Film Room: Hardley Gilmore

Kentucky logged a rare South Florida recruiting win on Friday when four-star prospect Hardley Gilmore committed to the Wildcats. For the third recruiting cycle in a row, UK has landed a blue-chip receiver.

The Pahokee (Fla.) High wideout reclassified from the 2025 class into 2024 over the summer and took official visits to Kentucky, Penn State, and UCF. Miami also threw its hat in the ring in August. But in the end, UK was able to hang onto this outside receiver who glides across the football field.

Let’s step into the KSR Film Room to see what Gilmore can bring to Lexington. The top-300 recruit flashes good movement skills leading to early wins, created separation, plus-level ball skills, and potential as a vertical target.

Release equals wins

A lot goes into making a good wide receiver. However, it’s hard for any wide receiver to be good if they can’t get off the line of scrimmage. Hardley Gilmore can get off the line of scrimmage.

The long-limbed prospect shows some wiggle off the line helping him stack cornerbacks and create separation.

Gilmore wins early and that allows him to be a deep threat on the outside. Once winning at the line, the four-star prospect does a good job of ball tracking by finding the pass in the air and reeling it down. The route tree is limited for the 2024 commit, but the film leads you to believe that the Pahokee (Fla.) High product can develop into a strong route-runner. Gilmore can get off the line and shows some strong change of direction when asked to bend a vertical route inside without breaking stride.

Finishes routes with ball skills

Getting open is only worth so much. Wide receivers have to finish passes with receptions. On an assortment of reps, Hardley Gilmore flashes excellent ball skills with good hand-eye coordination. Whether in close coverage or avoiding the sideline, Gilmore is a good finisher with strong hands.

Whether in traffic down the sideline on a vertical throw, tight roping while reaching for an off-target pass, or reeling in a fade in the low red zone, Gilmore does a great job looking the ball in and completing the catch. The four-star prospect can make tight window plays and that will help instill confidence in his quarterback and play-caller.

The hand-eye coordination and ball skills combo is excellent.

Outside receiver with playmaking potential

On tape, Hardley Gilmore plays in a spread offense that adopted many concepts from Art Briles‘ veer-and-shoot scheme. The high school prospect wins consistently by getting off the line of scrimmage and having a ton of space to run into. Kentucky will ask the prospect to become a more refined player in their pro-style scheme, but the skill set is undeniable.

Gilmore has more than enough speed to be a vertical threat and flashes suddenness as a route-runner that raises his development ceiling. The plus ball skills, impressive ball tracking, and good catch radius only increase his potential at the next level. The wide receiver could become an excellent double-move weapon thanks to his movement skills, catch radius, and ball skills. Thanks to his ability to get off the line, the blue-chipper might even be able to play some X receiver into the boundary.

Hardley Gilmore is a strong recruiting win for Kentucky with a translatable skill set that might be able to make an impact early. I would like to see more run-after-catch plays with tackle-breaking on tape, but there is no denying that this is a legit high Power Five level receiver target with WR1 potential in a good college offense.