Bluegrassrivals

Cat commit Williams had injury scare

Justin Rowland
CatsIllustrated.com Football Recruiting Analyst

McKinney, Tex., receiver T.V. Williams has a bright future at Kentucky but he had a momentary injury scare recently.

For a brief time the 5-foot-9, 145-pound receiver thought he had suffered an injury that could have significantly impacted the next year of his life, including his early time at Kentucky.

"I was out of action last week with a strained ACL," Williams told Cats Illustrated. "And I was very upset because the doctor gave us some bad information that had kind of set the mood for everybody. When you're told the doctor is 99 percent certain you tore your ACL it gets to you.

"When you're an athlete with big plans for the future that gets to you. But it's only a strain and now I'm just coming back from that."

The season has been a struggle for the Lone Star State receiver. Opponents have keyed in on stopping the Kentucky commitment. Williams estimates he has "five or six" touchdowns.

"I've been targeted this year for the most part," he said. "I've been double teamed probably 90 percent of the time on passing downs."

When Williams was injured UK coach Mark Stoops made sure to speak with him. Tommy Mainord is already talking to him on a weekly basis, usually over the weekend, and offensive coordinator Neal Brown speaks with him once in a while as well.

Williams appreciates their attentiveness and has visited Lexington several times already, most recently for the Wildcats' game against Alabama where he connected with several other recruits.

"I talked to Thad (Snodgrass), Drew (Barker), Matt Elam, Dorian (Hendrix) and D-West," he said.

That particular game didn't go well for Kentucky but most everyone knows the Tide is capable of doing that to just about any opponent. They did it against Tennessee over the weekend.

Still, Williams sees progress.

"You can't tell it in terms of their record but just from being there in the spring it's totally different," he said. "The guys are so much bigger and they're all buying into what they're doing. You can't just expect the offense to do great right away. Guys they have now weren't all recruited for the Air Raid."

Schools like Iowa, Nebraska, Boise State and Utah have continued to recruit Williams since he committed to Kentucky but the three-star receiver classified himself as "very solid" with UK.

http://kentucky.rivals.com/content.asp?C...&PT=4&PR=2

Reading rumors that big news could be coming Saturday. Can anyone with more knowledge shed some light on the rumors of Erick Smith, Marshon Lattimore, Marcelys Jones and Matt Elam?

He must be really fast because at 5'9 145 hes definitely not big.

4 star DT Travonte Valentine who is committed to Miami has posted on twitter that he has changed one of his official visits from Alabama to Kentucky.

Could be a huge weekend for UK at the Army All-American game. Apparently Drew Barker has been recruiting hard down there, especially with Elam and Jones.

NothingTrivial Wrote:Reading rumors that big news could be coming Saturday. Can anyone with more knowledge shed some light on the rumors of Erick Smith, Marshon Lattimore, Marcelys Jones and Matt Elam?

Elam was considered a Kentucky lean already. The other three are the "Glennville Trio" - all 4-star players from the same high school who could possibly attend the same college due to their affiliation. The rumors started when Marcelys Jones (verbal to Ohio State) signed financial aid letters to both Ohio State and Kentucky (which means coaches from both schools can contact him during the 'dead period'). Soon after, Erick Smith (who had narrowed his list down and eliminated Kentucky) re-added Kentucky to his list. Both are now in play for UK, but I don't think the Cats stand much of a chance with Lattimore.

I would still be surprised if all three didn't sign with Ohio State, but Stoops and Ansley have surprised me several times already this year. :Thumbs:

NothingTrivial Wrote:4 star DT Travonte Valentine who is committed to Miami has posted on twitter that he has changed one of his official visits from Alabama to Kentucky.

Yeah, Valentine is a tough read. Not that I wouldn't LOVE to see the 4-star, 6' 4", 295 lb DT in Lexington next year, but he's kind of been all over the map. In May 2012 he committed to Louisville, then in July 2012 he committed to Florida, and then in July 2013 he committed to Miami. Great player, but I'll need to see his signature on the line before I start celebrating.

Nice offer sheet though.

:Thumbs:

Blue Chrome Wrote:Yeah, Valentine is a tough read. Not that I wouldn't LOVE to see the 4-star, 6' 4", 295 lb DT in Lexington next year, but he's kind of been all over the map. In May 2012 he committed to Louisville, then in July 2012 he committed to Florida, and then in July 2013 he committed to Miami. Great player, but I'll need to see his signature on the line before I start celebrating.

Nice offer sheet though.

:Thumbs:

Sounds a little like Ware.

Kentucky football's Demarco Robinson arrested in Lexington; charged with disorderly conduct

LEXINGTON, KY. — University of Kentucky football player Demarco Robinson was arrested Friday in Lexington and charged with disorderly conduct, violation of a noise ordinance and resisting arrest. The rising senior wide receiver was already on indefinite suspension from the team.

Robinson, a 5-foot-10, 158-pound native of Ellenwood, Ga., missed the final two games of the 2013 season for an undisclosed violation of team rules. Coach Mark Stoops said in November he expected Robison to be back on the team in 2014 “provided he meets some requirements that we’ll put on him.”

An athletic department spokesman said Stoops was out of town recruiting Friday and “will address it when he returns.” Robinson caught 20 passes for 213 yards and two touchdowns last season and 53 passes for 527 yards in his UK career.

(original article)

:HitWall:

4 Star CB Kendall Randolph has commited to Kentucky. Mark Stoops beats his brother Bob for a recruit.

6'8" 2014 OL Josh Krok has flipped his commitment from West Virginia and has just committed to Kentucky. He is a 3 star recruit and Kentucky's top prospect at his position.

247sports reporting that UK has offered 2015 All-Purpose Back Vincent Perry. I knew the baseball team had been watching him, but evidently the football team was the first to offer. He says he wants to play both in college.

John Clay is reporting that Matt Elams decision is coming at noon on Thursday.

Gotta feel good that Elam's last visit was to Kentucky. Let's hope we get him.

If Elam commits to UK on Thursday (and I think he will), that leaves one scholarship left for 2014, right? Who gets it? Jervontius Stallings? Daniel Cage? Kevin Mouhon?

Blue Chrome Wrote:If Elam commits to UK on Thursday (and I think he will), that leaves one scholarship left for 2014, right? Who gets it? Jervontius Stallings? Daniel Cage? Kevin Mouhon?

I think Stallings. He seems high on UK. Most predict him going to Miss. State though.

Elam picks UK over the Tide..Sweeeeet!!!!!!!!

Stallings chooses UK, ends recruitment

Justin Rowland
CatsIllustrated.com Football Recruiting Analyst

It wasn't easy but he doesn't have any doubts. Jervontius Stallings is your newest Wildcat commit.

The Hoover (Ala.) Spain Park interior offensive lineman had told Cats Illustrated as recently as earlier this week that he wanted to visit Colorado this weekend before making his decision, but Stallings ultimately decided that Kentucky is where he wanted to be.

The 6-foot-4, 296-pound offensive lineman visited Kentucky two weekends ago and Mississippi State just a few days ago. It was a difficult choice because he knows several players on the Mississippi State roster, but the trip to UK won him over.

"I fell in love with the coaching staff," he said, noting that Derrick Ansley and John Schlarman were the recruiting coaches he spoke with the most on his visit.

Ansley recruits Alabama and Schlarman will be Stallings' position coach at UK.

"I also fell in love with a lady named Barb," Stallings said with a laugh, referring to Barb Deniston, the Director of Academic Services. "It's not so much what she said. She was just herself. She had a great personality."

UK commits Stanley "Boom" Williams and Blake Bone also made the trip go smoothly.

"If you've seen my Twitter page and seen #BBB then that means 'Boom, Blake and Bunkie,'" he said, the last name being his own nickname. "I'm real excited about the class we have coming in."

Kentucky has just one spot remaining and it's currently reserved for John Hardin defensive tackle Matt Elam, who decides tomorrow between UK and Alabama. Kentucky, whose recruiting efforts are now spearheaded by recruiting coordinator Vince Marrow, currently sits at No. 13 in the Rivals team recruiting rankings and is poised for what will be, by far, it's been class in school history.

http://kentucky.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1603564

With Jervontius Stallings committing yesterday and Matt Elam committing today, Kentucky's 28 scholarship spots have been filled!

The best class ever great job stoops and crew!!!

LeeCoUKFan Wrote:With Jervontius Stallings committing yesterday and Matt Elam committing today, Kentucky's 28 scholarship spots have been filled!

Rinse repeat, rinse repeat….keep this up and we'll get back to bowl eligible sooner rather than later!!!

:Thumbs::Thumbs::Thumbs:

irateShoI am very happy to announce that Harlan County's own, Carson Whitehead committed to UK yesterday as well!!!irateSho

LeeCoUKFan Wrote:With Jervontius Stallings committing yesterday and Matt Elam committing today, Kentucky's 28 scholarship spots have been filled!

Not so fast. Stoops is looking for one more. One of the 28 apparently isn't going to make it,, a 2*.

Mix1...

Elam to Kentucky: What it means

Justin Rowland
CatsIllustrated.com Football Recruiting Analyst

Regardless of what a given recruiting service has Matt Elam ranked, his decision to commit to Kentucky is a huge win for the Wildcats.

Nick Saban wins his fair share of recruiting battles. The already-legendary Alabama head coach has a statue in Tuscaloosa and why not? Since returning the Crimson Tide to national prominence Saban has rattled off three national championships in the last five years.

[Image: 1510518.jpg]

Alabama has put together what is widely considered to be one of the best recruiting classes of the modern era. The Tide has the clout to go as far as California to pick top talent from other schools' backyards.

Meanwhile, Kentucky has wallowed in mediocrity since the height of Rich Brooks' success. But Mark Stoops and his staff haven't backed down from a recruiting challenge since they arrived in Lexington.

Elam has always been attracted to the idea of attending Kentucky. He's close to his mother and the opportunity to be close to her was appealing. He also knows that a majority of his 10,000-plus Twitter followers are Kentucky fans. While football players are worshipped in Tuscaloosa, Elam will be, along with Drew Barker, the face of a new UK program as Stoops tries to get the program off the ground.

And as the process wore on it became apparent that Elam was just like another one of the guys when he spent time with players already committed to Kentucky. He visited UK more than any other school and those that saw him interact with Barker and the Cats' other commitments couldn't help but notice the camaraderie.

At 6-foot-6 and probably around 370-pounds, Elam fits the mold of exactly what Saban wants in a nose tackle in that now-famous 3-4 Crimson Tide defense. That was surely a big draw. But Kentucky has also played with three down linemen and Elam's addition will give the Wildcats great flexibility to show multiple looks in the years ahead with D.J. Eliot dialing up the defensive schemes.

Kentucky is losing some big bodies in the middle of the defense so even though Elam will need to work on transforming his body the opportunity to play right away is certainly there. At the very least he should be counted upon to be an immediate space-eater that frees up defensive ends and linebackers to disrupt in the backfield and make plays in space. There just aren't many recruits with his size and ability to swallow up blockers.

The potential is certainly there. NFL potential. If Elam brings his best work ethic, turns bad weight to good, and matches the expectation the staff has for him there's no reason he won't be playing on Sundays.

But beyond the immediate impact on the field Elam is another strong statement from Stoops' staff, which wants to build a fence around the state of Kentucky.

There's no doubt that the nation's premier program wanted Elam and they wanted him badly. He's been a top priority for Alabama ever since he reportedly turned in a dominant performance at one of their summer camps. Perhaps the top priority.

There were moments of drama. From postponing his planned announcement at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl to an eleventh hour official visit to T-Town, as it's affectionately called by "Bammers," at the very least Elam did a good job of keeping his hand concealed.

But the Kentucky staff "trusted the process," as sources have been inclined to say. Slow and steady won this race and in the process the Wildcats sent a clear signal to the nation that they're serious about turning the program around. Games are won and lost in the trenches in the SEC more than in any other conference. If you don't have the horses you simply can't compete over four quarters of physical, grueling trench warfare.

The fact that Elam is likely the final piece to the puzzle added to the drama and the intrigue. He's the most sought-after recruit for UK since Drew Barker made his choice last spring, and those are really the two recruitments that brought national attention to what the Wildcats have done.

Kentucky's team ranking won't change but as was the case with Jervontius Stallings, Kentucky won a battle that they wanted to win badly. The momentum should carry over to the next recruiting cycle and is more evidence that times are indeed changing.

http://kentucky.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1603975

Carson Whitehead Accepts Walk-On Spot to Kentucky Wildcats

The Kentucky Wildcats football program got a tremendous commitment from Elizabethtown defensive tackle Matt Elam earlier Thursday, but it wasn’t the only commitment they got.

Carson Whitehead, a linebacker for the Harlan County Black Bears, has accepted a preferred walk-on spot to join UK next year.

The 6’2″, 200 lb. backer was a four-year starter for the Bears and led the team in tackles for the fourth straight year in 2013 with 139. He also rushed for 1,277 yards on 167 carries with 15 touchdowns.

The University of the Cumberlands, Union and Pikeville offered him scholarships, but he ultimately chose to walk-on to UK.

Whitehead reportedly runs a 4.7 40-yard dash, has a 30″ vertical benches 325 lbs, squats 550 lbs and runs the 100 meter dash in 11.89 seconds.

http://wildcatbluenation.com/2014/01/30/...-wildcats/

Elam has the biggest head ive ever seen on a persons neck.

panther nation Wrote:The best class ever great job stoops and crew!!!

hope they play better than this years BEST EVER BB team,lol

RunItUpTheGut Wrote:Elam has the biggest head ive ever seen on a persons neck.

His H.S. coach said that both Alabama and Kentucky coaches said he would have to lose weight before playing.

Hearing that Lloyd Tubman still possible to flip to Kentucky. How would that happen since we're already at 28 players. Would stoops have to pull a scholly from someone else?

UK Football Superbowl commercial. Wicked...