[LeeCoUKFan]

Justin Rowland answers recruiting questions

Justin Rowland
CatsIllustrated.com Football Recruiting Analyst

Periodically I'll take your Kentucky football recruiting questions from our premium message board, the House of Blue, or Twitter. Here are some of the best conversation starters from the past week.

Will Kentucky take another offensive lineman with its limited numbers remaining in this class?

Absolutely. In fact, the Wildcats could even take two more offensive linemen. Months ago it seemed a near given that Kentucky would sign five offensive linemen. More recently it appeared that four could be the magic number, but five is still possible.

The two names standing out at this point are Marcelys Jones and Luke Hayes.

Jones, an Ohio State offensive guard commit, is a four-star prospect from Glenville (Ohio) and if you talk to most Buckeye people the possibility that he could flip to Kentucky will be dismissed right away. But sources close to UK have consistently maintained they feel great about where they are with Jones and recently they have sounded more confident than ever.

Hayes is a junior college prospect from Kansas with a great build that could come in and compete for a starting spot right away. Land just one of those guys and it's probably the best offensive line class Kentucky has signed in the modern era. Land both and it's one of the SEC's best this year.

Avery Gennesy, another junior college prospect, is still on the radar but it seems other schools like Texas A&M have been surging a bit lately. And there are other players the staff is keeping tabs on.

Which of Kentucky's current commitments will compete for time next year?

That's a great question and one that's popping up a lot because many believe the Wildcats need to show serious progress in 2014 in order to keep the momentum the program currently has.

Let's start at quarterback, where Drew Barker absolutely has a chance to come in and win the job. I'd expect Braylon Heard and Jojo Kemp to have the inside track for the starting running back position but it's tough to see Stanley Williams or Mikel Horton redshirting.

The Cats still need numbers at receiver and I think Garrett Johnson has a real chance to surprise a lot of people early in Lexington. If the Cats land Dorian Baker he could make an immediate impact, too, as could the other commitments. And don't be surprised to see Darryl Long compete for time early.

Any junior college offensive line transfer would compete right away, as would Matt Elam at defensive tackle if he chooses UK.

At linebacker the most likely candidate for early playing time would be Ryan Flannigan, and he's the kind of guy that can cover in space as well.

Four-star safety Darius West and junior college transfers Shyquawn Pullium and Michael Mathis would also be called upon to play immediately. In other words, upwards of half the class could be asked to contribute next season.

Which UK recruits have had the best seasons?

Great question and a few guys come to mind. Williams is putting up excellent numbers for George Walton Academy, averaging about 200 yards per game. His team is very dependent on his production and he hasn't let them down once this year. His stats would be outrageous if he had logged as many carries as he's capable of.

Blake Bone and Johnson are the two receivers that have really consistently produced. I really think Johnson has a chance to be one of the biggest surprises of the class and think he was born to play in Neal Brown's offense.

I've spoken to several people that have been very complimentary of Nick Richardson, saying he's played lights out on the line for a Westerville Central offensive line that is paving the way for a potent attack.

Prior to his injury Denzel Ware was getting outstanding pressure on the quarterback and showing good burst off the edge. He seems to have put on some good weight, too.

At linebacker Dorian Hendrix has been active and all over the field this year. It seems like he's got a big tackle total every week and has great production.

In the secondary Mike Edwards has spearheaded a Winton Woods defense that is performing week in and week out. The team is undefeated and Edwards is making big plays every week, both on defense and on special teams in the return game.

How has Drew Barker played this season?

As you would expect Barker is the best player in every game he plays in at the high school level. He hasn't had a perfect year but he's been very good. One of the things that stands out about Barker is just how many clutch plays he's had and timely drives he's orchestrated in crunch time. That goes back to last year, too.

When it comes to moving the team down the field and pushing his team over the hump late in close games, he gets an A-plus. I'm sure he's not thrilled with some of the interceptions, but not all of those have been his fault. It's been a good year and his current ranking is not in jeopardy. It probably won't significantly change one way or the other.

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