Cats offer La'mont McMurry

Both Kentucky and Louisville have offered St. Xavier running back La'mont McMurry per Brian Eldridge. McMurry is an interesting back as he put up some impressive stats as a junior (Over 2,000 all-purpose yards). He is listed at 5'9" and 183 lbs. His size is similar to current UK running back Raymond Sanders.

Another one bites the Dust!

Demarcus Sherod, ILB from Columbia HS in Decatur GA has committed to OK State. The 3* linebacker had offers from several schools including UK and was rated in the Top 40 at his position. Sherod becomes the #11 recruit for the OSU Cowboys.

Cats offer Nigel Malone

Nigel Malone (2011-CB) who plays at City College of San Francisco informed me this evening UK has extended him an offer and wants him to visit. Malone has also received offers from Hawaii, Tulsa and Iowa State. He is receiving interest from others programs including Oregon.

Mike Summers is handling his recruitment for Kentucky and visited practice during the spring. Remember his teammate Brandon Ford is also being recruited by the Cats. Malone told me, "It would be pretty cool to play with Brandon at the next level. He brings a lot to the table." He informed me Kentucky is his current leader.

Malone will try and take as many visits as possible and hopes to have a decision in November. He can enroll in December which is typically a bonus for Juco players. When asked about his game he said, "I'm pretty much balanced, a cover corner who can break on the ball."

Malone is currently listed at 5'10" and 185lbs. He runs a 4.45 forty yard dash time.

Kaleb Johnson (OL) gets a CAT Offer

The University of Kentucky Wildcats have offered offensive lineman, Kaleb Johnson a scholarship to play football. Kaleb, a 6 ft 5 in lineman is from Ed White HS in Jacksonville FL. Among the SEC Offers, that Johnson holds are: UK, Arkansas, and South Carolina. Other non SEC schools which have offered include: Ga Tech, Illinois, Louisville, Missouri, North Carolina, and USF.

Isaiah Riddle to camp at UK tomorrow

Isaiah Riddle from Northgate High School in Newnan, Georgia will camp with the Cats tomorrow. Riddle has no offers according to multiple recruiting profiles. He is being recruited mostly by Ole Miss. If he performs well tomorrow, he may receive his first offer.

Daylen Hall (2011-CB) Video

As reported earlier, Hall received an offer from UK today.

Daylen Hall gets an offer

Daylen Hall of ST. X HS has received a scholarship offer to play football at Kentucky. Daylen, a 5 ft 8 in DB/PR is ranked the #61 CB prospect in the 2011 Recruiting Class. Hall is rated a 2* recruit (by the other recruiting services) and reportedly runs a 4.33 in the 40 yard. Daylen also has team mates Luke Brohm (QB), Andrew Polston (DE), and Lamont McMurry (WR) who are being recruited to play college football as well. In addition to the Kentucky offer, Hall also had an offer to play football at Marshall.

UK Predicted at #5

The Bleacherreport has put out a preliminary preseason prediction for the SEC. Again, they have predicted that UK will finish #5 in the SEC East. I bet you can guess who is predicted to finish #6!!

More recruits camping this weekend

Just a reminder that UK will host another camp tomorrow (June 19th) for rising juniors and seniors. Based on interviews, Kendall Walker (LB), Shamier Jeffery (ATH) and Alex Chisum (WR) are supposed to attend. It's unclear if Chisum will still attend since he recently committed to Cincinnati. I wouldn't rule a few more offers being extended or a possible commit afterwards. Stay tuned!

Staff making impressions

Larry Vaught has a great article on his site about the recent youth football camp at UK. In particular one parent commented about Chuck Smith, Joker and Rock Oliver. I'll agree with the parent, UK's staff doesn't get the recognition they deserve. Football season is almost here!

Which games will you be attending?

What UK football games do plan on attending this year?

UK has an offer for Ruben Carter (DT)

UK has extended an offer for football to Ruben Carter (DT) of Jackson HS in Miami Fl. Ruben is a 6 ft 3 in DT with offers from UK, Rutgers, Syracuse, FIU, MTSU, Kansas, and New Mexico (presumably Tee Martin may have been recruiting him?). At this time, Ruben is rated a 2* prospect.

2011 ATH Torrey Campbell

The Cats have extended an offer to Torrey Campbell (RB) of Barron Collier HS in Naples FL. Torrey is a 5 ft 11 in HS Preps RB with SEC offers from UK and Tennessee. His other offers include: Wisconsin, Iowa, Maryland, Purdue, Rutgers and USF.

In addition to football, Torrey also is on the HS Track team and looks to be able to run with power between the tackles and bounce it outside as a speedster. He also plays CB for the team and had 564 yards rushing (73 carries) with 6 TDs in the 09 season. according to the recruiting services, Torrey is being recruited as an athlete and could play on either side of the ball.

Alex Chisum commits to the Bearcats

Alex Chisum has commited to Cincinnati. Many believed that UK had a good shot at landing his commitment. He becomes the 5th commitment for UC, and the first WR.

Devin Foster working hard

Brian Eldridge has a great write up about Union County (KY) RB Devin Foster. Foster has no offers, but is hearing from UK and UL.

Lincoln safety commits to USF

Chris Garye Jr. (2011-S) from Lincoln High School in Florida has committed to South Florida. Per the article, Garye had offers from Kentucky, Louisville, Iowa State, Vanderbilt, FIU and Illinois. The senior to be is listed at 6' and 200lbs. Click on the link for the article.

Two Stephenson recruits decide

The AJC is reporting Tarik Cook (2011-C) has committed to Central Florida and Willie Davis (2011-RB) has committed to South Florida. I'm not surprised by Davis, but was hearing Cook was really interested in UK. With both players off the board now, will the staff extend their offers to someone else or continue to recruit them?

Cats add JSU to 2011 schedule

Kentucky added Jacksonville state to their 2011 schedule. The game will take place on October 22nd, 2011 at Commonwealth Stadium. JSU will open their season against Ole Miss this season.

Perception vs. Reality

One thing that continues to amaze me is the fact UK has so many early commitments for the 2011 class. This time last year, UK only had one commitment (Justin Henderson) and now they have nine. There has been a lot of talk about the 2011 class being small, therefore I'm impressed with the staff's recruiting approach.

So far into the recruiting process there appears to be more offers on the table than in the past. The staff is doing a great job of getting recruits to commit early. Outside of a handful, players should really consider making their decision early or run the risk of an offer not being on the table later in the process.

Sometimes coaches inform players of their needs and tell them where they fall into their recruiting plans. As an example, one offensive line recruit told me the staff wants to sign three offensive linemen in the next class and he was still in the "evaluation process". As we know now, the Cats have one offensive line commit (Darrian Miller) and have a ton of offers on the table. An example was Spencer Shuey (LB) in 2009. He visited Kentucky and wanted to commit to the Cats, but Rich Brooks told him they didn't have room for him. Things worked out great for Shuey, he ended up signing with Clemson.

The staff is selling playing time, a brand, and being part of something special to recruits. It appears recruits are buying what the staff is selling. What Joker Phillips has accomplished in less than a year is simply amazing. Recruiting is "Perception vs. Reality" and the reality is the Cats are running out of scholarships for 2011.

Who's it gonna be?

The Cats are into summer workouts and the quarterbacks are working hard to make their case for the starting job this fall. Once the team gets into camp, there will not be enough snaps for three quarterbacks with the first team offense. The staff had a difficult time naming a starter coming out of spring. I've heard the progression of the offensive line didn't help the staff with their evaluation process either. Give me your prediction now! Who will start against Louisville and who will start against Tennessee?

UK RB Corp ranked in Top 5 in SEC

Per Southern Pigskin, UK has the #5 ranked RB corps in the SEC.

My guess is that this is probably about right, there are also some other units on this team that should grade higher than what most think, namely the WR corps, and certainly the DBs. I still think that the O-line will come together fairly soon, this would certainly facilitate who the Coaches pick as the QB.

Most underrated Defensive player (s)

Who is the most underrated defensive player(s) over the last 10 yrs?

Mike Rose OLB receives UK Offer

Mike Rose, a 6 ft 3 in OLB/S from Hillcrest HS in Simpsonville SC has received an offer from UK. Mike runs a 4.45 in the 40 yard and is rated as the #27 DE (it is thought that he would play OLB for UK) in the 2011 class. Rose also has offers from East Carolina, Louisville, Maryland, and NC State.

West receives offer from Tennessee

Zach West (2011-OL) informed me today that Tennessee has extended a scholarship to him. West is in Knoxville today visiting and plans to make a decision before his season starts. West continues to build on his impressive offer sheet.

Insight on Travis Elliott from viewer

Nice post by a follower on this site about Travis Elliott (2012-RB) from Ryle, KY.

"Watched this kid yesterday at the University of Cincinnati camp! Could tell the coaching staff at Cincinnati was extremely high on him. Very fast and strong RB that moves extremely well. Catches the ball very good and made a one hand reception during the one on ones that the coaches at UC loved. With 2 BCS Bowl appearances the last two years and the rise of the UC program this kid could possibly be on his way to the Big East!"

Charone Peake commits to Clemson

Charone Peake from Roebuck, SC commited to Clemson today. He is the #6 WR in the nation according to rivals.com. The cats had offered, but he narrowed his choices down to Clemson, Florida, and Georgia before commiting to the Tigers.

UK Offers Bobby McCain

Defensive Back, Bobby McCain, of Oxford HS (AL)has received an offer to play football from UK. The 5 ft 11 in CB is rated as a 2* player and also has offers from Memphis State, MTSU, Miss State, and Navy.

Bobby has shown playmaking ability on the field where among his defensive skills he also plays RB and ran a kickoff back 87 yards for a TD.

Bobby also has 3 HS team mates for the 2012 class who already have offers from UK as well: DB-Trae Elston, LB-Kwon Alexander, and OL-Michael Flint. McCain also plays Catcher and Out Field for Oxford high school.

Edsel Caprice OLB has a Wildcat Offer

Edsel Caprice an OLB from Cape Coral HS in FLA has received an offer from UK. The 6 ft 3 in linebacker runs a 4.45 in the 40 and is rated a 3* (#53 according to one service, and #41 according to another). Edsel had some incredible statistics for his Junior year: 110 TT, 63 Solo, 18 TFL, 20 Sacks and 7 FF. Edsel has offers from: UCONN, Duke, Louisville, North Carolina, Purdue, WVU, WKU, USF, and Wake Forest

Demarcus Sherod Linebacker has an offer

The Kentucky Wildacts have offered a scholarship to linebacker Demarcus Sherod of Columbia HS in Decatur GA. Sherod, a 6 ft 2 in OLB is a 3* player that is ranked as high as #36 according to one recruiting service and #78 according to another. This rating makes Demarcus a 3* player with offers from several schools including:Auburn, Louisville, Marshall, OK State, So Carolina, WKU, and Tennessee.

Most disappointing loss

What is the most disappointing UK loss or losses over the years? IE Which one really sticks in your craw?

Darren Waller commits to Georgia Tech

No surprise here, Aaron has posted over the past few days that he thought Waller would pull the trigger for the Yellow Jackets soon. Today he made the call. It will be interesting to see how this effects his teammate Troy Gray.

2011 safety Pat Martin

Pat Martin from Greenville, South Carolina is considered one of the top safetys in America. UK appears to be a long shot in his sweepstakes, as he favors UCLA, Tennessee, South Carolina, and LSU.

Top 25 Players in KY

Scout has issued their Top 25 players for the state of Kentucky (be sure to click on the hypr link at the end of the article for the list). Basically, they say that KY has a great crop of college recruits for the 2011 signing class.

Most of the names are very familiar, there are a couple of names that may not be known to those who do not follow recruiting or KY Preps.

Damian Swann (2011-ATH) Video

Flashback of Randall Cobb

Jesse Hayes (2011-DE) Video

Jesse Hayes plays at Moeller High School in Ohio and one of the Cats top defensive targets for 2011. Many people feel Rock Oliver is the major connection for Hayes and UK. He did visit UK for the spring game and attended with teammate Kendall Walker (2011-LB) who could be close to an offer from the Cats.

2011 Recruiting Outlook

As the UK coaching staff continues to pursue players for the 2011 class, many people are curious how the scholarship situation will work out. Let’s face it, the Cats are projected to have a smaller than usual class in 2011. Here are a couple of points to make before trying to figure things out.

First, the Cats will graduate 10 seniors after this upcoming season. Second, there are some juniors who have played very little who will likely graduate and free up a scholarship or two. Will Fidler is a good example of someone who graduated on time and decided to pass up their final football season due to a redshirt season. Third, there is always some attrition. Some leave for family reasons, health concerns, grades, etc. This past year both Eric Adeyemi and Kyrus Lanxter were examples of players who left the program for various reasons. Remember, the numbers always work out.

With that said, here’s where the Cats currently stand for the 2011 class. The staff has received commitments from nine players. Depending who you listen to, Max Smith would make number ten. Because Smith graduated in 2010, it appears he would be a grey shirt for 2010 and not count against the 2011 class. Either way, he should be on scholarship in 2011 so it’s one more scholarship that has to be taken into consideration.

Everyone knew the offensive line, defensive line, wide receiver and quarterback positions were priorities in the next class. The Cats have addressed some of their needs already, but still have work to do. Below are the current commitments:

1. Jon Davis (TE/ATH)
2. Darrian Miller (OL)
3. Glen Faulkner (DB)
4. Darien Thomas (WR/ATH)
5. Josh Forrest (TE/WR)
6. Theltus Cobbins (QB)
7. Antonio Cannon (WR)
8. Clint Tucker (DL)
9. Terrell Mitchell (TE)

Based on what we know, the Cats still need to sign at least one more offensive line recruit. I’ve been told by recruits the staff wants to sign three in the next class. The staff will need to sign at least one more interior defensive lineman and potentially another receiver. Both Darien Thomas and Josh Forrest could play other positions at the next level. For argument sakes, let’s assume with Max Smith and Theltus Cobbins commitments the Cats don’t take another quarterback. The Cats still need to address linebackers, defensive ends, running backs, and secondary players in next year’s class. I continue to hear the Cats could sign 17-20 recruits in the next class.

The Cats will also have to factor in transfers for 2011. Terrell Combs will go on scholarship next year and I have received conflicting stories on Ryan Wallace’s scholarship situation. Any player that attends prep school and decides to sign with UK again will count toward the 2011 class or any grey shirts from 2010 will impact the number of available scholarships. We should know more by the end of summer on the signees not qualifying or using a grey shirt. Like I said at the beginning, THE NUMBERS ALWAYS WORK OUT!

Let’s assume the Cats can take ten more commitments in the 2011 class. In addition to the current commits, who else would you like to see the Cats sign come February?

ONE MINUTE OF GLORY

What is your favorite play from an unknown UK player who had a game changing play to impact a game?

2011 Future Watch - DB's

DB Offers (known)

Alex Dixon, Andrew Johnson, Bruce Dukes, Damian Swann, Eilar Hardy, Jared Boyd, Justin Coleman, Robenson Therezie, Ronnie Harris, Flo Hardin, Avery Walls, Chris Sanders, Darren Waller, Devanta Burns

DB Watch List

Calvin Caldwell, Chris Tavarez, David Stevenson, Daylen Hall, Jaylen Harris, Jerry Williams, Ken Mullen, Leon Melvin, Mitchell Nelson, Nick Waisome, Nigel Malone, Pat Martin, Steven Montgomery, Thomas Finnie, Anthony Swain, Franklin Shannon, Tony McNeal

Already Committed

Jalen Harrington (Louisville), Zep Grimes (Illinois), Jermaine Whitehead (Miss St.), Glen Faulkner (Kentucky), Nick Temple (Cincinnati)

Updates

Not a lot has changed since our last DB update except Nick Temple committed to Cincinnati. I interviewed Nick and he is a great person. We wish him the best. Darren Waller received an offer from Georgia Tech during camp and it appears he is ready to give them a verbal. Robensen Therezie is narrowing his list of schools and will likely stay in Florida. I added Thomas Finnie to the list as he played with Brandon Gainer and the Cats are taking to him. Also, added Nigel Malone who plays at City College in San Francisco.

Most likely to be a Cat

Jared Boyd, Flo Hardin, Eilar Hardy and Damian Swann. Boyd will likely follow his Stephenson teammates to Lexington, Hardin has family ties to UK and likes the appeal of the SEC. Swann could be recruited as an athlete, but most feel he will play corner. Some reports suggest Hardy could play either corner or safety. Boyd projects as a cornerback at the college level and Hardin as a safety and possibly an outside linebacker.

Recruiting two minute drill

Tonight I touched base with several players. Below are some notes:

Farrington Huguenin (2010 signee) is still unsure if he will enroll at UK this fall or head to prep school. My gut says he will end up going to prep school, but anything is still possible.

Darren Waller (2011-S) appears to be close to given a commitment to Georgia Teach. Could this hurt the Cats chances for his teammate Troy Gray (2011-LB)? The Cats have offered both.

Kendall Walker (2011-LB) informed me he will attend UK's camp on June 19th. Walker feels the Cats could be close to offering. Walker is also teammates with Jesse Hayes (2011-DE). Could the two be a package deal or is Walker another option if Lamar Dawson goes elsewhere?

Zack Templin (2011-OL) is headed to Louisville's camp tomorrow. Zack hasn't received his first offer, but things should start heating up for him soon. He impressed the Cats staff and will likely do the same at UofL's.

Kody Woods (2011-OL) will be attending camps at Cincinnati and Purdue this coming week. He is another recruit who has received some attention from the Cats, but appears to be down on their recruiting board.

Cody Robinson (2011-OL) attended Vandy's camp today. I hope to hear more tomorrow. He should have his schools narrowed by the end of summer. I believe the Cats will make his top five list.

Neal Pawsat (2011-QB) attended Cincinnati's camp today. He is another top in-state QB who should see his stock rise over the next couple of months.

Mike Wegzyn (2011-QB) attended Wake Forest's camp today and Virginia's this past week. He holds a couple of offers already and more should follow.

Jerry Williams (2011-ATH) talked with UK's coaching staff, but doesn't have an offer yet. I'm hearing the staff is considering him as DB. He was attending West Virginia this weekend.

Bubba Tandy (2011-WR) visited Mississippi State this weekend and will camp at Louisville this week. He is another prospect who could receive an offer from the Cats.

Flo Hardin (2011-OLB/S) informed me he is still taking his time and not ready to make a decision.

Christian Coleman (2011-DL) informed me he attended a camp at UK today. Coleman could be the next commit for UK and I would consider him a UK lean.

Desmond Floyd (2011-DE) attended camps at Wake Forst and Duke this weekend. Floyd has been high on Duke for a long time and reports once suggested he had UK in his top three.

Rumor has it

Reports are starting to come out this afternoon that Texas A&M has turned down an invitation to the Pac-10. While some feel the Aggies may join the SEC, it's still possible the 10 team Big 12 stays together. If Texas A&M does in fact join the SEC, I doubt the league stops at 13 teams.