Tuesday, May 11, 2010

2011 in-state recruit rankings

RANKING THE TOP IN-STATE PLAYERS 2010-11

As most UK fans know, the state of Kentucky doesn’t produce many SEC caliber football players on a yearly basis. On average the state produces about six players and UK typically signs a couple. However, in 2011 things are a little different. The state should produce more than a dozen recruits compared to years past. Currently Kentucky has two in-state players committed and Louisville has five committed for 2011. Several of the committed recruits have told me the rival school is still recruiting them.

Below are 13 names to keep an eye on for the 2011 class. Again, some of the players below have given verbal commitments, but are still being recruited by other schools. Look for these players to attend camps and combines this summer to improve their recruiting stock. Based on offers and interviews here are the rankings.

1. Jon Davis (Eastern) has given his verbal commitment to Kentucky and could be the top athlete in the state. Based on his size, speed and strength his stock will only continue to rise. Davis could play fullback, linebacker or tight end at the next level, but prefers to play tight end. Davis is still being recruited by Notre Dame, Louisville and Illinois.

2. Lamar Dawson (Boyle County) is one of Kentucky’s primary recruiting targets in the 2011 class. Dawson plays at a high level and will play Linebacker at the next level. Most people feel Dawson is UK’s to lose because of Chuck Smith’s relationship at Boyle County. I have personally interviewed Dawson and can tell you he is far from a “lock”. Look for him to take all of his official visits. He recently received an offer from Michigan.

3. DeVante Parker (Ballard) has given his verbal to Louisville, but UK has made it clear they would continue to recruit the wide receiver. Players like Parker don’t come around very often, so the school that inks him is getting a gem. Assuming both he and DaMarcus Smith stay committed to UofL, they could be connecting to one another for quite some time.

4. Darrian Miller (Bryan Station) has already given his verbal commitment to Kentucky. He projects to play on the offensive line at the next level and could possibly be the top football recruit in the state. Offensive lineman are often not the “sexy” pick as top players, but anyone who understands football realizes their importance.

5. Jamon Brown (Fern Creek) has given his verbal commitment to Louisville, but isn’t 100% committed based on his comments. Brown is another key recruiting target for Kentucky and David Turner is working hard to change his mind. Brown has the size to contribute early at the next level and more schools are getting involved. Solid defensive lineman are rare, just look at the NFL draft to see the importance.

6. Zach West (Lexington Christian) has taken visits to both Kentucky, Louisville and Tennessee among others. West holds offers from Penn State, Kentucky, Louisville and several others. West projects to play Offensive Tackle at the next level due to his overall size. There are mixed reports on West, but the there is no denying his potential.

7. DaMarcus Smith (Seneca) has already given his verbal commitment to Louisville, but has taken multiple visits to Kentucky. Smith will play Quarterback in college and has acknowledged he likes UK’s “Pro-Style” offense compared to Louisville’s “Spread”. Joker Phillips and Company are actively recruiting smith.

8. Jerrell Moore (Fern Creek) has given his verbal commitment to Louisville and appears to be a package deal with his teammates (Brown and Harrington). Moore is very fast, but will need to put on more weight to be an every down running back in college. He does have an offer from Kentucky to play running back. Louisville is recruiting him to play Slot Receiver and to return kick-offs. Illinois is also actively recruiting Moore.

9. Forisse “Flo” Hardin (Ballard) could be the most underrated prospect in the state. Hardin holds offers from Indiana and Kentucky while Louisville is showing interest. Hardin’s brother plays for the Hoosier’s and his teammate, Devante Parker, has given his pledge to Louisville. In watching his film, Hardin is fast, physical and will make an impact on defense at the next level.

10. Jalen Harrington (Fern Creek) has given his verbal commitment to Louisville. Harrington projects to play Safety or Outside Linebacker at the next level. He is another very athletic player who has a tremendous upside. Much like Brown and Moore, he too appears to be a package deal to Louisville with his teammates.

11. Henry Mitchell (Elizabethtown) is very athletic and received offers from the Big 10 and Big East. Mitchell plays basketball which shows his athletic ability and all schools are recruiting him to play Tight End as he is 6’5”. Neither Kentucky or Louisville appear to be showing much interest at this time.

12. Conner Hempel (Ryle) is one of the top Quarterbacks in the state and already sports an offer from Western Kentucky. Hempel will receive a lot of interest as he carries a 3.7 GPA and has schools like Stanford, Northwestern, Vanderbilt and Harvard recruiting him. All of the in-state schools are recruiting him and he has already taken unofficial visits to most.

13. Marcoreyon “Bubba” Tandy (Christian County) is one of the top wide receivers in the state for 2010. Tandy already has an offer from Western Kentucky and will work out at UK on May 30th. He is also receiving interest from other programs and should see more offers come his way. If his workout goes well at Kentucky, he could become a Wildcat.

10 comments:

  1. Is this list based on offers or personal opinion on talent.

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  2. As many people know, UK's staff has tendered scholarship offers to the first ten names above. Miller and Davis are UK verbals. Smith, Moore, Brown, Parker and Harrington have verballed to UL, but Joker is still recruiting them. UK's staff is still evaluating Tandy and Hempel.

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  3. This list is based on Chip Cosby...he published this in th LHL on Sunday, you plagerist.

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  4. You stole this list from Chip Cosby, you plagerist.

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  5. Wow, I'm a fan of Chip's and we have met, but you can go back and read my similar post from over a month ago. I also wrote something similar for Vaughts Views. Anyone named anonymous can leave "random" comments. Thank You, Aaron

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  6. #1, this list was based on interviews I have done with the players and the offers they have shared with me. Everone mentioned has offers, therefore I'm assuming these are the top players. If someome is missing, I would gladly add them to the list.

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  7. Just because I can... go back and check my post on March 3rd. I reference a similar article on Vaughts Views. Thank You!

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  8. One more thing and I'm done with defending myself. Chip didn't come up with the list. He gave credit to where he found the list. I just looked at the article and I have personally been in contact with 10 of the 13 mentioned above. Thank You!

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  9. No need to defend yourself, Aaron.

    I'll bet "anonymous" works for another UK fan website, and I have an idea who this is. How seriously can we take this accusation from someone who doesn't even know how to spell the word "plagiarist"?

    Aaron has been posting about the top 2011 instate prospects on this blog for months. He was the first internet commentator to take on this subject. He interviews these kids himself.

    Aaron's list looks almost exactly like my list. If our lists look like Cosby's, it doesn't take a genius to understand why. There are about 15 legitimate D-1 football prospects in the 2011 class in the Commonwealth. It is no mystery who the top prospects are. Anyone with solid knowledge would put together a similar list this year. No mystery here.

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  10. #9 Who are the 15 D1 kids. The 13 above, and I would say Neal Pawsat QB( Mason Co.), and Zack Templin OL (East Jessamine)

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