Kentucky rises in Recruiting Rankings following Avery Stuart addition

After a slow start in the 2023 cycle, the Kentucky football team is climbing up the national recruiting rankings.

At the start of business on Wednesday, the Wildcats’ class ranked No. 58 by the On3 Consensus. After four-star defensive back Avery Stuart announced his commitment to UK, the Kentucky football 2023 recruiting class vaulted up to No. 42 and ninth in the SEC.

Stuart is the ninth player to join the Kentucky football 2023 recruiting class and the second four-star, top 250 prospect. 6-foot-3 Nashville wide receiver Shamar Porter is Kentucky’s top-ranked commitment, coming in at No. 194 overall in the On3 Consensus.

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This could be only the beginning of the Kentucky football 2023 recruiting class’ ascension. Three highly-touted prospects have decisions on the horizon that could give UK some much-needed juice.

Many believed four-star defensive lineman Kendrick Gilbert was set to announce a commitment on Thursday. The Indianapolis Cathedral product rebuked those reports on Instagram, stating he will not commit tomorrow, July 7. The Wildcats hold a slight edge over Purdue and Iowa in the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM).

Koby Keenum has etched his announcement time in stone. Kentucky is the heavy favorite over Louisville ahead of his Saturday, July 9 ceremony at Noon ET. Rivals ranks Keenum as the No. 3 center in the country.

Vince Marrow is still big-game hunting in Ohio. Cincinnati has been a thorn in the Wildcats’ side throughout this cycle, but Kentucky can score a win over the Bearcats when four-star wide receiver Anthony Brown announces his college decision July 16.

Assistants Making Big Moves

If Marrow is still on Mark Stoops’ staff, Kentucky will be in good shape recruiting the state of Kentucky and Ohio. The Wildcats cannot succeed on the resources from just those two states. Following the departures of Steve Clinkscale, Jon Sumrall and Eric Wolford, there were questions about which geographical areas UK would attack and who would lead the charge.

Zach Yenser has quickly shown an ability to close on targets. Keenum could be his third commitment in as many weeks. After a successful 2022 cycle in middle Tennessee, Scott Woodward has kept the Cats in the mix with the addition of Porter. Chris Collins has brought some big names on campus; the jury is still out on his ability to seal the deal. The biggest question mark was in the Deep South. Sumrall’s success was a game-changer, bringing in four-star talents like Trevin Wallace and Josaih Hayes. Frank Buffano closed hard on Stuart after many believed Florida State was in the driver’s seat for most of the four-star DB’s recruitment. It’s a huge move by Buff and a significant development entering his third year as an on-field assistant.

These lesser-known assistant coaches do not need to acquire 10 kids a year. It’s more about quality than quantity. If Buffano or Woodward are good for a pair of four-star players per cycle, that’s the difference between being ranked in the 30s and having a Top 20 class.