Camp Notebook: Standout quarterbacks and in-state offers

On Sunday, Kentucky football kicked off camp season by hosting the Sunday Showcase Camp at Kroger Field. Hundreds of high schoolers made the trip to Lexington in hopes of impressing the Wildcat coaches. KSR was in attendance and Nick Roush already broke down everything we saw from the opening camp.

The second camp came on Monday, otherwise known as the Wildcat One Day Camp. There will be three more One Day events on June 5, 10, and 12. Monday’s group wasn’t nearly as big as Sunday’s, but there was plenty going on all over the field. Inside the (beautifully renovated) practice facility, Jacob Polacheck of KSR+ talked with 2026 OT Owen Winder and what his experience working with offensive line coach Eric Wolford was like.

Elsewhere, I spent most of my time on the Kroger Field turf to check out the quarterbacks, wide receivers, defensive backs, tight ends, and more. There were plenty of current Kentucky players roaming the field, too. Below are a few of my top takeaways from camp number two.

A handful of quarterbacks stood out

Monday’s camp was a big one for quarterbacks. As mentioned, it was a smaller overall crowd compared to Sunday’s Showcase Camp, but there were more quarterbacks in attendance today. A handful of them stood out, starting with Trae Taylor, a class of 2027 QB out of Carmel Catholic (IL).

Despite being just a rising high school sophomore, Taylor already holds offers from the likes of Michigan, Maryland, Illinois, Purdue, Miami (FL), Colorado, and many more. Taylor was talking plenty with offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan and received a tour of the facilities following the camp. Near the end of the actual camp, Taylor was one of three standout QBs going through drills alongside Hamdan, who also extended a scholarship to Taylor afterward.

The other two quarterbacks joining Taylor and Hamdan in the separate group were Cade Scott (2026) and Jaylen White (2026). The Kentucky and Florida products, respectively, were part of a pack of high schoolers traveling all over the country for camps. Scott, who plays for Meade County, does not yet hold any Division I offers while White has already picked up ones from UAB, Bethune-Cookman, UT-Martin, and UMass.

Another intriguing quarterback prospect is Peter Bourque from Massachusetts in the class of 2027. The 6-foot-4, 195-pound rising high school sophomore holds offers from Maryland, Syracuse, Rhode Island, and Toledo. Hamdan ultimately offered Bourque following his camp performance.

The final QB we took note of was Joel Morris, another 2026 recruit out of Florida. Morris earned an offer from Ole Miss all the way back in Feb. 2023 and has since received scholarships from Florida Atlantic, UAB, and Bethune-Cookman.

All five of these signal-callers will be ones to keep an eye on down the road, especially Taylor and Bourque.

Two new in-state offers extended

We typically don’t have to wait long to hear if a camper received an offer from Kentucky following their performance. The first two to do so after Monday’s camp actually come from the Bluegrass State.

The more notable of the two is Owensboro running back Evan Hampton, who has actually been committed to Nick Mingione and Kentucky baseball since March 2023. Hampton received the golf cart treatment from associate head coach Vince Marrow and was a clear standout from the camp. The 6-foot, 200-pound ball carrier announced an offer from UK (via Marrow) shortly after camp, his fourth from a DI program (EKU, Illinois State, and ETSU have also offered).

The second prospect with a fresh UK offer is class of 2027 TE/DL Spencer Clukey out of Covington Catholic High School. This is the first DI offer for Clukey, who also camped at Kentucky around this time last year. Now a rising high school sophomore, Marrow liked what he saw and ultimately extended an offer.

Other campers of notes

• Kendall Johnson was one of the few 2025 prospects camping on Monday and he was among the group of standouts, although an offer from UK has yet to be publicly announced. Johnson went up and caught multiple contested balls during one-on-one drills and was spotted talking to Coach Marrow. Johnson also participates in the high jump for his Tampa-based high school, Zephyrhills Christian Academy.
• Taj Powell is a 6-foot-3, 190-pound defensive back out of Centerville (OH) High, familiar territory for Kentucky and Coach Marrow. The class of 2026 product was singled out multiple times by UK coaches and performed well amongst his fellow secondary peers. Powell also camped at West Virginia last week.
• Max Hunt is a 6-foot-6 class of 2027 tight end out of Holy Cross High School up in northern Kentucky. Only a rising sophomore, he’ll need to add some weight if he wants to play Division I football, but he was clearly liked by Coach Marrow. Hunt, who also plays basketball, has a few more camps left this summer. Don’t be shocked if he picks up an offer or two by the time it’s all said and done.