Class of 2017 left significant mark on Kentucky football

On3 imageby:Adam Luckett11/18/21

adamluckettksr

Kentucky is currently trying to build the best recruiting class of the Mark Stoops era as national signing day quickly approaches for the class of 2022.

However, the class of 2017 is officially wrapping up its tenure in Lexington, and this haul might go down as the best of the Mark Stoops era.

As these redshirt seniors get ready for the next step of their playing career, it’s time to look back and see what this top-35 recruiting class accomplished during its time on campus.

Star power

As the class of 2017 winded down, two targets remained as the big fish for Kentucky football. Vince Marrow was able to go out and land both.

Lynn Bowden Jr. was a four-star prospect at Youngstown (Ohio) Warren G. Harding that many thought was one of the best players to come out of the Buckeye State in years. Kentucky secured his commitment and watched history unfold.

Bowden would spend three years in Lexington and recorded 114 receptions, but his biggest impact came when Kentucky had to move him to quarterback.

With Bowden taking snaps, Kentucky finished the 2019 season with 6 wins in 8 games and created the best rushing offense in college football. The all-purpose star rushed for 1,468 yards and 13 touchdowns as he went on to receive All-American honors and hear his name called in the third round of the NFL Draft.

In the DMV, Josh Paschal was a defensive difference-maker that Kentucky needed on the roster. The Wildcats were able to beat out Virginia Tech, Notre Dame, Penn State, and Oklahoma for the blue-chipper.

After beating cancer, Paschal developed into a high-level defensive lineman but missed time in 2020 due to a knee sprain. He returned to school for his redshirt senior year and is putting together a monster season.

Paschal is fifth on the team in tackles (45) and leads the squad in tackles for loss (13). The veteran has been the defense’s most consistent pass rusher, and his blocked kick helped buoy Kentucky to its first home win over Florida since 1986.

Paschal accepted a senior bowl invitation on Wednesday and could receive All-American honors at the end of the season. The former star recruit projects as a mid-round selection in the NFL Draft.

Kentucky hit home runs on its most prized recruits in the haul.

Recruit and develop

Currently, Kentucky is attempting to raise its recruiting ceiling by pulling in more blue-chip recruits following six consecutive winning seasons. However, the Wildcats needed to develop more lower-rated prospects to get to that point.

Josh Allen and Benny Snell Jr. were perfect examples of this. Jamin Davis was another.

A mid three-star prospect out of South Georgia, Davis was just barely over 200 pounds as a recruit but did possess some great athleticism for the position. After time to grow physically and mentally, the linebacker became one of the best players in the country as a redshirt junior.

Davis finished 2020 with 102 tackles, four tackles for loss, three interceptions, and a blocked kick. He became one of the best linebackers in college football seemingly overnight and turned himself into a first-round pick who now plays for the Washington Football Team.

Phil Hoskins was a similar story. After needing a medical redshirt in 2019, the Ohio native returned in 2020 and put a solid season together leading to the Carolina Panthers spending a draft pick on the veteran last spring.

Kentucky hit on the stars, but also developed other players into big-time producers.

Consistent production

The stars and draft picks get all the attention, but a recruiting class is usually made by what the players in the middle do. Attrition can be expected, but coaching staffs must hit on more players than they miss.

That happened in 2017.

  • Tyrell Ajian was a four-star recruit from Ohio who started 21 games and collected four interceptions in his career.
  • Yusuf Corker was a solid blue-chip recruiting win from Metro Atlanta that is a three-year starter with 222 tackles and 14 pass breakups. The redshirt senior just accepted an invitation to the Senior Bowl.
  • Jordan Wright was a big recruiting win in South Florida, and the redshirt senior has played 39 games with 11 starts. The former basketball player has 14.5 tackles for loss and two defensive touchdowns in his career. Wright has missed three games this season due to an ankle injury and could be a super senior candidate.
  • Josh Ali decided to return to Kentucky for a fifth season in 2021, and it has seemed to pay off. The South Florida product missed two games with a knee injury but has collected 120 receptions and scored eight total touchdowns in his career. Ali is a three-year starter.
  • Quinton Bohanna was a low three-star recruit from Metro Memphis but went on to start games as a true freshman. After four years on campus, Bohanna became one of the best nose tackles in college football and is now playing for the Dallas Cowboys.
  • Entering the class as one of the lowest-ranked recruits, Austin Dotson has carved out a nice role for himself. The redshirt senior is now starting at right guard and has been a quality rotation piece the last two seasons for the Big Blue Wall.

Impact

The class of 2016 was critical in helping Kentucky turn a 10-3 year in 2018 into consistent winning seasons. However, the class of 2017 has helped extend that streak.

Kentucky is on the verge of another top 25 finish and double-digit win season if the Wildcats can close the year strong. The success of this group has helped Kentucky elevate its recruiting ceiling leading to eventual top 25 classes in 2020 and 2022.

The class has accomplished a lot in Lexington as its run in college comes to an end. Thanks to star power combined with strong development, the success of the football program has a lot to do with the guys that came in together in 2017.

Discuss This Article

Comments have moved.

Join the conversation and talk about this article and all things Kentucky Sports in the new KSR Message Board.

KSBoard

2024-03-29