Former Kentucky Targets Litter Midseason True Freshman All-American Team

What could have been? That’s a question worth asking for Kentucky football fans who have experienced plenty of losses as of late. They aren’t just losses on the field. There are plenty of important recruiting losses to go around, and it’s leading to that poor play on the field.

Kentucky hit home runs in the 2022 and 2023 recruiting classes, inking 15 four-star players. As Adam Luckett recently pointed out, those should be the leaders of year team in years three and four of their college careers. Alex Afari is the only four-star player from that run who is still on the roster. Of the 39 players signed during that time, nine remain.

Those are the misses that actually made it on the roster. A lot of them never signed on the dotted line to play for Kentucky.

On Monday, On3 released its Midseason True Freshman All-American Team. It featured plenty of familiar names. Kentucky was heavily involved in the recruitment of Spike Sowells. The Louisville Male athlete was one of the top-ranked center prospects in the country. He’s played in every game this season for N.C. State, starting the last three at right guard for the Wolf Pack.

Recruiting misses devastated the development of the offensive line. There’s a player who could help fix that problem who’s having success elsewhere.

On the other side of the line of scrimmage, Kentucky made a strong move during the 2024 season to sign Chaz Coleman. The Wildcats hosted him for an official visit in October and appeared to be in position to secure a commitment from the Ohio EDGE talent. Instead, he signed with Penn State.

Even though the Nittany Lions need a new coach, the former UK recruiting target is thriving. According to Pro Football Focus, Coleman holds the highest grade among true freshman pass rushers (81.1) with at least 100 snaps, tallying 12 pressures and one sack through the first half of the season.

There’s one other name that appeared on last summer’s official visit guest list. Getting Mandrell Desir and his brother Darryll to play college football outside of the Sunshine State was going to be a tall task. They ultimately moved to Tallahassee, where Mandrell has become an immediate contributor for Florida State.

If recruiting is still the lifeblood of a program, then Kentucky needs a transfusion, STAT.

NEW: On3 2025 Midseason True Freshman All-American Team🇺🇸

(via @CharlesPower) https://t.co/NPxMsIaNUE pic.twitter.com/vNE4IGpP2y

— On3 (@On3sports) October 13, 2025

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