Kentucky commit Messiah Tilson flips to Rutgers
Kentucky did a good job of turning commitments into signature during the early signing period while making a coaching change. Unfortunately, this program could not close on everyone. A second defensive back commitment was lost on Friday evening.
Junior college transfer Da’Mare Williams quickly flipped his commitment to West Virginia following the firing of Mark Stoops. New head coach Will Stein and his staff were also unable to get a four-star safety across the finishing line. Messiah Tilson flipped his commitment and signed with Rutgers on Friday.
Top 10
- 1Breaking
Gonzaga 94, Kentucky 59
That was awful
- 2Hot
Boos
Pope's reaction
- 3Trending
Heartless Mercenaries
NOT the Avengers.
- 4New
DeMarcus Cousins
says UK has no heart
- 5Breaking
Former Cats
on Will Stein's staff.
Get the Daily On3 Newsletter in your inbox every morning
By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein.
The Rockford (Ill.) Guilford senior surprised many when he picked Kentucky over Rutgers back in June. However, the Scarlet Knights never stopped recruiting the 2026 prospect. Despite firing their defensive coordinator on Tuesday, the Scarlet Knights completed a flip for one of the top targets on their board.
Kentucky will leave the early signing period with only four defensive prospects added to the program.
Kentucky’s 2026 signing class
| Player | Position | High School | Ranking |
| Kenny Darby | WR (6-0, 175) | Bossier City (La.) Airline | 4-Star (No. 188 overall) |
| Matt Ponatoski | QB (6-2, 190) | Cincinnati (Ohio) Moeller | 4-star (No. 226 overall) |
| Denairius Gray | WR (6-1, 170) | Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna | High 3-star (No. 522 overall) |
| Dallas Dickerson | WR (6-1, 180) | Bogart (Ga.) North Oconee | High 3-star (No. 589 overall) |
| Lincoln Watkins | TE (6-4, 225) | Port Huron (Mich.) Northern | 3-star (No. 609 overall) |
| Ben Duncum | DL (6-5, 250) | Austin (Texas) Lake Travis | 3-star (No. 748 overall) |
| Isaiah McMillian | CB (6-0, 170) | Katy (Texas) High | 3-star (No. 943 overall) |
| Justyn Hartley | LB (6-2, 215) | Hoover (Ala.) High | 3-star (No. 953 overall) |
| Prince Jean | WR (6-0, 170) | Valdosta (Ga) High | 3-star (No. 1,049 overall) |
| Cameron Miller | T (6-5, 310) | Hammond (Ind.) Morton | 3-star (No. 1,072) overall) |
| Davis McCray | WR (6-2, 190) | San Antonio (Texas) Cornerstone Christian | 3-star (No. 1,295 overall) |
| Delvecchio “Deuce” Alston II | RB (6-0, 200) | Trussville (Ala.) Hewitt-Trussville | 3-star (No. 1,421 overall) |
| Jordan Knox | iOL (6-2, 325) | Rock Hill (S.C.) Northwestern | JUCO |
| Braxton Urquhart | CB (6-2, 198) | Hoover (Ala.) High | JUCO |
Discuss This Article
Comments have moved.
Join the conversation and talk about this article and all things Kentucky Sports in the new KSR Message Board.
KSBoard