Recruiting Roundup: Where Kentucky official visitors committed
The Kentucky football program went all-in on official visits in the 2026 high school recruiting cycle after getting off to a slow start. There was a soft launch in April before an absolute blitz arrived in June. That turned into 15 commits for the program from June 3 to July 6. We saw the Cats address needs, find a potential star quarterback, and get to a place where they can be selective and attack specific positional needs in the fall.
During this run, Kentucky hosted over 40 prospects on campus for official visits. Around 60 percent of those have committed to other schools. These are where UK’s targets ended up.
| Player | Position | High School | Ranking | School |
| Andre Clarke Jr. | DB (6-0, 165) | Richmond (Va.) Hermitage | 4-star (No. 185 overall) | Michigan |
| Oscar Rios | QB (6-3, 170) | Downey (Calif.) High | 4-star (No. 190 overall) | Arizona |
| Justin Williams | WR (5-11, 190) | Gainesville (Fla.) F.W. Buchholz | 4-star (No. 192 overall) | Florida |
| Dylan Purter | DB (6-0, 165) | Tuskegee (Ala.) Booker T. Washington | 4-star (No. 193 overall) | LSU |
| Asharri Charles | EDGE (6-2, 235) | Venice (Fla.) High | 4-star (No. 197 overall) | Miami |
| Jackson Samuels-Ford | EDGE (6-3, 240) | Malvern (Pa.) Prep | 4-star (No. 217 overall) | Penn State |
| Terry Wiggins | LB (6-3, 205) | Coatesville (Pa.) Area | 4-star (No. 329 overall) | Penn State |
| Jarvis Strickland | T (6-4, 280) | Paducah (Ky.) Tilghman | 4-star (No. 356 overall) | Louisville |
| Adam Balogoun-Ali | LB (6-1, 210) | West Palm Beach (Fla.) Cardinal Newman | High 3-star (No. 411 overall) | Auburn |
| Da’Ron Parks | iOL (6-4, 360) | Sarasota (Fla.) Cardinal Mooney | High 3-star (No. 438 overall) | Undecided |
| Larry Miles | WR (5-11, 175) | Orlando (Fla.) Jones | High 3-star (No. 493 overall) | Nebraska |
| Tyran Evans | WR (6-3, 180) | Charlotte (N.C.) William Amos Hough | High 3-star (No. 548 overall) | Miami |
| Jamyan Theodore | CB (6-0, 165) | Chattanooga (Tenn.) Baylor School | 3-star (No. 667 overall) | Tennessee |
| Jack Fuchs | T (6-8, 295) | Hendersonville (Tenn.) Beech | 3-star (No. 746 overall) | Penn State |
| Richard Thigpen | T (6-5, 310) | Nashville (Tenn.) Ensworth | 3-star (No. 799 overall) | Southern Miss |
| Amante Martin | RB (5-11, 185) | Port Arthur (Texas) Memorial | 3-star (No. 801 overall) | TCU |
| Jeffar Jean-Noel | WR (5-10, 170) | Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage | 3-star (No. 875 overall) | Georgia Tech |
| Charlie Edgeworth | T (6-7, 320) | Chattanooga (Tenn.) Baylor School | 3-star (No. 1,081) | Louisville |
| Jeremiah Gray | DL (6-7, 250) | Detroit (Mich.) Central | 3-star (No. 1,124 overall) | Cincinnati |
| SirPaul Cheeks | RB (5-9, 175) | Chesterfield (Va.) Varina | 3-star (No. 1,198 overall) | Undecided |
| Elijah Satchell | LB/EDGE (6-1, 220) | Camden (N.J.) Eastside | 3-star (No. 1,364 overall) | NC State |
| Kosci Barnes | CB (6-2, 185) | Greensboro (N.C.) Grimsley | Unranked | Undecided |
| Walt Frazier | iDL (6-3, 295) | Haverford (Pa.) School | Unranked | Syracuse |
| Ben Moseley | TE (6-5, 210) | Centre (Ala.) Cherokee County | Unranked | Undecided |
| Seven Cloud | DL (6-3, 325) | Butler Community College | JUCO | Georgia |
Da’Ron Parks remains a major target for the Kentucky program with a decision expected at the end of the month. UK crossed paths when Penn State and Louisville multiple times this cycle. The Cats flipped Denairius Gray from Auburn but lost a head-to-head battle with the Tigers for Adam Balogoun-Ali. There were targets not included on this list (Tyler Duell, Darnell Collins, Jaedyn Terry, Justin Edwards, Tyrell Simpson, etc.) since they never made it to UK’s campus for a scheduled official visit.
Kentucky’s 2026 high school recruiting class
| Player | Position | High School | Ranking |
| Matt Ponatoski | QB (6-2, 190) | Cincinnati (Ohio) Moeller | 4-star (No. 257 overall) |
| Denairius Gray | WR (6-1, 170) | Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna | 4-star (No. 302 overall) |
| Messiah Tilson | S (6-2, 165) | Rockford (Ill.) Guilford | 4-star (No. 343 overall) |
| Jordan Crutchfield | CB (6-2, 195) | Vero Beach (Fla.) High | High 3-star (No. 424 overall) |
| Dallas Dickerson | WR (6-1, 180) | Bogart (Ga.) North Oconee | High 3-star (No. 467 overall) |
| Lincoln Watkins | TE (6-4, 225) | Port Huron (Mich.) Northern | 3-star (No. 606 overall) |
| Tyreek Jemison | iOL (6-5, 330) | Dallas (Ga.) Paulding County | 3-star (No. 688 overall) |
| Prince Jean | WR (6-0, 170) | Valdosta (Ga.) High | 3-star (No. 733 overall) |
| Garrett Witherington | DL (6-4, 290) | Birmingham (Ala.) Briarwood Christian | 3-star (No. 989 overall) |
| Davis McCray | WR (6-2, 190) | San Antonio (Texas) Cornerstone Christian | 3-star (No. 1,089 overall) |
| Max Mohring | LB (6-3, 215) | Malvern (Pa.) Prep | 3-star (No. 1,296 overall) |
| Delvecchio “Deuce” Alston II | RB (6-0, 200) | Trussville (Ala.) Hewitt-Trussville | 3-star (No. 1,331 overall) |
| Cameron Miller | T (6-5, 310) | Hammond (Ind.) Morton | 3-star (No. 1,388 overall) |
| Ben Duncum | DL (6-5, 250) | Austin (Texas) Lake Travis | Unranked |
| Isaiah McMillian | CB (6-0, 170) | Katy (Texas) High | Unranked |
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