Tracking expected visitors for this weekend's junior day

Kentucky is set to host its second major junior day for the 2027 class this weekend. The first was two weekends ago. Last weekend Kentucky brought in a number of prospects but the weather impacted a planned event.

These lists can be in flux right up until the last minute so KSR+ will update it as needed right up until the event.

Regional targets already familiar with UK will visit

Springfield, Tennessee cornerback Jermaine Collins is ranked the No. 38 player in the nation and the No. 3 corner in the 2028 class. Getting him on campus for one of the programs early junior days is a big win for the staff but there’s a chance to make a lasting impression that gives the program a shot in the long term. Elite corners are hard to lock down.

Tennessee defensive back Dre Otey is a 2027 prospect the previous staff at Kentucky had been recruiting. Now with a new staff in Lexington he is planning to visit this weekend. That will be an important first opportunity to meet with Will Stein and everyone in their new surroundings. There will be a different vibe and a lot of relationships will be starting fresh.

Earlier this month Otey told recruiting reporter Tom Loy that he will be announcing a commitment on March 23. At the time his finalists were Ole Miss, Louisville, Purdue, and Maryland, but with Otey taking a visit to Kentucky this weekend the Wildcats have a shot to upset the leaderboard.

Corners coach Allen Brown recently paid Otey a visit so there’s a lot more interest from Kentucky than just an invitation to visit.

Murfreesboro (Tenn.) Riverdale athlete Hudson Fuqua has been committed to Mississippi State since November but he is expecting to make the trip up to UK. Ole Miss, Indiana, and Arkansas are among his other offers.

Middletown, Ohio defensive lineman Jaiden Davis was introduced when the last regime was around and he’s making the short trip down to Lexington this weekend as well, according to Allen Trieu. The three-star (84.00) is rated as the No. 22 prospect in Ohio. Offensive lineFi coach Cutter Leftwich visited Jones during this evaluation period.

Knoxville (Tenn.) Halls safety Jarrell Chandler is another top prospect visiting from the Volunteer State and he’s got a four-star (86.30) Rivals Industry Ranking. He’s ranked the No. 9 prospect in Tennessee by Rivals. Tennessee, Georgia, Clemson, and Vanderbilt are some of his other offers. The in-state schools are making Chandler a huge priority as expected.

Ole Miss, Duke, NC State, and other power conference schools have offered Nashville (Tenn.) Ensworth athlete Bishop Starling. KSR+ has confirmed he is expected. Ole Miss has been involved with him for a long time.

Murfreesboro (Tenn.) Battle Ground Academy wide receiver Maximus Curry has offers from Kentucky, Tennessee, Ole Miss, and many others. The last staff at UK offered Curry on a visit at the end of the 2024 season.

2028 wide receiver Jeramy Laster Jr. of Hendersonville (Tenn.) Beech has offers from Auburn, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan State, Ole Miss, and others. There’s a deep bench of power conference players in waiting and the depth makes this event impressive. Whites Creek, Tenn., receiver De’Aries Holland (2028) is a prospect in a similar position in his recruitment. He’s expected in as well.

Cincinnati (Ohio) Princeton EDGE defender Jaylen Mercer is one of the top expected visitors from the Buckeye State, KSR+ has confirmed. The 6’3.5, 250-pound prospect is ranked No. 14 overall in Ohio from the 2027 class. Indiana, Tennessee, Cincinnati, and Louisville are among his many other offers. Kentucky’s recruiting approach and emphasis in Ohio will be interesting to see but new outside linebackers coach Tony Washington Jr has a lot of history there early in his career. Mercer is a three-star (88) on Rivals and the No. 16 prospect in Ohio.

He’s the older brother of Kam Mercer, one of the top basketball recruits in the nation from the 2028 class.

Loia Valade is another cornerback from Tennessee who is making the trip north for this weekend’s junior day. The 5’11, 180-pound corner from Chattanooga (Tenn.) McCallie has offers from Florida, Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Tulane, and Duke among others. Valade has been clocked at 4.36 seconds in the 40-yard dash and 10.8 seconds in the 100 meters. He was re-offered by Kentucky during a conversation with James Gibson and Josh Christian-Young back on January 8.

Three-star (84.33) cornerback Romel Koon is also making the trip up from Chattanooga (Tenn.) Brentwood Academy. He’s ranked the No. 58 cornerback in the 2027 class and the No. 20 prospect in Tennessee. Ole Miss, Florida State, Georgia Tech, and Louisville are among his other offers. Corners coach Allen Brown extended Kentucky’s offer more than two weeks ago and the staff has been building a relationship with Koon since that.

Columbus (Ohio) St. Francis DeSales iOL Matthias Burrell is one of the top linemen expecting to attend. He has offers from Pitt, Colorado, Louisville, Liberty, and several MAC schools.

Brentwood Academy quarterback Crews Jenkins (2027) is only 5’11 but has several FBS offers to his credit and he should be in town. So will 2027 Brentwood Academy offensive lineman Tyi Duncan, who also has offers at that level.

2028 wide receiver Nash Montgomery will visit, his father told KSR+ this week. He’s the younger brother of former Kentucky quarterback target Ryan Montgomery.

Cordell Ball is a 6’3, 185-pound receiver from Cincinnati (Ohio) Oak Hills in the Class of 2028 and he will be making his way down this weekend as well.

The talent visiting from the state of Tennessee is staggering. Many other prospects from the Volunteer State are expected, KSR+ has learned. Among the other expected visitors with power conference and/or FBS offers from Tennessee alone: Mylz Williams (2028), Jeisun Thompson (2028), Maddox Porter (2029), Remello Armstrong (2029), Jake Berte (2029), Devin Phillips (2029), and Evan Kellum (2028)

Some prospects are traveling long distances

Brooklyn Maxey will be taking the long trek from Tampa, Fla., so the Carrollwood Day standout probably has real interest. The 6’2, 210-pound receiver/athlete has offers from Alabama, Florida State, North Carolina, Louisville, Syracuse, Pitt, Wake Forest, and a host of others. On X he posted that the trip to UK will be on Friday but that could be in anticipation of Saturday’s junior day. He just got the Alabama offer about one week ago so his recruitment is really taking off.

Former Ole Miss offensive line commit Li’Marcus Jones is traveling up from Jackson, Miss. The four-star (87.37) line prospect has offers from the in-state schools in Mississippi as well as Georgia, Florida State, Tennessee, North Carolina, Duke, Purdue, Texas A&M, and many others. He appears to be one of the top offensive line prospects on Kentucky’s 2027 recruiting board so will get a lot of attention from the coaching staff.

Jacksonville, Ark., running back Mason Ball is making the trek to the Commonwealth this weekend. He has an offer and has been hearing from the new staff. The assumption has to be that Ball is one of Kentucky’s top running back targets in the 2027 class. Ole Miss, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Kansas State, Purdue, and Arkansas are other schools that have offered. Ball has run the 40-yard dash in 4.38 seconds so he continues the speed trend at the skill positions.

Cornerback Braylen Bedford is traveling a bit more than the Tennessee players at his position. The 5’10, 160-pound prospect from the Class of 2027 hails from Houston (Miss.) Vardaman. Rivals actually ranks him the No. 4 cornerback prospect in the nation so he’s the kind of lockdown headliner that will get a ton of attention. Notably, UK nickels coach James Gibson was one of his lead recruiters at Texas A&M. The Aggies had also offered Bedford.

In-state targets planning to attend

KSR+ has reported that Seneca Driver is expecting to visit Kentucky this weekend. That would make the second time Driver has visited UK since Will Stein was hired. Driver may be Kentucky’s top recruiting priority from the 2027 class so the coaching staff will be eager to make a strong impression on the Boyle Country prospect, who was spotted at a basketball game at Rupp Arena a couple of weeks ago.

Paducah Tilghman receiver Cam Wade is the No. 5 prospect in Kentucky according to the Rivals Industry Ranking and he will have his best opportunity to spend a lot of time with the staff so far. Class of 2028 athlete Avery Thompson from Paducah Tilghman has a lot of power conference offers already and Kentucky will make him a priority. He’s expected as well on Saturday.

Jackson Burke is one of many local prospects who should be in attendance. Not as much time or logistical planning is required. The 6’8, 305-pound tackle from Owensboro is an in-state lineman on the radar who will get an introduction to the new staff this weekend.

Corbin defensive lineman Malachi Brown has achieved four-star (90.75) status in the Rivals Industry Ranking and the 6’4, 265-pound defensive lineman is the No. 4 prospect in the Commonwealth. Ohio State, Alabama, and some recruiting powerhouses from outside the Commonwealth have already offered and will have to be fought off. Getting Brown on campus early in the Will Stein era is important because that’s the kind of in-state body on the defensive line who is very important to keep.

Bardstown receiver Chi Poynter is a 6’3, 180-pound prospect from the Class of 2028 who will be visiting.

Both KSR+’s Jacob Polacheck and Justin Rowland contributed to this report. Names will be added as more are confirmed.