Kentucky cleaned up with blue-chips in Metro Nashville

The Metro Nashville area is one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the United States. The population is booming and that means the high school football talent is increasing. Kentucky’s football staff recognized this very early on.

After dabbling in the region over the last two recruiting hauls and creating relationships, the Wildcats were able to strike for gold by landing three four-star commitments in the class of 2022.

Kentucky beat Tennessee in their state this recruiting cycle. That could have a big impact on the future of this SEC East rivalry.

Wade twins

Kiyaunta Goodwin was the crown jewel recruiting win for the program that got most of the attention in April, but the day before the Wildcats went into Metro Nashville and landed a pair of twins that could have a monstrous impact on the football program in Lexington.

Keaten Wade is a top-250 prospect who is the No. 6 player in Tennessee. A top-20 EDGE prospect, Wade showed big-time playmaking for Spring Hill (Tenn.) Summit by recording 119 tackles and 26 tackles for loss as a senior. However, the 6-foot-4 defensive prospect also provided offensive production with over 600 rushing yards and three receiving touchdowns.

Destin Wade played quarterback in high school and Kentucky is going to give him a chance at that position once on campus. However, Wade was more of a runner who collected over 2,000 yards and 31 touchdowns as a senior. Even if his future is not at quarterback, Liam Coen will find a place to use his dynamic skillset in Kentucky’s offense. The athlete was ranked as the No. 13 player in Tennessee.

In the end, the Wades picked Kentucky over Tennessee, Louisville, and Virginia.

High profile speedster

Kentucky’s new offense didn’t wait long to make a huge impact on recruiting. For years, the Wildcats struggled to attract high-level wideout, talent and that all changed in the class of 2022.

Lexington (Ky.) Frederick Douglass receiver Dane Key was always a top target for the Kentucky football program, but later in the calendar, a high four-star emerged.

Kentucky was able to build a relationship with Nashville (Tenn.) Pearl-Cohn receiver Barion Brown and it turned into a commitment in November. Ranked No. 79 overall by the On3 Consensus, Brown brings elite track speed to the football field to go along with twitchy playmaking ability.

As a senior, Brown had a bigger impact as a rusher recording 756 yards and seven touchdowns while playing some wildcat quarterback. As a receiver, Brown reeled in 25 receptions for 372 yards and was also a dynamic return specialist.

The tape shows a big-time playmaker. Alabama pursued the blue-chipper for a long time, and the Tide looked like co-favorites with TCU for a while. However, Kentucky was able to close strong and land a commitment in November.

Brown is the No. 3 player in Tennessee and the top prospect in Nashville.

Kentucky vs. Tennessee

Since 2016, Kentucky is 46-29 with a .500 mark in SEC play. During that same time, Tennessee is 36-36 and 14 games under .500 in conference action. The Vols have a pair of losing seasons and are now on their third head coach in the last five years.

Even with all the wins, Kentucky has been unable to take advantage in the rivalry. The Vols are 4-2 in matchups against Kentucky during that time with consecutive one-possession wins at Kroger Field.

Under Mark Stoops, Kentucky has slowly raised its ceiling as a program. The Wildcats have developed prospects into draft picks and that is giving the coaching staff some more ammo to use on the recruiting trail. In the SEC footprint, that is now paying off.

The Wildcats have dipped into South Georgia, Mississippi, and Alabama to find blue-chip prospects. Now Kentucky is getting heavily involved in Metro Nashville, and the fast-growing area could potentially become a pipeline for the Wildcats.

Meanwhile, Tennessee is not having success in the big city.

In the class of 2022, the Metro Nashville area produced seven blue-chip prospects. Kentucky signed three of them, and Tennessee signed zero. Long-term, the Josh Heupel era will not succeed unless the Vols can competitively recruit the biggest metropolitan area in their state.

Kentucky and Tennessee have a budding rivalry on the field that is only going to become more heated as the years roll on and both teams continue to win football games. Beating the Vols for recruits in Metro Nashville could serve as the kryptonite to Tennessee to solve the head-to-head problem the Wildcats have with the Big Orange.

The class of 2022 was a big win for Kentucky, but recruiting can change quickly. Winning on the field and maintaining coaching stability are the two biggest keys to long-term program health.

The Wildcats have had that over the Vols, and it should start to pay off very soon.