospect and UK is trying to make a dent in the Volunteer State. He's one of the Tennesseans the Cats are trying to land. I would tentatively put UT as the favorite. They were the first school to offer, back when Butch Jones was around, and Jeremy Pruitt's staff has made keeping him home an in-state priority. He could be viewed as a two-way player but he's not big enough to project in the secondary for UK. Young has gotten stronger, however, and speed has always been his game.
- Alabama linebacker Rodney Groce announced a top eight of Alabama, Auburn, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia Tech, Mississippi State and UAB. Groce's offer list backs up his solid (5.7 RR) ranking and he's one of many kids from Alabama that Jon Sumrall is trying to stay in the game with. There are a number of ILB's on the board however (Devyn Curtis, D'Eryk Jackson, Austin-Cave, etc) and UK may just take one, at most two.
Today's edition will touch on the work Kentucky is doing in the Great Lake State courtesy of defensive backs coach Steven Clinkscale, who has the honor of recruiting the highest-ranked Rivals.com recruit in Kentucky history as well as reeling in two key defensive contributors two classes ago.
What Clinkscale does in Michigan, what Jon Sumrall does in the Deep South, and what Brad White does on the east coast is selectively target a handful of high-end players who have legitimate interest in Kentucky and could be difference-makers. This is not part of their wider net approach with the Commonwealth or the state of Ohio. In terms of quantity it will not generally match the work done in Florida or Georgia either.
But Rogers, Marquan McCall and DeAndre Square should have you convinced that Kentucky is now a force to be reckoned with in the backyard of the Big Ten's Wolverines and Spartans.
As I said recently, Clinkscale has recruited Michigan for a decade. It took a little while for him to get his feet under him there in this new UK gig because the Cats simply didn't have a history or much name recognition there but that's true any time you are breaking into new territory or placing a new assistant somewhere. Now the work is paying off.
- First off, Justin Rogers. I'm more confident today that Kentucky will be able to keep him on board through signing than I was before he committed and there is a sense around the program that folks are optimistic about that. Almost a little indignant that the question has been posed. It has been reported that Rogers will be visiting with Enzo Jennings and maybe some other Michigan guys this summer but from what I've heard recently the plans are still in the works. If you hear a date, as of the last day or two, be skeptical. They're working to get him down but every trip from here on out will be an unofficial. Rogers told me himself recently via text that he does not know when his next visit will be. He is open to using up his last two official visits later in the process but is noncommittal when it comes to such trips. He says he's solid and while his recruitment was very fluid as an uncommitted prospect, Kentucky led after his official visit and remained the leader through the trip to UGA.
- The next highest-ranked player from Michigan on Kentucky's board is four-star Rivals250 cornerback Enzo Jennings, who is right outside the Rivals100. Kentucky is apparently recruiting him as a corner and some others have been on the fence as to whether he's a corner or a safety. That will work itself out whenever he enrolls somewhere. He's a big, physical defensive back who has been on the circuit for a long time. He calls UK "like a second home," has said he loves it and I recently said I thought it was a battle between Penn State and Kentucky for Jennings. The Nittany Lions are definitely a force to be dealt with here. That's why I haven't logged a UK pick as of yet. But it's certainly possible that could happen down the road. As of this week, Jennings' official visit date to Kentucky is up in the air. Initially Mike Singer from here at Rivals had Jennings tell him June 7th, but Singer told me Jennings seemed a little uncertain about that date. I've asked around and can confirm that there is a date on the books but there's a realization that it could definitely change. So don't assume he's in Lexington for that big OV weekend just more than a week from now.
- I am confident Kentucky leads for Deondre Buford. I picked him to Kentucky on April 28th and am standing by that. I asked around following the Penn State offer and was told that is not currently something to worry about.
- But there are prospects still in play and probably of more immediate significance for our purposes here than Boone, Washington and Stewart.
- While four-star running back Peny Boone likes Kentucky, he's a little lower than some other backs on the Cats' board and I would not call him a top target in Michigan at the moment.
- 6-foot-4, 215-pound Bay City, Mich., three-star (5.7 RR) receiver Devell Washington is committed to West Virginia but the Wildcats are keeping the lines of communication open with him. I wouldn't say a flip is imminent nor would I predict one down the road at this point but you always keep your hat in the ring in case the facts on the ground change.
- The other already-committed Michigan prospect still hearing from Kentucky is three-star (5.7 RR) Gibralter (Mich.) Carlson athlete Ian Stewart (6'3, 185), who just committed to Michigan State a little more than a week ago.
Three-star Southfield, Mich., defensive end Bryce Austin has named Kentucky as one of his top five schools along with Michigan State, Penn State, Pittsburgh and Purdue. He's a guy who could play defensive end or tackle so he's well-suited physically for the demands of Kentucky's 3-4 defensive scheme and he's a basketball guy so has the skills that typically show up in guys on the court away from football season. Austin has not been a sleeper for a long time but his stock and offer list has really taken off in the last couple of months with schools from around the country trying to get in the mix. Supposedly Austin visited Penn State recently. There is one pick for Michigan State in the Rivals Forecast module but there don't seem to be a lot of hardened opinions among the cross section of analysts that I trust as to where he's leaning.
5-foot-10, 185-pound three-star (5.7 RR) athlete Cameron Martinez of Muskegon, Mich., saw a little boost in the Rivals positional rankings per the network's latest update and he is also, we've been told, a top remaining target in the state. Martinez has not narrowed things down too much but we can infer some things. He has unofficially and officially visited Northwestern, his trip to the Big Ten school being his first OV of the recruiting process. After that OV, Martinez told the Northwestern Rivals site that he has a few favorites but was not ready to go public with them. However it is definitely worth mentioning that he has been to Northwestern five times to date. If I had to pick a standout school for Martinez it would probably be Pat Fitzgerald's based on familiarity and what his travel plans alone should tell us.
- I do not believe Kentucky is staying in touch with four-star Michigan receiver Rashawn Williams, committed to Indiana.
Miscellaneous beyond Michigan...
- DB commit Andru Phillips tells me he will be in Lexington on June 7. I would suspect John Young and Beau Allen will also make appearances. Anything like that helps with so many top campers and uncommitted OVs. Phillips seems rock solid.
- Touched base again with OL Quantavious Leslie of Rome, Ga., and he confirmed UK's interest and said the staff is pushing for him to visit this summer presumably to camp.
- Have had a couple of people tell me that Kentucky really has an embarrassment of options on the o-line so they can be very picky and the bar for camp offers or offers-turned-committables is going to be pretty high.
That is also something that could impact offensive lineman Kendrick Perkins of Tampa (Fla.) Berkeley Prep. Whereas I was starting to believe he was close to the take column, needing only a performance at camp that reinforced what the coaches already thought, based on what I've heard recently I think he might need a really standout effort.
- I believe it was posted here yesterday but Camden, N.J., linebacker Tirek Austin-Cave included Kentucky in his top schools list. West Virginia, Syracuse, Miami, Nebraska, Pitt, Rutgers, Minnesota and Temple are the other schools still in play. In other words, he didn't narrow it down all that much and there were no surprises. From when I spoke with Austin-Cave after his Kentucky offer, he added Minnesota and Temple to his list.
- Elijah Young's favorites are South Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi State and Missouri, in no particular order. @Travis Graf has posted about him a couple of times and was out in front of Kentucky making that top five. He's a quality receiver prospect and UK is trying to make a dent in the Volunteer State. He's one of the Tennesseans the Cats are trying to land. I would tentatively put UT as the favorite. They were the first school to offer, back when Butch Jones was around, and Jeremy Pruitt's staff has made keeping him home an in-state priority. He could be viewed as a two-way player but he's not big enough to project in the secondary for UK. Young has gotten stronger, however, and speed has always been his game.
- Alabama linebacker Rodney Groce announced a top eight of Alabama, Auburn, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia Tech, Mississippi State and UAB. Groce's offer list backs up his solid (5.7 RR) ranking and he's one of many kids from Alabama that Jon Sumrall is trying to stay in the game with. There are a number of ILB's on the board however (Devyn Curtis, D'Eryk Jackson, Austin-Cave, etc) and UK may just take one, at most two.
