'24 QB Dante Reno is a fan of Kentucky's new OC Rich Scangarello

The Kentucky Football coaching staff is being understandably selective with the players they’re targeting in terms of quarterbacks at the high school level. Only a handful of offers have been extended to QBs on the Wildcats’ behalf over the last year. But after producing the most electric offense of the Mark Stoops era in 2021, Kentucky can be a bit pickier when it comes to building relationships with their preferred signal-callers. The pitch is a lot easier to sell nowadays.

One of the quarterbacks near the top of Kentucky’s recruiting big board is Dante Reno, a class of 2024 Massachusetts native already ranked as a four-star and one of the top 20 QBs among all rising juniors. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Loomis Chaffee School (CT) product boasts an impressive offer sheet, including one from the ‘Cats back in June 2021. That scholarship came from former offensive coordinator Liam Coen, who is now with the Los Angeles Rams, but Reno is still very intrigued with Kentucky and new OC Rich Scangarello.

KSR spoke with Reno on Wednesday night to get an update on his recruitment and his current relationship with Kentucky. He spoke highly of Coach Scangarello and his endless knowledge of the finer details of the sport. Reno, who was in Lexington last summer for a camp visit that subsequently saw him earn an offer, will return to campus again this June to meet with Scangarello and better pick his brain.

“He’s really smart,” Reno told KSR of Scangarello. “He and Coach Coen are really similar in their offensive philosophy and what they want to do with the quarterback, how they want to prepare them for the NFL and just develop them overall. They’re both great guys.

“Coach Scangarello, he’s coming from the 49ers, obviously he had Jimmy Garoppolo and the offense they ran there was pretty special so him just telling me his draft stories, just the way he evaluates quarterbacks compared to a lot of other coaches in college football is something I take into account just because of how detailed he is, what he looks for in a quarterback, how he thinks he can use them. It’s not just his system that he’s trying to put the quarterback in, it’s what he thinks he’s going to be best in. So it’s really something special that he has and I think with Will (Levis) there right now it’s gonna help him a lot.”

After a amazing visit with @LiamCoen and @CoachPerry_UK I and excited to say I have received a full scholarship offer to the University of Kentucky!!! #WeAreUK #BBN @CoachJeffMoore @LC_Football_ pic.twitter.com/XXtVkZONax

— Dante Reno (@dantereno10) June 24, 2021

Reno has been playing football his entire life, since the Pee Wee days. His father, Tony Reno, is the head football coach at Yale and has been since 2012. Tony made sure Dante had a football (and a baseball) in his hands from an early age. That early introduction to the gridiron has clearly paid off, too. The younger Reno received his first full-ride scholarship as a freshman and is on his way to being one of the top QBs in his class.

Reno told KSR he’s hearing from all sorts of big-time schools: Virginia, LSU, Georgia, Purdue, Michigan, Michigan State, West Virginia, Cincinnati, Minnesota, Louisville, Ole Miss, Iowa State, Arizona, and Miami (FL), just to name a few… South Carolina is another school very high on him, and multiple recruiting outlets believe the Gamecocks are the current leader for his services.

“Coach (Shane) Beamer, he’s a really good guy and I think what they’re going to do with Spencer Rattler this year is going to be really special,” Reno said of South Carolina. “Just the way his vision for the program is and what they’re gonna do — I’m not gonna say turn around their program, but create a new identity.”

The powerhouse programs are all showing interest, too. Reno has been hearing from Alabama, Ohio State, and Clemson, even talking with Crimson Tide offensive Bill O’Brien on multiple occasions not long ago. His stock is only going to continue to rise after he led Loomis Chaffee to the school’s first New England championship this past season.

Speaking of his prep school, there’s another connection to Kentucky and Reno, playing on the opposite side of the field. Class of 2024 four-star twins Jacob and Jerod Smith both suit up on defense for Loomis Chaffee. But not only that — they’re also from the Bluegrass State and hearing from the UK staff. The brothers transferred up to the Connecticut-based program ahead of the 2021 season after leaving Somerset. They’re former high school teammates with Kentucky’s current backup QB Kaiya Sheron.

Reno isn’t going to be one to rush his recruitment. He was adamant about not being another transfer portal victim, and it helps that his dad can guide him through the whole process. But above all else, Reno wants to land at a spot where he can win.

“My biggest thing is being able to win. That’s the biggest thing in college football, that’s the biggest thing in life, just being able to win. Losing is not acceptable in our team’s culture and it’s definitely not acceptable in the SEC.”

Kentucky will have their hands full convincing him Lexington is the spot to accomplish that, but the reward would be invaluable.