UK's Two New Assistants are Already Recruiting Top Talent in New Territories

[caption id="attachment_236961" align="alignnone" width="2048"] UK Athletics[/caption] When Mark Stoops added Michael Smith and Brad White to the Kentucky football staff, they brought new recruiting territories to the table.  The two have already reached out to four-star prospects after just two weeks. White hails from Rhode Island, a state that produces few Division I football recruits.  Stoops was hesitant to say how much UK would invest in the small Northeastern state.  When White was asked if UK should expect to get every top recruit from the state, he responded: “I wish. We’ll see," White said. "There’s not many players that come out of the state, but I am really looking forward to getting there and into that mid-Atlantic area because we’ve had a lot of good players from New Jersey, Washington D.C., and Maryland. So we’ll hit the ground running there and see if we can get some more.” Yesterday White hit the ground running at his alma mater by offering the best player in the state of Rhode Island, four-star offensive tackle Xavier Truss.  The 6'7" 325-pound offensive lineman holds offers from Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan and Alabama. Two of White's premier pass-rushers are from the Mid-Atlantic area, Josh Allen and Josh Paschal.  White will chip in to help Marrow recruit one of Paschal's former Good Counsel teammates, 3-star 2019 wide receiver Cam Hart. Smith's ties are to a state that consistently produces top football recruits, Louisiana.  He's wasted no time reaching out to a ton elite wide receivers from The Pelican State.  The following five recruits from the 2019 class have received scholarship offers from UK since Smith's introductory press conference:

• Jacob Bernard -- No relation to Andy Bernard, UK is the first SEC offer for the 5-11 WR.
• Kash Foley --  Foley has received a few D-I offers, but UK is the biggest name on the WR's list.
• Christian Harris -- The four-star WR/CB from Baton Rouge is considered a Top 100 player and the #7 athlete in the country.
• Quinton Torbor -- A 6'2" four-star slot receiver from Destrehen, La., he'll be on of the best 300 players in the nation before he makes a college decision.
• Devonta Lee -- The 6-2 athlete is a Top 50 prospect and the #7 WR in America.

The top three targets -- Harris, Torbor and Lee -- are all projected by the Crystal Ball to end up at LSU.  Smith did not reveal much of his pitch to lure players out of the state. “It’s the brand. I think what a lot of people don’t understand about a lot of kids from Louisiana is that they are willing to leave the state. The fact that Kentucky is a SEC football program, I think we’re in the best conference in college football...The SEC is the SEC and I think that’s a big sell for a lot of kids not only in Louisiana, but everybody.” Smith and White may not be able to get the best of the best from their respective territories, but it only takes one commitment to give Kentucky momentum in an uncharted part of the country. [mobile_ad]