Davison Igbinosun commits to Ole Miss; Who UK Targets Next

Kentucky did not take many losses on the recruiting trail in 2021. During Saturday’s All-American Bowl, they suffered a recruiting loss to a 2022 opponent.

Four-star safety Davison Igbinosun committed to Ole Miss, choosing the Rebels over Rutgers, Tennessee and Kentucky. Ranked as the No. 193 player in America according to the On3 Consensus, Igbinosun announced his decision remotely after testing positive for COVID-19 in San Antonio.

“I want to play in the SEC. To be honest with you, the SEC is the best conference in college football and I want to be in the best conference, playing against the best best players,” Igbinosun said on the broadcast.

A one-time Rutgers commit, Kentucky was just a little too late to the party for the top-ranked player from the state of New Jersey. Recruited by Brad White, Igbinosun was the first player Kentucky’s defensive coordinator and head coach visited during the live recruiting period. He returned the favor with an official visit in December, but a trip to Oxford the following weekend appears to have sealed the deal.

Even though Kentucky missed out on the talented defensive back, Mark Stoops’ coaching staff has their eyes peeled for secondary players in the transfer portal. They also have a few remaining high school targets.

Kentucky’s Final High School Recruiting Targets

The Wildcats hit on most of their targets during the Early Signing Period, securing the No. 12 recruiting class in the country, a high-water mark for the program. There are still a couple of high school players that could sign with UK on the traditional National Signing Day on the first Wednesday in February.

Jalen Farmer is a 6-foot-4, 300-pound offensive lineman from the Atlanta suburb of Covington. Farmer committed to Florida in September, yet things got dicey when Billy Napier replaced Dan Mullen. Eric Wolford got Farmer to Lexington for an official visit on the final open recruiting weekend of 2021, but could not secure a signature. Farmer will use his Florida official visit next weekend.

Kentucky is also pursuing an Edge from South Florida. Four-star Ft. Lauderdale athlete R. Mason Thomas committed to Iowa State in July. Like Farmer, Thomas officially visited UK just before the dead period. The Wildcats were in a good position, but Brent Venables has thrown a wrench into Brad White’s plans. The new Oklahoma coach has heavily recruited Thomas, who will now officially visit Norman just days before NSD. It will be a fight to the finish line for the talented pass rusher.