Who Kentucky football is targeting in the class of 2024

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After a busy few weeks on the Kentucky football recruiting front at the beginning of the summer, the momentum has slowed to a crawl. With the dust of June and early July settled, Mark Stoops now has 14 commits locked in for the 2024 class — 11 of them announcing since the start of June. Those 14 pledges are good enough for 35th in the country according to the On3 national rankings.

Kentucky certainly isn’t done with this class though. There are still plenty of high-profile targets on the radar. In particular, a trio of four-stars — Brian Robinson, Hardley Gilmore, and Jason Patterson — have long been thought to be Kentucky leans and all three are inching closer to decision dates. Patterson is scheduled to announce on August 1.

But outside of those three, the pathway to a potential 20-man recruiting class gets a bit murkier. There are plenty of names out there though to keep an eye on, including a handful of possible flips from other big-name programs. Let’s see who’s on the Big Board.

The top targets

Brian Robinson (EDGE) 6-5, 250 | Austintown Fitch (Austintown, OH)
4-star: No. 131 overall, No. 7 EDGE

Brian Robinson needs no introduction at this point. He’s been Vince Marrow’s top uncommitted target for months now. Although there is no decision date scheduled at this time, Robinson did note on his Instagram on July 6 that he has “just a few more weeks till I’m committed”. Following that timeline, a decision could come at any time, potentially by the end of the month. My best guess would be he pops sometime in early August though. Maryland and Pittsburgh are the teams Kentucky is currently fending off. Also of note, Robinson recently left the Austintown Fitch (OH) program. His father, George Robinson, told 21-WFMJ on July 13 that Brian was “being targeted by a few coaches who were demoralizing him because he’s a high profile player.”

Hardley Gilmore (WR) 6-1, 165 | Pahkoee (Belle Glade, FL)
4-star: No. 276 overall, No. 48 WR

A recent reclass prospect from 2025, Hardley Gilmore has been trending toward Kentucky ever since he moved up to 2024. There are currently three Recruiting Prediction Machine picks in favor of the Wildcats. Myself and Adam Luckett place our picks in June while Corey Bender of GatorsOnline did the same shortly after. Like Robinson, there is no confirmed commitment date, but the expectation is that the choice will ultimately be the ‘Cats.

Jason Patterson (RB) 6-0, 205 | Sneads (Sneads, FL)
4-star: No. 381 overall, No. 33 RB

Jason Patterson is set to announce on Tuesday, August 1 from a top-five list that consists of Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Rutgers, Cincinnati, and Boston College. He visited all five during June. That being said, UK is considered the heavy favorite in the weeks leading up to his decision. His addition would form a talented one-two punch of running backs from this class alongside three-star Tovani Mizell.

Others to keep a close eye on

Kam Mikell (CB) 6-0, 180 | Statesboro (Statesboro, GA)
4-star: No. 128 overall, No. 17 CB

Kam Mikell is considered a Georgia lean, but some recent developments in his recruitment could shift that once we get to the fall. Mikell officially visited UGA in May but has an official with Kentucky scheduled for September (and one for Tennessee in November) with his teammate Amontrae Bradford, who we’ll talk more about below. The Wildcats should be considered serious threats to the Bulldogs to land Mikell, who is believed to prefer the wide receiver position at the college level but is being recruited by Georgia primarily as a cornerback. UK is beginning to make a pitch to him about playing on offense in Lexington.

Jalewis Solomon (ATH) 6-0, 185 | Schley County (Ellaville, GA)
4-star: No. 268 overall, No. 11 ATH

Kentucky cracked the top five for Jalewis Solomon back in June and he has a commitment date scheduled for August 5, but as we inch closer to his decision, it doesn’t appear the Wildcats will be the pick. On3’s Chad Simmons reported on Friday that there are three teams to watch down the stretch: Auburn, Florida State, and South Carolina. That being said, Solomon is someone the staff could continue to recruit even after he commits elsewhere.

Devin Smith (LB) 6-3, 220 | Brunswick (Brunswick, GA)
3-star: No. 602 overall, No. 63 LB

Devin Smith is being recruited by some of the SEC’s top schools. His top five — which he dropped in early July — include Alabama, Kentucky, South Carolina, LSU, and Auburn. Smith took unofficial visits this summer to four of those five programs with LSU the one that did not receive a visit. Kentucky already has two linebackers committed in the class of 2024, but Smith is clearly in the mix.

Amontrae Bradford (EDGE) 6-5, 230 | Statesboro (Statesboro, GA)
3-star: No. 862 overall, No. 65 EDGE

Teammates at Statesboro with Kam Mikell, EDGE Amontrae Bradford will join Mikell for an official visit to Kentucky in the fall. Bradford’s top list consists of UK, Georgia Tech, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech, Indiana, Colorado, and Mississippi State. Tennessee is watching his recruitment closely, too.

Steven Soles (LB) 6-2, 215 | Powell (Powell, TN)
3-star: No. 911 overall, No. 88 LB

Steven Soles was initially scheduled to officially visit Kentucky in June. While that trip did not take place, there is a very good chance he follows through with that visit sometime in the fall. Soles did OV at Virginia Tech not long ago.

Possible flips?

Cam Coleman (WR) 6-3, 185 | Central (Phenix City, AL) TEXAS A&M COMMIT
5-star: No. 13 overall, No. 3 WR

Flipping five-star WR Cam Coleman from Texas A&M is going to be a longshot, but it’s not entirely out of the picture. Kentucky made his top eight prior to his commitment to the Aggies. UK offensive coordinator Liam Coen will have an uphill battle but he’ll give Coleman something to consider.

Boo Carter (ATH) 5-10, 180 | Bradley Central (Chattanooga, TN) TENNESSEE COMMIT
4-star: No. 204 overall, No. 9 ATH

Committed to Tennessee since mid-June, Boo Carter is going to be on Kentucky’s radar until he signs on the dotted line with the Volunteers. Although UK didn’t make his top five before committing to UT, he’s close with 2024 QB commit Cutter Boley, who has been an active recruiter for the program since committing in May.

Jerod Smith (DL) 6-2, 255 | Corbin (Corbin, KY) MICHIGAN COMMIT
4-star: No. 250 overall, No. 27 DL
Jacob Smith (EDGE) 6-4, 230 | Corbin (Corbin, KY) MICHIGAN COMMIT
4-star: No. 255 overall, No. 16 EDGE

We’ll group the Smith twins, Jacob and Jerod, together. Both have committed to Michigan in recent months, but a brand-new development certainly feels significant. The Smiths are transferring high schools again, returning back home to the Bluegrass State. Originally from Somerset, Jacob and Jerod will now play their senior season at Corbin High School. Kentucky was going after both furiously before missing out. A move closer to the Wildcats will certainly help UK’s chances at flipping them from the Wolverines, but nothing is imminent. Keep expectations tempered.

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