Five Kentucky recruits to watch 2 months from Signing Day
Things can change fast in college football recruiting. We saw that play out this week as long-time Kentucky commit Kaden Moorman re-opened his recruitment. That leaves the Cats with 14 commitments and multiple scholarships to fill.
Once again, we should expect Kentucky to add about 7-8 players from the transfer portal this offseason, but there will also be players who decide to depart. High school recruiting is still very important in the current landscape as the Cats could conceivably add 5-6 prospects to their class.
As we sit two months out from the Early National Signing Day on Dec. 15, now feels like a good time to take a look at the recruiting board and see who are the most important targets on the board at the moment.
Kentucky still has a great chance to close on some impressive four-star prospects, but must fight off some SEC East competition to hold onto a tailback commit.
Khalifa Keith is receiving legit SEC interest
Go back to the summer and Kentucky was the first Power Five school to show heavy interest in Birmingham (Ala.) Parker tailback Khalifa Keith. The big runner (6-2, 206) could easily get up to 230 pounds in Lexington and is the type of power back that Kentucky needs to find with the departure of All-SEC performer Chris Rodriguez Jr. coming at the end of the year.
Kentucky earned a commitment from Keith in July as Florida State appeared to be the only competition. That changed in October as both South Carolina and Tennessee issued scholarship offers.
There has been speculation that Tennessee has possibly had Keith on campus once or twice this season for unofficial visits, but that has not been confirmed. Meanwhile, South Carolina will likely get the low three-star back on campus for an SEC home game to close the year.
Kentucky will need to fight off some legit competition to land a signature from Keith. The tailback fits a big need for the offense.
Kentucky needs at least one more wideout
Once again, Kentucky’s wide receiver recruiting has been outstanding in the 2023 cycle. Nashville (Tenn.) Ensworth wideout Shamar Porter is the best player in the class, and Springfield (Ohio) High product Anthony Brown is having a monster senior season.
The Cats now have a chance to close very strong under position coach Scott Woodward.
Nashville (Tenn.) McGavock wideout Demitrius Bell has a tremendous run-after-catch skillset and could give the Big Blue another huge recruiting win in Middle Tennessee. The former Michigan State commit took an official visit to Lexington two weeks ago.
Don’t be surprised if a commitment from Bell comes soon but there are some blue blood programs sniffing around. Kentucky is still a player in the recruitment of Phenix City (Ala.) Central blue-chip wideout Karmello English but Bell seems more likely at the moment.
Spatula SZN
Flips as signing day approaches happen every year. Kentucky is in position to perhaps pull off two big surprises.
Kissimmee (Fla.) Osceola cornerback Ja’Keem Jackson seems firmly committed to Florida, but defensive backs coach Chris Collins keeps plugging away for Kentucky. The top-200 prospect has a brother on Kentucky’s track team and just completed an official visit in Lexington. Billy Napier’s program is trending for five-star cornerback Cormani McClain and that could open an avenue for Jackson to come north to Lexington.
Purdue beat Kentucky in a heated recruiting battle for Indianapolis (Ind.) Cathedral defensive tackle Kendrick Gilbert but this is a recruitment that is far from over. Kentucky got Gilbert on campus for an unofficial visit last week, and the Boilermakers could be looking at a coaching change if Louisville separates from Scott Satterfield. The midwest prospect has tremendous length and could be an early contributor on the defensive line in Lexington.
Don’t be surprised if Kentucky gets the spatula out twice as signing day approaches.
Don’t forget about a key in-state OL prospect
After three years at Louisville (Ky.) Male, top-500 recruit William Spencer has transferred to New Albany (Ind.) Senior for his final year of high school. The defensive lineman has transitioned to the offensive line and held his own at a Kentucky camp over the summer.
The Big Blue Wall will be a hot-button topic for fans and media during the offseason, but landing Spencer could give Kentucky their only top-500 recruiting win at the position during this cycle.
Spencer took an unofficial visit to Virginia Tech in September, but all signs point to Kentucky being the heavy favorite with Vince Marrow in pursuit. Don’t sleep on this recruitment.
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