How Kentucky football's 2025 commits performed during Week 1
In most states across the country, the 2024 high school football season began last week. A handful of states got rolling the week before and some won’t start until later this week, but for the most part, this past week was the officially kickoff stretch. With that in mind, we’re referring to the last few days as Week 1 for the sake of convenience.
The Kentucky Wildcats currently have 17 class of 2025 commits on board. Of them, 15 were in action on either Thursday, Friday, or Saturday. We saw some big-time performances from the likes of S Martels Carter, WR Quintin Simmons, QB Stone Saunders, CB Demarcus Gardner, and more. We’re here to break down how all of the future Wildcats looked on the gridiron.
But before we dive into how everyone performed, a quick word from our loyal sponsor…
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How Kentucky commits performed over the weekend
*Player rankings courtesy of the On3 Industry Ranking*
Cedric Works (EDGE) 6-5, 230 | Frederick Douglass (Dayton, OH)
4-star: No. 147 overall, No. 18 EDGE
- In what was the KSR Game of the Week over at Western Kentucky University, Cedric Works and Frederick Douglass (1-0) took down Bowling Green 35-13 in a top-five matchup. Works recorded at least one tackle for loss and three quarterback hurries.
Javeon Campbell (DL) 6-5, 260 | Western Hills (Frankfort, KY)
4-star: No. 155 overall, No. 15 DL
- Stats were not made available from Western Hills’ (1-0) 46-0 win over Bourbon County on Friday, but I was in attendance where I saw Campbell record two sacks, a few tackles, and even line up at tight end on offense, although he did not haul in a catch.
Marquise Davis (RB) 5-11, 200 | Cleveland Heights (Cleveland, OH)
4-star: No. 159 overall, No. 10 RB
- In a matchup against his future teammate — Jermiel Atkins of Trotwood-Madison — Marquise Davis and Cleveland Heights (1-0) came out with a close 6-0 win. Davis scored the lone touchdown of the entire game with 10:31 left in the first quarter.
Martels Carter Jr. (S) 6-1, 185 | Paducah Tilghman (Paducah, KY)
4-star: No. 171 overall, No. 16 S
- Stats were not made available from Paducah Tilghman’s (1-0) 41-16 win over McCracken County, but Carter did return the opening kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown. He also forced a fumble and recovered the ball on the same possession. Tilghman led 28-0 after the first quarter and cruised the rest of the way.
Quintin Simmons (WR) 6-0, 170 | Withrow (Cincinnati, OH)
4-star: No. 330 overall, No. 50 WR
- Quintin Simmons and Withrow (0-1) opened the season with a 28-6 loss to Elder. Simmons still had his moments though, including a 94-yard touchdown run which wound up being Withrow’s only score. He also hauled in a 30-yard and 12-yard reception.
Kalen Edwards (DL) 6-4, 325 | Dyersburg (Dyersburg, TN)
4-star: No. 357 overall, No. 31 DL
- Kalen Edwards and Dyersburg (0-1) were blown out in Week 1 by a final score of 47-16 to Dyer County. Stats were not made available.
Darrin Strey (OT) 6-6, 295 | Paw Paw (Paw Paw, MI)
3-star: No. 404 overall, No. 28 OT
- Darrin Strey and Paw Paw begin their 2024 season on Thursday, August 29 against Big Rapids (MI) High. The Massey Ratings predict a 28-27 loss for Paw Paw.
Ja’Kayden Ferguson (WR) 6-2, 175 | Fort Bend Marshall (Houston, TX)
3-star: No. 433 overall, No. 70 WR
- Similar to Strey, Ja’Kayden Ferguson and Fort Bend Marshall begin the 2024 season on Thursday, August 29 against Friendswood (TX) High. The Massey Ratings predict a 35-14 win for Fort Bend Marshall.
Andrew Purcell (CB) 5-10, 185 | Enterprise (Enterprise, AL)
3-star: No. 485 overall, No. 43 CB
- Andrew Purcell and Enterprise (1-0) opened the season with a big 35-7 win over Andalusia. Stats were not made available, but Purcell did pull in a 24-yard touchdown catch.
Preston Bowman (WR) 6-0, 195 | Pickerington North (Pickerington, OH)
3-star: No. 651 overall, No. 100 WR
- Preston Bowman and Pickerington North (0-1) faced a tough challenge in Week 1, falling to St. Edward 28-0 on the road. Bowman finished with three receptions for 19 yards. He also served as the team’s kicker and punter. He sent a kickoff 54 yards and punted 10 times for an average of 24.5 yards per punt.
Stone Saunders (QB) 6-0, 205 | Bishop McDevitt (Harrisburg, PA)
3-star: No. 676 overall, No. 41 QB
- Stone Saunders and Bishop McDevitt (1-0) had no issue taking down Mount St. Joseph to the tune of a 45-15 win. Saunders finished with 290 passing yards (14-22) and four touchdowns in the dominant victory. The second throw in the video below (an 82-yard touchdown pass) is particularly impressive.
Demarcus Gardner (CB) 6-0, 165 | Cedartown (Cedartown, GA)
3-star: No. 703 overall, No. 69 CB
- Demarcus Gardner and Cedartown (2-0) actually played their second game of the season last week, a 27-7 win over Berkmar. Gardner recorded three rushes for eight yards and two receptions for 27 yards (one catch going for a touchdown) on offense to go along with five total tackles (three solo) and an interception. He also returned a punt for 17 yards. As a result, he was offered by the Ole Miss Rebels on Saturday.
Brennen Ward (QB) 6-3, 215 | Gahanna Lincoln (Gahanna, OH)
3-star: No. 777 overall, No. 47 QB
- Both of Kentucky’s future quarterbacks began the season with wins as Brennen Ward and Gahanna Lincoln (1-0) secured a 24-10 win over Mason. Ward finished 7-14 passing for 90 yards to go along with one touchdown and one interception. He carried the ball twice for three more yards and also lost a fumble.
Jermiel Atkins (OT) 6-8, 270 | Trotwood-Madison (Trotwood, OH)
3-star: No. 894 overall, No. 48 OT
- As mentioned, Jermiel Atkins and Trotwood-Madison (0-1) lost their opener to Cleveland Heights 6-0.
Nicholas Smith (DL) 6-5, 275 | Walnut Grove (Loganville, GA)
3-star: No. 1,066 overall, No. 111 DL
- Nicholas Smith and Walnut Grove (2-0) picked up another win, this time beating Loganville 48-19. Smith was credited with four total tackles (one solo), one tackle for loss, and two quarterback hurries. The big man also pulled down an interception. The win marked Walnut Grove’s first in school history against Loganville.
Bryan Auguste (OT) 6-6, 285 | Monarch (Coconut Creek, FL)
3-star: No. 1,125 overall, No. 70 OT
- Bryan Auguste and Monarch start off 1-0 this season following Thursday’s 30-29 win over Peachtree Ridge. Monarch trailed 15-0 in the second quarter before mounting its comeback behind three-star Ole Miss commit Samari Reed. Auguste was part of the offensive line that allowed Reed to thrive out of the Wildcat.
Tucker Kattus (IOL) 6-5, 300 | St. Xavier (Cincinnati, OH)
3-star: No. 1,193 overall, No. 99 OT
- It was a close battle, but Tucker Kattus and St. Xavier came up just short against Lakota West in a 17-14 loss. On the offensive line, Kattus helped St. Xavier run for 159 yards on 25 carries.
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