[LeeCoUKFan]

Amadi picks up UK offer during camp visit

Justin Rowland
CatsIllustrated.com Football Recruiting Analyst

Ugo Amadi has emerged as a top 2015 target for Kentucky and he picked up an offer after his weekend camp performance.

"They were saying I was very aggressive. They said they liked my playing style and my ball skills," Amadi told Cats Illustrated.

That's what he heard from the Kentucky coaching staff on Friday evening as he competed against some of the top receivers and athletes from the 2014 and 2015 classes.

The 5-foot-9, 183-pound corner from Nashville (Tenn.) John Overton picked up an offer from Kentucky shortly after camp. Tennessee had offered prior to that.

The Volunteers can make the case for staying in-state but Amadi insists he remains entirely open.

"Right now I'm not showing any favoritism to either school. I'm just happy I got offered. When it's time to make my decision then I'll make it. I'm interested in Tennessee and Kentucky right now," he explained.

The Wildcat coaches paid plenty of attention to the rising junior corner and even the head man had a few words for him.

"I like coach (Derrick) Ansley a lot. He really taught me some stuff," Amadi said. "He would always tell me what I did wrong and would correct me. I talked to coach (Mark) Stoops too and he was really interested. I'm definitely interested in Kentucky."

The only downside to the trip was the time limitation. Amadi said he was unable to see much of the campus beyond the stadium and some of the facilities.

Amadi told Cats Illustrated he is likely to camp at Ole Miss before the end of the summer. He also admitted that he grew up a fan of Ohio State but said that early allegiance is unlikely to be a decisive factor in his decision.

http://kentucky.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1527661

[LeeCoUKFan]

Kinnel plans to visit UK games this fall

Justin Rowland
CatsIllustrated.com Football Recruiting Analyst

Tyree Kinnel is still sitting on two offers from Southeastern Conference schools and now he has been to both of them.

Kentucky and Arkansas have offered the 6-foot, 190-pound defensive back from Huber Heights (Ohio) Wayne, and Kinnel visited Lexington earlier this summer. This weekend he made his way even further south to Arkansas to spend some time with the Razorbacks and their new coaching staff.

"I had a pretty good time down at Arkansas," Kinnel told Cats Illustrated. "I had a good time seeing the campus and meeting with the coaches. It's a nice place."

He's not listing any favorites but Kinnel has been very open about his interest in Kentucky. There are multiple reasons for that, not least of which is the presence of his older teammate, Dorian Hendrix, on UK's commitment list.

"I'm hearing it all the time from him," Kinnel said with a laugh, echoing earlier comments to that effect he had made earlier this year.

"I actually talked to their coaching staff earlier (last) week. I'm supposed to be going up there sometime for a game or some games this fall. I need to get back there. My interest in Kentucky is very high."

But as is often the case with Buckeye State prospects, Ohio State is taking an interest in Kinnel. That doesn't necessarily mean they will dictate where he ends up, but Kinnel does want to see what their thoughts are.

"I'm going to Ohio State's Friday Night Lights this weekend," he noted.

http://kentucky.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1527881

[LeeCoUKFan]

Well, this news is probably worthy of it's own thread. THE highest ranked football recruit to probably ever step foot on the UK campus was here this past weekend! Marshon Lattimore has recently been giving Kentucky a much bigger look than I expected. He plays cornerback but, is listed as an Athlete. He is the ranked as the best player in the state of Ohio, #2 player at his position, and ranked 45th overall! When it's all said and done, he could easily be a 5 star recruit. We all know how well Coach Stoops and the staff has been able to recruit in Ohio but this would be taking it to the next level!

Here are some excerpts from an article about his recent tour to several schools in the south.

"I'm looking at (Kentucky)," he explained. "I'm not worried (about going to a team that is rebuilding), I'm just looking for a place that feels like home."

Lattimore added that Kentucky could also be a potential official visit destination but for the time being there are only two programs that he knows for sure he will make a visit to and only one date has been set to this point.

http://ohiostate.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1527738

[LeeCoUKFan]

Baker earned Kentucky offer

Josh Helmholdt
Recruiting Analyst

Cleveland Heights, Ohio wide receiver Dorian Baker is not hurting for offers, but the three-star prospect knew he had to attend Kentucky's camp to earn one from the Wildcats… and that's just what he did.

"I have been talking to Coach [Vince] Marrow for a long time and he's been telling me to come and get an offer," Baker said. "My confidence was high going in there, I just did what I had to do and ended up getting the offer."

The 6-foot-3, 205-pound Baker started off his session with the Wildcats by posting impressive testing times, including a 4.46 40-yard dash and a 3.91 shuttle.

"They were really impressed with my times, for me to run that at my size," Baker said. "I didn't actually know all of the coaches, but after awhile they all started coming up to me, so I knew something was up. Then Coach [Mark] Stoops told me I had the offer."

Baker's time in Lexington was short, and he did not get a chance to evaluate the campus and facilities at the University. He was excited to land the offer from the Wildcats, however, and now is starting to transition from camp season into his senior season.

"I am not even worried about offers anymore," he said. "I am just worried about my senior season. I don't want anything to mess that up and I want to stay as healthy as possible."

Before Baker immerses himself fully into senior season preparation, however, he has one more camp stop and that will be this week for Ohio State's Friday Night Lights.

"I have been talking with Coach [Stan] Drayton and they just want to see me play," Baker said. "I'm just going to go down there, perform and hopefully I pick up that offer."

Once camp season is complete, Baker will put the recruiting process on the backburner until he needs to start scheduling official visits.

"I definitely want to take my official visits," he said. "I haven't set any up yet, but I think I am going to take one to Pitt, one to Vanderbilt, one to Indiana and maybe Minnesota."

Baker is also expecting more schools to come through with scholarship offers as his senior season progresses, though, and is waiting to see the response this fall before scheduling all of his official visits.

http://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/con...&PT=4&PR=2

[LeeCoUKFan]

Kentucky in touch with JUCO tackle Levi

Justin Rowland
CatsIllustrated.com Football Recruiting Analyst

Kentucky received a commitment from one junior college defensive tackle over the weekend and the Wildcats are taking a look at another from the west coast.

Rika Levi is a 6-foot-2, 350-pound presence that can eat up space and occupy blockers in the middle of a defense. He's got offers from Washington and Missouri with the Huskies holding the early edge, but plenty of other schools including Kentucky are in the mix.

Levi does not have an offer from Kentucky yet and whether he receives one could now hinge on what Matt Elam decides to do when he announces his college destination in January. But Levi remains on the radar.

"I recently was in touch with Kentucky, coach Jimmy Brumbaugh," Levi said. "He was just telling me I could play in the SEC and he feels I could do well in their program.

"I guess I don't know how they found out about me. Maybe word of mouth. He watched my highlight tape, he followed me on Twitter and he direct messaged me. He was talking to me on Twitter and gave me his number. Then I called him."

Levi said he believes Brumbaugh seems like a good coach and he wants to get to know him better.

He also knows he probably needs a strong second year at the College of San Mateo in order to have a chance at an SEC offer.

"They're going to watch me this season but I know they like me. They're just trying to get to know me more," he said.

"I know that they're SEC and that's definitely a plus. They play against the best. Besides that it just seems like (Brumbaugh) knows what he's doing. We talked a lot about defensive schemes and it sounded really good."

http://kentucky.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1528045

[LeeCoUKFan]

Lee ready to make another cut

Josh Helmholdt
Rivals.com Football Recruiting

Indianapolis (Ind.) Lawrence Central linebacker Brandon Lee trimmed his list to a final nine teams last month. Now, the three-star prospect is preparing to pare his finalists again.

"I plan on shortening my list to four, possibly five now, and I plan to do that this weekend," Lee reported.

The nine schools that made Lee's cut back in June were Cal, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisville, Missouri, Northwestern, Oregon and Virginia Tech.

It appears if there is a fifth team added to the list of finalists, it would be the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

"Today Nebraska got in contact with me and said I am a guy they are thinking about offering," Lee said. "I know they are kind of late, but I still like to give every school a fair opportunity to analyze what they have to offer."

Lee said he was recruited pretty heavily by Nebraska during his sophomore year and into the first half of his junior year, but that contact ceased until he spoke with Cornhusker's assistant coach Rick Kaczenski on Tuesday.

Once Lee reports his list of four finalists this weekend, he plans to then look at scheduling official visits in an effort to make a college selection in the fall.

"We don't have our first game until the third week of school, so I plan on taking two official visits before the season starts," Lee said. "Then, I might take a third one right between our first couple games. After that I will try to make my decision about mid-way through the regular season."

The school year starts at Lawrence Central High School on Aug. 7, so official visits could begin for Lee as soon as the weekend of Aug. 9. Lee has had initial talks with several schools about potentially scheduling official visits, but no dates have been officially set as of this week.

"The top four, I'll try to get out to those [schools] on officials most likely," Lee said. "Some of these schools I have already been to, and the others I have not been to. I'll have to take my officials out to those schools, meet the whole staff, just get a feel for the school and check out the place academically."

The four finalists - and by extension his four official visits destinations - will be revealed by Lee on Saturday.

http://kentucky.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1528248

[LeeCoUKFan]

WR Johnson has good things to say about UK

Justin Rowland
CatsIllustrated.com Football Recruiting Analyst

Winter Garden (Fla.) West Orange receiver Garrett Johnson has been speaking very highly of Kentucky lately.

Going into his weekend camp and visit at Kentucky the three-star prospect was listing the Wildcats among his four favorites along with Arizona, Boston College and South Florida. Johnson worked out for the coaches on Friday evening and it was his first trip to Lexington.

"They're probably number one now," Johnson told Cats Illustrated early this week after returning home to Florida.

"It was good. I enjoyed it a lot. I enjoyed talking to all the coaches since it was my first time at Kentucky. I really enjoyed the facilities too."

Chad Scott has been talking to Johnson throughout the recruiting process and the two were able to connect this weekend. Johnson said he also spoke with most of the rest of the offensive coaches.

Obviously the offense Neal Brown is bringing in from Texas Tech would be a big selling point for a slot receiver like that 5-foot-9, 160-pound prospect.

"They didn't say too much about the offense but coach (Mark) Stoops told me personally that he liked me and I would be able to catch a ton of balls for them," he explained. "Coach Scott was telling me how they're going to be renovating everything."

The trip went so well that Johnson was on the verge of telling the coaches that he wanted to commit.

"It came into my mind at first," he said. "But I already knew I wanted to come back home and talk to my mom. I let them know how much I enjoyed it though.

"(His mother) is pretty much all for it. She just wants to do her research, look at the school's background and see their majors."

Johnson concluded by saying he "definitely" wants to make his college decision before his senior year begins.

http://kentucky.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1528404

[LeeCoUKFan]

Goulbourne has strong showing on UK visit

Justin Rowland
CatsIllustrated.com Football Recruiting Analyst

Kadeem Goulbourne might not have the name recognition of some of Kentucky's other receiver targets but he turned in a solid camp performance on Saturday night and is still on the radar.

At 6-foot-4 and 200-pounds Goulbourne is an attractive target at receiver because Kentucky needs size at the position in a big way. It wasn't his first trip to Lexington so Goulbourne had a pretty good idea of what to expect.

Goulbourne wasn't in town for long and he left on Friday night after the camp.

"I had seen everything I had to see there. I just wanted to work out for the coaches. Coach (Neal) Brown, coach (Tommy) Mainord, coach (Mark) Stoops and all them. I wanted to get a better picture of the quarterback that's supposed to be coming in for my class, Drew Barker. I just wanted to catch some passes," Goulbourne said.

"The feedback I got was very, very great. They're very high on me and they hope I have a chance to end up at the University of Kentucky."

The interest goes both ways. Goulbourne couldn't seem to find enough nice things to say about Kentucky and the praise was mostly aimed at the coaching staff.

"I like the coaching staff on the field but also off the field too," Goulbourne said. "I like the way they're concerned about things and what's going on in my head. They ask you things other (coaches) won't ask.

"When you're visiting a school nine out of ten times they want to talk about football a lot. But coach Stoops, Brown and Mainord kinda mimic each other. They talk about everything that's important. There's a lot you can say for the people that's in that office."

Goulbourne claims a lot of impressive BCS offers but he doesn't know which schools he would put at the top of his list at the present time. There's no doubt that Kentucky would be very high on that list.

"I really can't say where I'd put them," he said. "But all I can say is I do have a teammate there, Alex Montgomery, and he's been a very good person in my life. We played together and went to a state final together last year. If I had to rate the coaches and the city and everything there I would give it an A-plus."

http://kentucky.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1528436

[LeeCoUKFan]

Pinckney planning just two official visits

Justin Rowland
CatsIllustrated.com Football Recruiting Analyst

Just a week ago JayJay Pinckney listed four favorites and Kentucky was not among them. How quickly things can change.

Shortly after listing that top four the 6-foot-3, 172-pound receiver from Sylvania (Ohio) Southview told Cats Illustrated that Kentucky was essentially on the same level as those other programs. And now after visiting Kentucky over the weekend the Wildcats are surging.

Pinckney did not participate in the Friday night camp hosted by UK but he did visit the school and tour the campus. He spent plenty of time with his recruiter, Vince Marrow.

"It was a good time. They showed very good hospitality to me and my mother and we enjoyed our time there," Pinckney explained.

Both football and academics were topics of conversation and Pinckney was impressed with the long-term focus on their discussions.

"They were talking about how you can get such a head start from going to the school. Graduating with your major and going out into the workforce you're almost guaranteed to get a job anywhere. That was a key factor," he said. "As far as football goes they were just talking about building a powerhouse program in the SEC and how the new coaches are bringing an advanced offense to the school and the program. They talked about how all of that suited me."

Pinckney said he was able to speak with Mark Stoops very briefly. He also spoke with Neal Brown and Tommy Mainord.

He readily admits that Kentucky has made a huge impression over the past couple of weeks since they started recruiting him harder.

"They've definitely risen," he said. "My interest is definitely up for sure. Basically my whole ordeal with them was I needed to go down there and check things out before I could actually say what was good or bad about them. Now that I've made my trip down there I can say I'm impressed for the most part. I don't really have any concerns. It was pretty smooth."

Prior to that visit Boston College, Cincinnati, Indiana and Michigan State were the four schools Pinckney listed at the top of his list. Now he's only planning to take two official visits.

"I think I'm going to make two official visits and then I'm probably going to make my decision," he said. "I'm probably going to take officials to UK and Michigan State." he said.

http://kentucky.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1529175

[LeeCoUKFan]

WR Garrett Johnson commits to Kentucky

Justin Rowland
CatsIllustrated.com Football Recruiting Analyst

Kentucky added a commitment from Garrett Johnson this weekend and the three-star prospect became the third wide receiver to pledge to the Wildcats.

The 5-foot-9, 160-pound receiver from Florida spoke with Cats Illustrated immediately after he gave the coaching staff his commitment. While he had previously narrowed his list to UK, Boston College, Arizona and South Florida, there was little drama after all.

"It was pretty much Kentucky ahead of everybody. After I visited I pretty much knew," Johnson said. "My mom wanted to look into it and find out more about their academics and how they are in my major (business). She's happy with it though. She's happy with the choice. I was just waiting for her to be okay with it."

Johnson visited Kentucky two weekends ago for the Wildcats' Friday Night Blue Lights camp. He worked out even though he had already received an offer, turning in two times of 4.5 seconds in the 40-yard dash and showing off impressive hands and route-running skills.

He also enjoyed working with the coaches, who were the biggest factor in his decision.

"Pretty much the biggest thing for me was the coaching staff and how comfortable I felt with them, especially coach Chad Scott," he said, noting that he was able to talk about the offense with Neal Brown, Tommy Mainord and others.

"I also got to know guys like Stanley Williams, Drew Barker, T.V. Williams and some of the commits. They seem like real good guys."

Kentucky is now expected to target two more receivers between now and Signing Day. While Kentucky needs size at the receiver position sources have informed Cats Illustrated that UK will continue to recruit Braxton Berrios.

http://kentucky.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1529333

[LeeCoUKFan]

As Justin Rowland mentioned in the above article, Stoops is most likely going to try for 2 more receivers. Most likely those two will be Braxton Berrios and Moral Stephens.

We have a VERY good chance of getting both and that is going to give us the best receiving core that has ever been assembled in one class in my lifetime.

[sportsguru4u]

I think that we end up taking 3 more WR's. Moral Stephens will be the next one. Berrios we will save a spot for him and then either Dorian Baker or Jay Jay Pickney. IMO.

[The Blue Blur]

I think that we end up taking 3 more WR's. Moral Stephens will be the next one. Berrios we will save a spot for him and then either Dorian Baker or Jay Jay Pickney. IMO.

Actually heard, as recent as today Blake Bone will be the next to pop. Also hearing, Stephens isn't a take at this point. If we whiff on Berrios, Baker is the the top target.

[Blue Chrome]

Actually heard, as recent as today Blake Bone will be the next to pop. Also hearing, Stephens isn't a take at this point. If we whiff on Berrios, Baker is the the top target.

How awesome would our WR class look with Blake Bone AND Berrios?
inglepar

[LeeCoUKFan]

WR Stephens enjoyed recent Kentucky visit

Justin Rowland
CatsIllustrated.com Football Recruiting Analyst

Moral Stephens doesn't seek out the spotlight and he prefers the low-key approach to the recruiting process.

That makes it tough to get a read on the four-star receiver from Perry (Fla.) Taylor County but it's safe to say Kentucky is in good shape after Stephens attended the Wildcats' recent Friday night camp.

His coach at Taylor County, Ryan Smith, spoke with Cats Illustrated and briefly relayed the information he had received.

"He told me it was pretty good," Smith said. "If you know Moral he doesn't really talk a whole lot. I asked him how it went and he said really well. It was a good trip for him."

There had been some talk that Stephens could make a decision shortly after returning home from UK.

"That I don't know," Smith said. "To be honest with you they're a close knit group. It's a close knight family. It's tough to tell.

"South Carolina really likes him. He's gone to Florida a couple of times. But he's kept me out of the loop as much as any kid I've ever coached. That's nothing derogatory at all. He's just a very quiet kid. It's kinda nice to coach someone like that once in while," Smith said with a laugh.

Stephens had told Cats Illustrated prior to that trip that Kentucky, South Carolina and Florida were the three schools he had zeroed in on, though he hadn't necessarily ruled out other possibilities.

Kentucky has largely been recruiting the 6-foot-3 prospect as a receiver while Florida has talked to him about playing more of a tight end role.

"He wants to catch passes. What receiver doesn't?" Smith asked rhetorically. "He's cut some weight this summer. He's probably down to around 210. I think he's probably trying to play receiver."

Stephens came back from a major injury last year and Smith said that is no longer holding him back like it did during the 2012 season.

http://kentucky.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1529268

[LeeCoUKFan]

The Cats could be getting another YAHTZEE in less than an hour from now! 3 star OT Brady Taylor will be making his announcement at 4:00 p.m. EST. He will be choosing between Kentucky and Virginia Tech.

[LeeCoUKFan]

The Cats could be getting another YAHTZEE in less than an hour from now! 3 star OT Brady Taylor will be making his announcement at 4:00 p.m. EST. He will be choosing between Kentucky and Virginia Tech.

Correction, he has changed his announcement time to 6:00 p.m.

[LeeCoUKFan]

Kentucky left good impression on WR Baker

Justin Rowland
CatsIllustrated.com Football Recruiting Analyst

Dorian Baker has emerged as one of Kentucky's top remaining recruiting targets and he worked out for the Wildcats at their recently Friday Night Blue Lights camp. According to many sources he was one of the top performers in recent memory at any UK camp.

The 6-foot-3, 205-pound receiver has the kind of size Kentucky needs on the outside but he also ran a sub-4.5 second 40-yard dash. His hands, route running and athleticism were on full display and it's tough to imagine the coaching staff regretting their decision to offer.

"I didn't expect to do that well," Baker told Cats Illustrated of his performance. "I did better than I thought I would."

And he drew plenty of attention from the coaching staff as well.

"I talked to coach (Mark) Stoops and I was really talking to coach (Vince) Marrow a lot. That's who I've mainly talked to so far," Baker said.

"I had a conversation with coach (Neal) Brown about the offense maybe four days ago or so. We were actually getting to know each other. He was letting me know where he came from and I was telling him where I've come from. He asked me what I expected out of UK and he let me know a little bit about how they do things."

When asked whether the Air Raid offense would be a good fit for him Baker responded that it's "exactly what (he's) looking for)."

Baker was hoping to stay overnight after that Kentucky camp and tour the school and facilities on Saturday. But he wasn't able to do that.

"I didn't get to see everything but the stadium and the indoor facility were wonderful," he said.

Fortunately for the Wildcats he plans on returning before he makes his decision.

"I don't know what all of my (official) visits are going to be but Kentucky's going to be one of them," he said. "Honestly they're definitely in the top three. I actually couldn't tell you the others but I know Kentucky's very high up there."

Baker had planned to visit Tennessee the day after his camp at Kentucky but he was not able to make that trip. He did say that he's still in contact with the Volunteers.

http://kentucky.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1529483

[LeeCoUKFan]

In recruiting you sometimes get bad news and I am very shocked to say that Brady Taylor chose Virginia Tech over Kentucky.

Stoops was looking to get at least 4 OL in this recruiting class and the remaining two were going to be Brady Taylor and Nick Richardson. So Richardson has to be of Top Priority now that we lost out on Taylor.

[M'boroYellowJacket]

Don't forget Marcelys Jones..

Commited to Ohio State, but still interested in the Cats from what I hear

[LeeCoUKFan]

Well, there may have been some bad news yesterday but, NOT today!! Coach Marrow comes through with another HUGE YAHTZEE!! Roughly 30 minutes ago 4 star OL Nick Richardson committed to Kentucky which now gives us 7 4-star recruits for the 2014 recruiting class! Richardson is the real deal. He could easily be a 3 year starter on the OL and more than likely will see time and even some starts as a true freshman. He is ranked as the No. 7 player in Ohio, the No. 19 Offensive Tackle, and No. 202 overall.

[LeeCoUKFan]

Football Cats recover with Richardson commit

Justin Rowland
CatsIllustrated.com Football Recruiting Analyst

Monday was a tough day for Kentucky on the recruiting trail but the Wildcats bounced back in a huge way on Tuesday.

Top 2015 running back Damien Harris committed to Michigan and offensive lineman Brady Taylor picked Virginia Tech over the Cats on Monday. But that was yesterday.

Tuesday the Cats hit the reset button and scored with a huge commitment from Nick Richardson, a 6-foot-4, 285-pound lineman from Westerville (Ohio) Central. Richardson is a four-star lineman and checks in at No. 202 on the Rivals250.

Richardson was not immediately available for comment but Cats Illustrated first reported the news after sources close to the situation confirmed the pledge had gone through. He then confirmed what had been reported via Twitter.

Richardson is Kentucky's seventh recruit rated as four-stars and is the Wildcats' sixth commitment that holds down a spot on the Rivals250. Kentucky's class, which is shaping up to be the best in school history by far, moves past Miami in the national rankings and into third place, just behind Tennessee and Florida State.

Kentucky could take as many as two more offensive linemen in the current recruiting cycle but may just take one. It is expected that the Cats will look to the junior college ranks for immediate help in the trenches with three high school linemen currently on board.

http://kentucky.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1530292

[LeeCoUKFan]

Elam plans Kentucky visit after season ends

Justin Rowland
CatsIllustrated.com Football Recruiting Analyst

Defensive tackle Matt Elam may be the most important prospect remaining on Kentucky's recruiting board and the Elizabethtown native is thinking about an official visit to Kentucky.

Elam has already set up an official visit to Alabama for after the season in December. Some had interpreted that as a sign that the Tide would have a prime opportunity to make a late pitch before his January decision, which would obviously seem to be an advantage.

He told Cats Illustrated this week that he will be taking an official visit to Kentucky around that same time, however.

"That will be after the season," Elam said, indicating that Kentucky is the only other official visit he is sure he will be taking.

Most believe Elam's recruitment is primarily a battle between Kentucky and Alabama with both schools making him one of their top remaining targets.

He recently visited Kentucky for the weekend of the Cats' Friday Night Blue Lights camp and spent plenty of time with all of the current commitments for UK, most of whom he is already on very good terms with.

The coaching staff is also making it clear that he's not just a want but a need.

"What coaches aren't I talking to (from Kentucky) these days?" Elam said with a laugh. "I would say Neal Brown, Jimmy Brumbaugh and coach (Mark) Stoops (are talking to him the most)."

Elam noted that he's impressed with the defensive line talent headed to Lexington from last year's class and the current haul. He also said the staff is making the case that he's the man they want in the middle to occupy blockers and disrupt things.

Elam's most recent offer came from Tennessee and the Volunteers hope to get in the mix as well. He visited Knoxville before spring practice this year.

"Their facilities are probably the best in the country and the coaching staff is real cool. You can tell they want to build a relationship," Elam said.

http://kentucky.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1530327

[LeeCoUKFan]

As it stands right now, it is said that Kentucky will most likely be the landing spot for three major recruits. As it stands right now WR Blake Bone is said to be a lock to choose Kentucky. The only school that would have given UK any problems is South Carolina but, word is his interest has faded greatly. So, don't be surprised if he is the next to commit to the Blue and White! Next is WR Dorian Baker. Experts have said that there is about a 90% chance that he will pick UK. The last of the three is In-State recruit Matt Elam. Kentucky has been recruiting him hard have basically made him their top priority and that seems to be making a quite the impression on the big fella. As it is now said that there is a 70% chance he will go to Kentucky and only a 30% chance he will choose Alabama. Stoops had made up a lot of ground and after losing high profile recruit Derek Kief to the Crimson Tide, he doesn't plan on losing another.

Now, as some may know, it is currently being said that Braxton Berrios is no longer favoring Kentucky. As more higher profile teams have offered him since Kentucky did, like Ohio State and Miami he is going in their direction even though he has stated that he prefers Kentucky's offense and would be a perfect fit for it. Berrios grew up a fan of the Canes and also has family there so it seems that is the most likely destination for him.

[LeeCoUKFan]

Another note on recent commits and possible commits:

Many "experts" & insiders were of thought that Brady Taylor would select UK over Virginia Tech. Since his commitment, many have said he was spooked by the impending commitment of Nick Richardson & didn't want to have to compete with him. Richardson was a huge pick up but the staff would've liked to have gotten both. The staff has planned Richardson at guard & Taylor at tackle. So I don't know how true that is but this isn't over. Stoops & company are not likely to give up on Taylor, & if Ohio State were to get involved he will definitely flip.

Which that could happen if current commit Marcelys Jones flips, & it's possible he does. If he does it's definitely to UK. He won't comment or sway from his commitment to OSU likely due to the loyalty of Buckeye fans. However, insiders have said that his interest in UK is high but he's tight lipped. This is one of those that will play out until NSD & he could be a surprise last second flip in February. Now if UK holds a spot for him is unknown.

However, it may be likely because besides Taylor the only other OL recruit that UK would take a commitment from currently is JUCO Avery Gennesey. Gennesey hails from the same school that has brought us Za'Darius & Brumbaugh.

UK has said they would like to get one more CB, & it is believed they are holding out for either D.J. Smith or Marshon Lattimore. However, this spot may go to a safety/linebacker hybrid type. Florida stud, T.J. Harrell has named his top three that includes Florida State, Louisville & UK. Harrell is also a distant relative of Chad Scott. So that's a plus for UK. Another plus is that Florida State is recruiting him for depth at running back, & Harrell has said he wants to play defense in college. As well, he's speaks highly of Stoops & DJ Eliot's abilities to get the defensive backs in the NFL. This may also bold well for Mike Edwards, whose stated he'd like a shot at playing corner. Darius West may also get to play corner or Harrell may all together not effect the secondary & be moved to linebacker. The negative for UK, one of his former teammates plays in Louisville's secondary & he seemed star struck just by meeting Charlie Strong.

Delvin Purifoy is still a possible flip to UK as is in state talent Lloyd Tubman. However, I'm unsure if UK would take Tubman at this point with the scholarship crunch for the class.

Very good chance that the final 5 recruits for Kentucky's recruiting class comes from the names mentioned above.

[LeeCoUKFan]

As I am sure many of you already may know, the commitment of Nick Richardson moved Kentucky up to 3rd in the 2014 Class Rankings behind only Florida State and Tennessee which both teams have more commits than Kentucky.

[LeeCoUKFan]

Matt Elam @FballIsLife69 My Official Top Six, And The Highest It Will Grow, Not In Order. UK Alabama Tennessee UofL The Ohio State And ND!!

[Blue Chrome]

As it stands right now, it is said that Kentucky will most likely be the landing spot for three major recruits. As it stands right now WR Blake Bone is said to be a lock to choose Kentucky. The only school that would have given UK any problems is South Carolina but, word is his interest has faded greatly. So, don't be surprised if he is the next to commit to the Blue and White!

I would love to see Bone play for Kentucky, but I just saw an article last week where he said if he had to pick right now it would be South Carolina.

[The Blue Blur]

I would love to see Bone play for Kentucky, but I just saw an article last week where he said if he had to pick right now it would be South Carolina.

Okay let me clear this up for you Chrome. The key to the article you read & what you posted is "IF HE HAD TO PICK". Also LCUKF's post also said that Bone's interested had faded, which isn't true.

1st off, offers don't mean what they use to. Bone does have an offer from South Carolina but it's likely not committable. Bone would love to stay home & play for Spurrier. However, South Carolina is 100% committed Terry Googer being the WR in this class.

Googer is also considered a BIG WR like Bone & they only plan to take one of those due to a scholarship crunch. Actually do to the crunch, they may only take one more WR in this class. If true Googer is the man.

If they take two it would be Googer & Berrios, the one big & one smaller slot guy. However, this opens a whole other can of worms. News out of Berrios camp today, was that UK would receive one of his 5 official visits this fall.

That was then corrected by Miami is the only one that will definitely get a visit but UK was very likely & he'd like to visit for the UK-UL game. Berrios also went to the mailbox today to find 104 hand-written letters from the UK staff. Proving that behind Elam, Berrios is the next must get commit.

However, here's the run down of Berrios. After the recent offers from Miami & Ohio State, they moved to the top of his list despite him favoring UK's offense as LCUKF had said. Berrios did infact grow up a fan of the Canes & has family in the South Beach area.

However, with the recent Miami issues concerning recruiting & the likelihood they lose some scholarships it's unsure where he would stand with the Canes. Miami had slow played him until his performance at their camp won MVP & then he got the offer. However, if the NCAA does reduce the Canes' scholarship, they will only hold one spot at WR for Johnny Dixon & they are 100% sold to him like USCjr. is to Googer.

Ohio State is also very high on slot guys Curtis Samuel & Noah Brown. If they were to get commitments from both of those guys, they would be finished with recruiting slots. This meaning the ship would sail on Berrios.

Which would bring us back to Googer & Berrios to South Carolina. At this point despite the scholarship crunch, it appears both would be takes for the Gamecocks. However, from all indications UK leads South Carolina for Berrios services. South Carolina will not take both Googer & Bone.

Thus, there is a real possibility both Berrios & Bone would wind up Wildcats. Which if they did I would be ecstatic.

[LeeCoUKFan]

Flipping Glass could be tall order for Kentucky

Justin Rowland
CatsIllustrated.com Football Recruiting Analyst

When Cats Illustrated last spoke with Georgia cornerback commitment Nick Glass it sounded like the Wildcats were a real option for him.

Before the start of the summer the Suwanee (Ga.) Peachtree Ridge cornerback was planning to take two trips to Kentucky; an official visit and an unofficial.

Glass isn't ruling out UK but it sounds like flipping the Dawg commit might be a tall order.

"I'm still talking to them a little bit," Glass said of Kentucky. "I probably talk to them through direct message (on Twitter) every two or three days. It's about the same (level of contact) as it was when I was first talking to them. I'm talking to coach (Bradley Dale) Peveto and also coach (Derrick) Ansley still."

Two Kentucky commits are still working on the high three-star corner as well.

"Stanley (Williams) tells me it's a good place. I know him real well. I'm committed to Georgia and he was committed to Georgia before. We're pretty good friends. He's told me it's like a family up there. He said you can come in and play early. You're like a rock star in the town. He said it's a great education too. I also talk to Drew Barker," Glass said.

But when asked whether he still plans to visit Kentucky he responded, "I have no idea right now."

And Glass even went on to say that he doesn't know whether he will take any official visits, other than the one to Georgia. In fact when asked about the status of his commitment to Mark Richt's program Glass said he was "about 95 to 100-percent" on board with the Bulldogs.

The 6-foot-1, 196-pound defensive back would likely be recruited as a cornerback by Kentucky, as the Wildcats are done recruiting safeties with Mike Edwards and Darius West on board.

http://kentucky.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1531008