Kentucky Football Recruiting Catch-Up Following a Busy Spring

Thanks to investment from our friends at On3, KSR’s Kentucky football recruiting coverage is the best it’s ever been. Zack Geoghegan has delivered the goods each week on who’s visiting. If you aren’t on KSR+ just yet — what are you waiting for? — Jacob Polcheck has talked to anybody and everybody that has been in contact with the Cats.

It’s a lot to keep up with. Let me synthesize some of the most significant Kentucky football recruiting developments from the spring ahead of what will be an eventful month of June in Lexington.

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Early Traction with Big-Time Targets

A year ago it felt like Kentucky was playing catch-up for most of the recruiting cycle. Fortunately, they closed with a bang to finish with a formidable class, but that’s a dangerous game to play. During this cycle it feels like Kentucky is fishing in the right waters for the best of the best.

The Early Signing Period altered the flow of the recruiting calendar. Previously June served primarily as an evaluation period. That is still a significant part of the equation. Now it’s lumped in with official visits and commitments. There are a handful of players the Cats have teed up to close early and build momentum in the 2024 recruiting class that currently only has two commitments. A few players to keep an eye on:

Cutter Boley: The one name even the most casual observer knows, Boley is a four-star talent currently in the class of 2025 that could reclassify and wrap up his high school career at LCA this fall. Buzz was building toward UK upon Liam Coen’s return and that’s only been amplified throughout spring practice.

Brian Robinson: It’s the latest Youngstown battle between Michigan’s Steve Clinkscale and Kentucky’s Vince Marrow. The four-star, Top 150 edge can be the building block of a recruiting class. A priority for the Cats, I recently logged an RPM for Marrow to win this battle.

Jac’Qawn McRoy: In ESPN’s latest 2024 recruiting class rankings, the OT from Alabama debuted as the No. 57 overall prospect. He described Kentucky as his “day one school” after the Wildcats were the first to offer him a scholarship. Amid struggles to find answers at offensive tackle, an official visit appears to be on the horizon, putting the Cats in position to land a huge commitment.

Gavin Grover: The Olentangy (OH) tight end recently trimmed his list to three, with Cincinnati and Kentucky viewed as the top two choices. There’s one wrinkle in the pursuit of Grover, Dylan Mesman. The four-star prospect from Michigan is visiting this weekend. Kentucky must tread carefully while juggling who they want most in blue and white.

Terhyon Nichols: The Big Dog made a great find at Cincinnati’s Withrow High School. He had a low profile recruitment, with UC as UK’s top competition, until he debuted in the On300. As other schools come calling, the Wildcats are in a great spot for the cover cornerback who’s visited Lexington multiple times this spring.

Cam Coleman: He’s one of the most written about prospects in the On3 network because he’s a Top 50 player at an Alabama powerhouse being pursued by every big name in college football. Meanwhile, Kentucky is quietly lurking.

The Smith Twins: Jerod Smith is a four-star defensive lineman and Jacob Smith is a four-star edge. Originally from Somerset, Kentucky has stayed in the mix as hey’ve traveled from Alabama to Notre Dame and Nebraska. Now playing at a prep school in Connecticut, Brad White could sneak past the big dogs to land a couple of big fish.

Multiple Options at Quarterback

Even though it appears Cutter Boley is Kentucky’s top target, they are not putting all of their eggs in one basket. During January’s Junior Day Liam Coen offered scholarships to Top 300 prospects Ryan Montgomery and Stone Saunders. Each player made a return visit during spring practice. The Wildcats have not had a full-time starter they’ve recruited from the high school ranks since Drew Barker. Coen is putting in the work to change that trend, even if it isn’t until the 2025 cycle.

A New Recruiter Emerges

Vince Marrow has always been the heavy hitter when it comes to Kentucky football recruiting. One man alone cannot do all the heavy lifting. Other assistants need to fill that void with future starters. Steve Clinkscale and Jon Sumrall provided that and more, but now that they’re gone, Mark Stoops needed somebody else to step up. That man is Chris Collins.

A late addition to the staff following Clink’s late departure in May of 2021, it took some time for the new cornerbacks coach to get settled in Lexington. During the last cycle he was able to secure visits from big-time players in Georgia and Florida, yet only received a few commitments. Collins has become even more aggressive this spring. Here are just a few of the big dogs he’s gotten on campus. He can’t get ’em all, but landing just a few could be game-changers.

Brandon Jacob: A four-star top 150 safety from Orlando, it’s Kentucky vs. the Florida schools in this high-profile recruitment.

Kam Mikell: It’s Kentucky vs. Georgia for a four-star cornerback from Georgia and he tells KSR+ that he will use one of his official visits in Lexington.

Devin Smith: He’s taken multiple visits to Alabama and has an offer from the Crimson Tide, but this spring Collins got the three-star LB to come to Kentucky for the second time in his recruitment.

Kendall Jackson: A Gainesville native in the On300, Florida and Kentucky were included in the defensive lineman’s top six schools.

Different Recruiting Competition in the State of Kentucky

Kentucky was recruiting against Jeff Brohm and Scott Satterfield a year ago. Now they’re wearing different logos. It’s to be determined exactly how it will disrupt Kentucky’s football recruiting operation, but overall, it feels like a net positive.

The Wildcats stand alone with the only Power 5 commitments in the state, offensive linemen Hayes Johnson and Aba Selm, but Brohm is going to get some players to Louisville. There will not be a complete UK monopoly on the state. However, it is going to get a whole lot easier to recruit against Cincinnati. A thorn in the Wildcats’ side following their CFB Playoff run, UK has already benefitted in the class of 2023 with Khamari Anderson. There will be more battles between Kentucky and Scott Satterfield on the recruiting trail and I like the Cats’ chances.

What The Early Recruiting Efforts Mean for Kentucky

Kentucky is aggressively attacking its top two positions of need, offensive tackle and quarterback. The Cats also have lines cast for excellent athletes in the secondary from the South that need to be recruited on an annual basis. After struggling to recruit wide receivers for years, Liam Coen’s offense has afforded them the luxury of playing it slow and only taking the best of the best. Kentucky has laid a solid foundation this spring. The next step is gaining momentum with commitments in the month of June.