KSR's Friday night Kentucky football recruiting news and notes

As it stands right now, Kentucky football holds the 37th-ranked 2023 recruiting class, according to On3, which is 12th out of 14 in the SEC. It’s not nearly as talent-loaded as the 2022 class that features several instant-impact freshmen on this year’s roster, but there are plenty of key pieces across the board. That being said, the 2023 class is clearly lacking in talent compared to what UK brought in from 2022. More players have decommitted in the last 30 days (two) than have chosen the ‘Cats (0).

With a massive home matchup against No. 1 Georgia this weekend, Kentucky is looking for any recruiting momentum to close out this year’s group. In the leadup to Saturday’s game, the coaching staff extended plenty of offers to current high school seniors, a few high-profile underclassmen, and even one junior college prospect. Let’s dive right in to see who’s on UK’s radar.

Players offered by Kentucky football

Class of 2023

Abram Wright (LB) 6-2, 220 | Fleming Island (Fleming Island, FL) RUTGERS COMMIT
3-star: No. 1152, No. 98 LB

• Linebacker Abram Wright, who is currently committed to Rutgers, is one of several high school seniors who picked up a late offer from Kentucky over the last two weeks. Wright’s scholarship opportunity came courtesy of defensive backs coach Chris Collins on Thursday. Wright committed to Rutgers back in June and has picked up offers from the likes of NC State and Virginia in the time since then, but has yet to back off his decision with the Scarlet Knights.

D’Juan Waller Jr. (S) 6-3, 195 | Chaney (Youngstown, OH)
3-star: No. 1560 overall, No. 51 S

• A Youngstown, OH product, DJ Waller earned his Kentucky offer from associate head coach Vince Marrow on Tuesday. Previously committed to Toledo, Waller backed out in mid-October and has since heard from Michigan (where he’ll be this weekend), along with the ‘Cats. West Virginia also offered him in September.

Taylor Wein (EDGE) 6-5, 254 | Nolensville (Nolensville, TN)

• One of the hottest recruits in the class of 2023 right now, Taylor Wein has picked up offers from the likes of Oklahoma State, Cincinnati, Missouri, Ole Miss, Virginia Tech, Southern California, and Oklahoma all since Nov. 9. Kentucky defensive coordinator Brad White reached out to Wein with a scholarship on Nov. 13. Wein intends to visit the Sooners this weekend.

Robert Henry (RB) 5-10, 180 | Jones College (JUCO)

• Not only did Robert Henry, a JUCO running back, pick up an offer from Kentucky running backs coach John Settle on Nov. 8, but he’s already set a visit to Lexington this weekend, as well. Henry will come to UK on Dec. 9 with a visit to South Carolina set for the weekend after. He recently announced on his social media that an announcement will come on Dec. 17. South Carolina offered Henry on Nov. 13.

Alex Gray (OT) 6-4, 270 | Huntsville (Huntsville, AL)

• After stopping in Lexington last weekend for a gameday visit, Alex Gray received an offer from UK’s offensive line coach Zach Yenser on Wednesday. He currently holds just two Divison I offers from Austin Peay and North Alabama but also visited Tennessee in late October.

Class of 2024

Carter Nelson (TE) 6-5, 205 | Ainsworth (Ainsworth, NE)
4-star: No. 190 overall, No. 9 TE

• One of the top high school juniors in the country regardless of position, Carter Nelson has picked up offers from Kentucky (Nov. 7) and Notre Dame (Nov. 8) so far this month. Powerhouse programs such as Penn State and Oklahoma have already reached out, as have most of the Big Ten schools. UK doesn’t typically go into a state such as Nebraska to recruit, so it’ll be interesting to see how invested the staff gets in Nelson.

LJ McCray (DL) 6-5, 255 | Mainland (Daytona Beach, FL)
3-star: No. 400 overall, No. 32 DL

• A three-star defensive lineman out of Florida, LJ McCray earned his Kentucky offer on Friday afternoon from Coach Collins. Auburn, Missouri, Florida, and Florida State are among the Power 5 schools that have also offered.

Carlos Mitchell (RB) 5-11, 170 | Lakes Wales (Lake Wales, FL)

• The month of November has been kind to Carlos Mitchell so far, as he’s received offers from Arkansas State, Penn State, and most recently Kentucky, which came on Nov. 14.

Antoine Belgrave-Shorter (CB) 6-0, 175 | Mandarin (Jacksonville, FL)

• The final Florida product we’ll discuss is Antoine Belgrave-Shorter, who picked up his first SEC offer on Nov. 9 from the Wildcats. Most of his scholarships thus far have come from non-Power 5 schools, but Belgrave-Shorter is now hearing from Central Florida and Penn State.

Class of 2025

Tavion Wallace (LB) 6-1, 195 | Wayne County (Jesup, GA)

Class of 2026

Heze Kent (EDGE) 6-6, 245 | Brunswick (Brunswick, GA)

Expected visitors for Georgia game

What was once expected to be a high-profile recruiting weekend for Kentucky with top-ranked Georgia coming to town has quickly turned into a small get-together. The visitor list is going to be on the light side. That being said, some big-name recruits will still be in Lexington on Saturday, highlighted by four-star WR Karmello English.

He’ll be joined by a pair of quarterbacks, one of which is already considered a top-five signal-caller in the country, Ryan Montgomery. The sophomore QB is hearing from some major schools, including Georgia, Clemson, and Ohio State. Montgomery has already visited the first two programs this month, will be in Lexington this weekend, then travels to Ohio State to close out the month. Michigan is also heavily involved. The second QB known to make a visit on Saturday is another sophomore, Jaystin Gwinn, who attends the same high school that former Wildcat Benny Snell did, Westerville Central in Ohio.

Karmello English (WR) 5-11, 180 | Central (Phenix City, AL)
2023 4-star: No. 176 overall, No. 24 WR

Ryan Montgomery (QB) 6-2, 200 | Findlay (Findlay, OH)
2025 4-star: No. 43 overall, No. 4 QB

Jaystin Gwinn (QB) 6-1, 170 | Westerville Central (Westerville, OH)
2025 unranked