Joker Phillips stated during his 2010 recruiting class press conference that UK would like to sign one Quarterback in the 2011 class. Currently UK four scholarships tied up with Mike Hartline, Morgan Newton, Ryan Mossakowski and Tyler Brause. After the season, Hartline graduates, Newton will be a Junior, Mossakowski will be a Sophomore and Brause a Redshirt Freshman. Some people feel Mossakowski could transfer if he is unable to receive playing time at UK and most don't feel Tyler Brause will be a Quarterback long term. With that said, here are the top candidates:Braxton Miller (Huber Heights, OH) visited UK last year for a game, but is on every school's recruiting board. In my opinion, Miller is Ohio State's to lose at this point. Miller has the ability to make plays with his feet as well.
DaMarcus Smith (Louisville, KY) has already committed to Louisville, but UK has not given up. Smith continues to take trips to Lexington and Joker Phillips has built a nice relationship with him. It would not surprise me to see Smith flip to UK late in the process. UK is selling him on the Pro-Style offense versus the Spread Offense.
Shamir Jeffrey (Calhoun County, SC) is being recruited by most schools as an athlete. However, both UK and Auburn are offering him an opportunity to play Quarterback. Jeffrey has stated he wants to play Quarterback in college. Because his brother plays for South Carolina, most expect him to end up a Gamecock.
Justin Worley (Rock Hill, SC) is being pursued by Tennessee, LSU, Florida and North Carolina among others. I've been told by people who have seen him play in person he has a "big time" arm. UK has had some success in South Carolina and Worley could continue the pipeline. Worley is "Pro-Style" Quarterback similar to Ryan Mossakowski.
C.J. Uzomah (North Gwinnett, GA) visited UK with a teammate last fall and is coached by former Lexington Catholic football coach Bob Sphire. Uzomah is being recruited by a ton of schools now, but don't rule out the relationship of Sphire with the UK coaching staff. Some schools are recruiting Uzomah as an athlete too.
Some other names to remember are Patrick Coyne (Badin, OH), Christian Wallace (Louisville, KY), Andrew Kummer (Cincinnati, OH), Neal Pawsat (Mason County, KY), Kal Prince (Owensboro, KY), Conner Hempel (Ryle, KY), Jyhree Harris (Stone Mountain, GA), Marcus Graham (Trotwood-Mason, OH) and Conner Cook (Walsh Jesuit, OH).
It's true that Joker has continued to recruit DaMarcus Smith following Smith's verbal to UL. This should answer critics who question whether Joker is recruiting the Commonwealth hard enough. But Smith is just a whisker over 6' tall and weighs only 180#. I have real doubts whether Smith is big enough to play QB in the SEC and execute a pro-style offensive passing attack. Smith has been injury-prone in high school, and that could continue as he takes bigger hits on a more frequent basis at the next level. I think Smith is a better fit for a spread offense, and I believe he will either stick with UL or go west. JMO.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Braxton Miller is Ohio State's to lose, and I will be surprised if he signs anywhere else. His early interest in UK is a good sign about the effectiveness of UK's staff, but I would be very surprised if they could actually sign Miller.
I think CJ Ozomah will probably sign with an SEC team. CJ already holds firm scholarship offers from eight SEC teams including Bama, LSU, Georgia, and Tennessee, so UK has a steep uphill climb to sign him.
I believe UK has a more realistic shot to sign Jeffrey and/or Worley, although UK isn't currently the frontrunner in either case. Both are legitimate SEC prospects, but Jeffrey will probably end up as a WR somewhere. You are right about Worley's arm. He is the real deal.
As you point out, Joker wants to commit one of his 2011 scholarships to a QB. Chances are it probably won't end up being one of the five names above. But UK's staff is talking with at least ten other QB prospects who haven't yet received UK scholarship offers. Several have already visited Lexington. Pat Coyne, Marcus Graham, Tony Daniel, Jyhree Harris, and Kal Prince are five to watch.
Your assesment is right on! If Kal Prince put on a show this year, he could be the guy! He has posted a great shuttle time, his 40 time is better than most realize, he is the son of a coach (who played at UK). I don't think he is the "sexy" choise by most fans, but could end up being a really good player. Sounds like WKU is close to offering. Also, Coyne and Harris are really good prospects to watch.
ReplyDeleteNo disagreement on anything here
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