First Down Kentucky: Recruiting Heats Up

Recruiting never stops in college football. The lifeblood of any program is found within talent acquisition. How teams build rosters in the modern landscape is different than the past, but games are often won or lost in high school recruiting. Some short-term roster holes will be filled when another transfer portal window opens up later this month, but critical decisions in the 2025 high school recruiting cycle are being made now.

Kentucky is putting itself in a position to sign another top-25 class in December. Unofficial visits are getting completed, official visits are getting locked in, decision dates are being decided, and lists are being trimmed.

Cincinnati (Ohio) St. Xavier offensive lineman Tucker Kattus gave the Wildcats five commitments last week. Kentucky is now attempting to play add-on to that 2025 class. Some important developments occurred on Monday. Let’s recap an eventful day on the internet.

Kentucky locks in two official visits

The next big commitment window we will see happens in late June and early July. Why is this a huge time on the recruiting calendar? Because prospects decide to make decisions before their senior seasons and after their official visits in June. Getting targets on campus on critical for this window is a critical part of the recruiting process.

Kentucky got two official visits locked up this week. The Wildcats continue to make some major noise in Ohio.

Tight end Brody Lennon and EDGE Cedric Works each scheduled official visits with Kentucky since the weekend. Each is getting heavy interest from Penn State. We have been waiting for a clear top option to emerge at tight end, and Lennon could be Vince Marrow‘s top target. EDGE remains a huge target in the 2025 cycle, and Works appears to be at the top of Kentucky’s recruiting board.

Expect more official visits to get locked in over the next few weeks. We are entering an essential part of the recruiting calendar. The latest recruiting intel tells us developments are happening quickly.

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Javeon Campbell trims list

Frankfort (Ky.) Western Hills defensive line prospect Javeon Campbell has seen his recruitment skyrocket in recent months. Alabama, Georgia, and Ohio State have all gotten seriously involved with the high three-star prospect. Campbell has official visits locked in with Georgia, Ohio State, and Kentucky. The Wildcats are facing some stiff competition for a local prospect.

The top 500 recruit trimmed his list to nine schools, and Kentucky expectedly made the cut.

Top 9!! @allentrieu @SWiltfong_ @adamgorney @chadsimmons_ @samspiegs @hayesfawcett3 @con_mcjunkin @TomLoy247 @RivalsPapiClint @RivalsFriedman @CoachVanderpool @On3Recruits @Rivals @247Sports pic.twitter.com/RXbbEG9egJ

— Javeon Campbell (@JaveonCampbell) April 1, 2024

That’s quite the list. Campbell recently went on record regarding his decision timeline. A commitment is scheduled to come in July and that makes the upcoming official visits critical. Kentucky is in a good spot but must close over the next three months.

Kentucky gets some positive news at safety

Kentucky needs safety to be a positional strength in 2024 after a disappointing season last fall. The Wildcats returned three players who played integral roles at the position last year and added Alabama transfer Kristian Story to the room. That gives defensive coordinator Brad White a high floor to build up from.

However, you always want to develop depth. The Wildcats got some positive news on Sunday.

After missing last season with a torn ACL, redshirt freshman Jaremiah Anglin Jr. has been cleared to play football. The former top-500 recruit who led his Lake Wales (Fla.) High to a state title during his senior campaign now can now be inserted into the safety position.

It is unlikely that Anglin makes a real push for playing time this fall, but the former high three-star prospect could become a quality special teams contributor and a potential factor at the position in 2025.