[LeeCoUKFan]

Looking at Kentucky targets in 2015 Rivals250

Justin Rowland
CatsIllustrated.com Football Recruiting Analyst

If you thought recruiting was going to slow down with Kentucky nearly done with the Class of 2014, think again.

The process is starting earlier than ever, and Friday brought the release of the Rivals250 to Watch for 2015. It's important to note that these aren't rankings per se and specific positions within the Rivals250 have not been assigned. However, membership in the Rivals250 comes with automatic four-star status and there's also an early delineation between four- and five-star prospects.

Stephenville (Tex.) quarterback Jarrett Stidham is one of the most important names on the list for Kentucky. He's a native of Corbin (Ky.), he grew up as a fan of the Kentucky football and basketball programs, and he's got plenty of family and friends in the Commonwealth that would love to see him return to his old Kentucky home.

Stidham visited Kentucky over the summer and showed off his arm in front of the coaches. Those in attendance said he was one of the most impressive quarterbacks to camp at UK in recent memory.

This is Stidham's first year of quarterback at the high school level after starting at receiver last year. But he's already torn up the camp and combine circuit and is now regarded as one of the top signal-callers in his class. He's got all the physical tools to be elite and Kentucky is in good shape early.

Caldwell County quarterback Elijah Sindelar did not make the list but is the other top signal-caller for the Wildcats from the 2015 class.

Running backs Darrin Hall, Larry Scott and Damien Harris made the list as well. Harris is already committed to Michigan but the five-star back will be hearing from Kentucky for the next year and a half nonetheless. He's been around the school multiple times since Mark Stoops was hired and both he and his mother have a good relationship with UK running backs coach Chad Scott.

Hall could be UK's best shot at a Rivals250 running back next year. The Youngstown native has a great relationship with Vince Marrow and comes from a part of the state where the Wildcats are very strong right now.

Scott, a 6-foot-1, 215-pound back from Hubbard, will be hearing from Kentucky but his current top three is Ohio State, Michigan and West Virginia according to a recent interview with Midwest analyst Josh Helmholdt.

Columbia (Mo.) Rock Bridge receiver Alex Ofodile actually has Kentucky at the top of his list after visiting UK this summer. His father was very close with Marrow when the two were with the Buffalo Bills and that relationship is paying dividends early. Ofodile's father attended Missouri and the Tigers will factor prominently in his recruitment but the four-star prospect told Cats Illustrated over the summer that the former Big XII school isn't quite as high on his list as they once were.

At 6-foot-3 and 180-pounds Ofodile is a long and impressive athlete with more of the size that UK's will need at the position. Receiver won't be the dire need next year that it has been in the last two classes but the Wildcats are expected to take multiple players at the position once again. Ofodile would be an outstanding start.

Tight end C.J. Conrad may be the best prospect at his position in Ohio and the Wildcats are very strong with him. But UK may have to fend off the Buckeyes because some on the ground in Ohio believe Urban Meyer and his staff will ultimately come calling. If that happens it could be a chore to land him.

Several offensive linemen with UK offers made the list as well. That list would include George Brown of Cincinnati (Ohio) Winton Woods, Chuma Edoga of Powder Springs (Ga.) McEachern, Matthew Jones of Hubbard (Ohio) and Jake Fruhmorgen of Tampa (Fla.) Plant.

Kentucky is believed to be near the top of Brown's list along with elite programs such as Michigan, Alabama and Clemson, and UK is also perceived to be strong with Jones.

Edoga visited Kentucky over the summer and spoke highly of the visit after the fact when Cats Illustrated caught up with him, but UK has an uphill climb and isn't at or near the top of his list. Edoga said his trip to Tennessee stood out.

Defensive tackle CeCe Jefferson visited UK over the summer as well and figures to be one of the Cats' best opportunities to land an elite recruit from the South. Meanwhile defensive end Kyle Phillips and linebacker Joshua McMillon from Tennessee will be an interesting test case in how the Wildcats' new emphasis on the Volunteer State will play out. McMillon visited UK this summer with several other top prospects from Memphis.

Linebacker Justin Hilliard will make the trip to Lexington for UK's game against Louisville in just a couple of weeks and an in-state linebacker, Eli Brown, is committed to Vanderbilt but will be hearing plenty from the Wildcats.

Alabama linebacker Richard McBryde has UK at or near the top of his list and it will be interesting to see whether the in-state Tide or Tigers offer. That could determine whether the Wildcats have a realistic shot to land him.

Ricky DeBerry could be as good as any linebacker with a UK offer and he visited UK with his father earlier this year. They have a good relationship with Derrick Ansley and will be watching UK's progress on the field early in the Stoops era.

In the secondary the top UK targets are Ugo Amadi and Rico McGraw, both of Tennessee. Amadi visited UK and Tennessee over the summer and he left Lexington with high praise for the school.

Athlete RayRay McCloud III has UK near the top of his list and he figures to be one of the Wildcats' top targets in Florida. He's a versatile and dynamic play-maker that could end up at a variety of spots on the field.

Once again the state of Ohio figures to factor into UK's recruiting plans prominently. It's also clear that Florida will once again be a major priority. The Rivals250 to Watch serves as confirmation of our previous report that Tennessee will be a bigger emphasis for Kentucky than in the past as well.

http://kentucky.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1542968