Young talent shines at Kentucky football camp
June means the start of visit season in the college football world, and an important part of this month is camp settings held by football programs throughout the United States. The Kentucky Wildcats hosted their second one-day camp of the month on Tuesday, and there was some intriguing young talent in attendance.
From current Kentucky commitments to 2024 blue-chip prospects and a quarterback to watch in the future, there was a lot to unpack as Mark Stoops and his coaching staff begin a busy month. KSR had boots on the ground at the Joe Craft Football Training Facility as all the action took place on the practice fields on a beautiful day in the Bluegrass.
Let’s get to the recruiting buzz.
Cutter Boley looks the part
Lexington (Ky.) Christian Academy’s Cutter Boley made the short trip down the road to camp, and the 2025 recruit was one of the biggest prospects participating at the event. Standing what appears to be somewhere between 6-foot-4 and 6-foot-5, Boley looks the part as a true pocket passer who can threaten all three levels of the defense with his right arm.
Boley was at his best when asked to push the ball vertical from on platform as the smooth passer could drive the ball down the field with strong ball placement that allowed him to record a ton of chunk plays. The rising sophomore currently owns offers from Kentucky, Ole Miss, Missouri, and Tennessee with Clemson and Notre Dame showing interest.
The young player looked the part.
The 2025 signing day is not anywhere close, but quarterback recruiting happens fast. Don’t be surprised if Cutter Boley develops into a legit blue-chip prospect that emerges at the top of Kentucky’s recruiting board sooner rather than later. The in-state prospect spent Tuesday working with new offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello as the Wildcats look to strengthen that relationship.
Boo Carter is a name to know
National Playmakers Academy (NPA) is a Tennessee-based football training organization that has been in business since 2010. The organization trains football prospects in Kentucky’s bordering state before making a college decision.
On Tuesday, NPA made the trip north with numerous rising juniors and sophomores attending camp at Kentucky. However, one individual appeared to stand above the rest.
Boo Carter is the No. 233 prospect in the 2024 class, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. The Chattanooga (Tenn.) Christian School product has taken visits to Clemson, Michigan State, Tennessee, and Vanderbilt this spring.
Kentucky hosted the four-star for their one-day camp, and Carter seems to have the goods.
Playing wide receiver, Carter looked like the best pass catcher at the camp, consistently creating separation on a plethora of route concepts to go along with good ball tracking and the ability to finish catches in the vertical passing game. Carter also got some reps at cornerback and flashed strong coverage skills with the ability to be sticky in man.
The Tennessee native is a bonafide blue-chipper in 2024, and Kentucky will likely look to make a big push for the talented two-way athlete.
Malachi Wood, Tommy Ziesmer go through with camp
It’s not very often when you will see rising senior prospects camp the summer before their final high school season. That is absolutely the case when players have a spot locked up. However, a pair of Kentucky pledges went through a workout for their future coaching staff on Tuesday.
After recently visiting Alabama, Richmond (Ky.) Madison Central offensive tackle Malachi Wood was on campus on Tuesday and went through the camp working with new offensive line coach Zach Yenser. The 2023 prospect is a clear 6-foot-7 and looked just a skosh taller than Kiyaunta Goodwin when the two were seen standing next to each other. With a slim frame, Wood is about 270 pounds at the moment but has a clear seven-foot wingspan and can move well for his position.
Wood has a very high ceiling in pass protection and could turn into a great wide zone scheme fit as the Big Blue Wall looks to transition to a different running style.
On the other side of the ball, Danville (Ky.) Boyle County EDGE Tommy Ziesmer was also in attendance, and the most recent 2023 pledge for the Wildcats was full-go on Tuesday. The top-600 recruit participated in everything, and his testing scores are enough to get you excited.
Despite being just 6-foot-1, Ziesmer has a wingspan over 80 inches and was clocked at 4.7 in a laser-timed 40-yard dash. On tape, the prospect plays with heavy hands and is a very good striker for his age. The height will be a concern, but the prospect has checked enough boxes in the evaluation process to believe that he can develop into a good player in the SEC.
Another Youngstown connection
Also working out in the trenches was Austintown (Ohio) Fitch EDGE Brian Robinson. The class of 2024 prospect is from the Youngstown area and will be a clear target for Kentucky.
Brian Robinson is the No. 202 prospect in the 2024 class, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. After a busy spring that saw the four-star prospect visit Cincinnati, Illinois, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Pittsburgh, Penn State, Purdue, and West Virginia, UK got Robinson on campus for a camp.
The pass rusher looked the part with an explosive first step off of the line of scrimmage to go with a frame that should be able to play with power. Robinson has another camp visit scheduled later this month with Ohio State, but expect Kentucky to become a prominent player in this recruitment.
With two more camps coming this week — Thursday and Sunday — KSR will be here all week to provide updates as the Wildcats get set to have a huge weekend with numerous official visitors this weekend.
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