247 Sports updates class of 2023 football player rankings; multiple Kentucky kids on the rise

Mark Stoops and his coaching staff have made it a point over the last few seasons to dominate the recruiting landscape in their own backyard.

From the class of 2022, Kentucky has already locked up commitments from two of the state’s top four players in Grant Bingham and Treyveon Longmire. The second-best player in the state of Kentucky, Dane Key, is viewed as a Wildcat lean right now, as well, and there are more that could potentially commit to Kentucky down the road. Going back to the class of 2021, UK hauled in six of the state’s top eight overall prospects, highlighted by Jager Burton, a top-70 ranked prospect.

Looking ahead to the class of 2023, five high school sophomores from the Bluegrass State have received significant recognition from the latest 247 Sports player rankings that came out on Wednesday–and a few of them could make Lexington their new home.

Updated Top247 for 2023: Taking stock of spring seasons, camps and track.

Via @gabrieldbrooks & Co. https://t.co/WXNwfecheq pic.twitter.com/ERxF59vIOX

— 247Sports (@247Sports) May 19, 2021

Corbin’s Dakota Patterson, another player with serious ties to the Wildcats, has been tabbed as the top player from the state of Kentucky, clocking in as the No. 155 prospect in the entire country with four-star status. Male offensive guard, William Spencer, was also dubbed a four-star, coming in as the No. 233 prospect in the country.

Behind those three, in order, are St. Xavier’s Micah Carter (strongside defensive end), South Warren’s Cristan Conyer (athlete), and Boyle County’s Tommy Ziesmer (weakside defensive end), who have all been rated as three-star players.

Patterson is teammates at Corbin with class of 2022 cornerback Treyveon Longmire, another four-star talent who is committed to play for Kentucky. Spencer, Carter, and Conyer all hold an offer from the ‘Cats, although it’s tough to say where they stand as of today in terms of their preference. Ziesmer is the name to keep an eye on, as he’s gone from mostly unnoticed (he doesn’t even have a headshot picture on 247 Sports) to a versatile prospect with a growing offer sheet.