Kentucky hosts trio of key 4-star recruits for season-opening win

Kentucky got its 2023 football schedule off to a strong start on Saturday with a 44-14 victory over Ball State, and the Wildcats had a few major recruiting targets on campus as well.

In attendance were not one, not one two, but three blue-chippers in Austintown (Ohio) Westerville North EDGE Brian Robinson and twin four-star prospects Jerod Smith and Jacob Smith out of Corbin (Ky.)

The trio are arguably the Wildcats’ three biggest remaining targets in the 2024 cycle. And according to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM), Kentucky is trending to land commitments from all three.

KSR.com recruiting insider Zack Geoghagen became the latest to add predictions for the Wildcats to flip both Smith brother when he placed them early Sunday morning. KSR’s Nick Roush was the first to log a prediction early on Tuesday, followed by other national recruiting analysts later in the day.

Roush noted on the KSBoard that ace Kentucky Wildcat recruiter, defensive line coach Vince Marrow, as a primary reason UK likely pulls off this double flip.

“If the twins go anywhere but Michigan, I think it would be Kentucky,” Roush told The Wolverine’s Zach Libby. “It does feel like Kentucky got thrown a lifeline in a seemingly dead recruitment when the twins decided to move back home.”

Wildcats looking for a big recruiting win with Brian Robinson

In addition to working on a flip of two Michigan commits, Kentucky is also going head-to-head with the Wolverines for Robinson, the nation’s No. 7 EDGE in the On3 Industry Ranking.

The 6-foot-5, 250-pounder took official visits to Penn State, Michigan and Kentucky in June. Coming off his first visit with the Wolverines, they were trending as the team to beat. However, he continued to take his visits throughout the summer, and Kentucky now sits as the top school in the On3 RPM.

The Wildcats are sitting on 15 commitments as it stands today, including four four-star prospects: wide receiver Hardley Gilmore, quarterback Cutter Boley, cornerback Terhyon Nichols and linebacker Elijah Groves.

Boley, who hails from nearby Lexington Christian Academy, was a massive victory for Liam Coen and Mark Stoops this summer as he opted to reclassify into the Class of 2024. Should the Wildcats land a commitment from Robinson over the Nittany Lions and Wolverines, it could have a similar impact on the defensive side of the ball.