Kentucky's Signing Day Superlatives, Part 1: High School Signees

Happy Signing Day. Today is an overanalyzed and celebrated holiday across the college football landscape. The Transfer Portal has somewhat dimmed the lights for high school signees. However, we’ll focus on that group in this post. I’ll dive into the Portal acquisitions a little later today. 

Full disclosure, I’ve been a huge fan of Signing Day for many years. This event was a mandatory day off work for me in my former career. It’s evolved into a career that I truly cherish. Lives are changed on Signing Day, some for the better, some not so much. Expectations can be overly exaggerated which leads to drama and exciting entertainment. 

Kentucky’s Class of 2023 is a solid collection of players from across the nation. It’s filled with a heavy influence at receiver and defensive back. Kentucky got better today. But, I don’t expect this class to match or exceed the 2022’s version in terms of early impact. This year’s Wildcat team was filled with true freshmen who had a tremendous influence on the season. Receivers Dane Key and Barion Brown were tremendous. Both earned national and conference accolades. TE Josh Kattus came on strong at the season’s end and has folks inside the Joe Craft Football Training Center excited for the future. Defensive lineman Deone Walker earned vast postseason honors and is a future professional. Keaten Wade and Alex Afari earned quality game reps and are poised to push for starting roles in ’23. Does this class have those types of players? The 2022 class was special and arguably the best of the Stoops era. So, let’s dive into superlatives, shall we? 

My Guy: WR Anthony Brown

As stated earlier, I’m not sure this class will have as many instant starters or contributors as last season’s group. This year’s class is a developmental assortment of players that could be situationally utilized in all three phases. I can also see the entire class being redshirted. “My Guy” or the signee whose film jumped at me the most is Anthony Brown. The Springfield, Ohio product is flat-out electric. A true slot receiver, Brown recorded 83 receptions for 1,626 yards and 21 touchdowns in his senior season. Coached by former Cat Mo Douglass, Brown led his team to a state championship game. 

Listed at 5’9, 160, Brown will need to put on good weight while maintaining his electric horizontal movement and burst speed. He’s a true slot that catches the football with his hands and understands how to get north/south to the end zone. He’s shifty and possesses excellent field vision. Brown is a fluid route runner and explosive starter. I attended his commitment ceremony this summer. The new Wildcat is one that fans will love in the future. Depending on the status of Tayvion Robinson, there may not be a pressing need at the slot for the ’23 season. However, Brown may be too explosive to keep off the field. 

Nastiest Signee: IOL Koby Keenum

Every few years there is a signee that jumps off the field in terms of nastiness. Remember, nasty is a positive term in the football world. Logan Stenberg, Bunchy Stallings, and Austin Dotson were defined by this description. The Class of 23’s version is Koby Keenum. The 6’4, 300-pound interior offensive lineman is a violent mauler that appears to love the game of football. There are similarities with Stenberg. Both are from Alabama, mean as a rattlesnake, and excelled in their state’s all-star game at the season’s end. 

Keenum moves humans at the line of scrimmage. Now, it also must be taken into consideration that he’s playing against high school competition. Every play is not a knockdown at the college level. But Keenum’s willingness to be an enforcer is refreshing. I appreciated his tape. He projects at center or guard at Kentucky. Fortunately, UK is stacked at both positions which will allow the lineman to learn from older players in 23. He will get his chance and projects to be a starter. The Big Blue Wall was constructed on attitude and precision. Keenum has both traits to go along with an outgoing personality and could be a fan favorite for years to come. 

Unsung: ATH Ty Bryant

Unsung is a term that means “Not celebrated or praised.” That is not the case with my winner in this category, but it could be. Frederick Douglass athlete Ty Bryant committed to Kentucky on August 19 of 2021. His recruitment was somewhat anticlimactic given that he played his high school football four miles from Kroger Field. But, I think that there’s something special about this kid. 

Kentucky secured the signature of a Legacy Wildcat and hometown hero for the second consecutive season. Ty Bryant joins Dane Key in that department. Ty’s dad Cisco played receiver for Kentucky in the 80s for Coach Jerry Claiborne and is an influencer in Lexington’s football circles. The younger Bryant led Frederick Douglass to a state championship and did a little bit of everything for the Broncos. He played defensive back and also running back. Bryant willed his team to a title. 

I’ve watched Bryant many times in person and evaluated a great deal of his tape. His instincts and understanding of the game are elite. Brilliant on and off the field, Ty is a future safety/nickel and leader. The kid is a winner. That description also paints the picture of several of his fellow signees. Why is Ty Bryant my “Unsung” player of this class? He was an early commit and stuck to his word for quite some time. There was no drama once after making his decision. He was also rated as a 3-star prospect which I feel was low. Bryant was a team-first captain that played many roles and played multiple positions for the championship Broncos. 

What Does All This Mean? 

Kentucky filled its immediate needs via the Transfer Portal. But, we can’t forget about the high school signees. I don’t expect a high number of this class to earn immediate playing time. I also don’t think it’s realistic to assume that many players from any class will stay at the same school for five years. That’s not a knock on this class but a reality of college football in 2023. Mark Stoops signed some Dudes today.