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Camp Buzz: Recapping active Sunday at Kentucky's annual linemen day

Adam Luckettby:Adam Luckett06/09/24

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Kentucky football practice
(Dr. Michael Huang | KSR)

Kentucky football recruiting is beginning to heat up. The Wildcats just wrapped up their first official visit weekend in June, and there was some buzz in the air at Kroger Field. KSR was once again in attendance for the summer workout.

The Big Blue Wall got better on Sunday.

In camp primarily run by offensive line coach Eric Wolford and defensive line coach Anwar Stewart, a recruit not in attendance created the biggest buzz on Sunday afternoon.

Darrin Strey is a Cat

Offensive tackle was one of the positions we were monitoring closely at Kroger Field throughout Kentucky’s camp on Sunday. A county fair type setup with more than a handful of agility drills and a one-on-one period for pass rushing drills. While the camp was going on, some big news in the 2025 cycle was delivered.

High three-star recruit Darrin Strey did not leave his official visit without committing to Kentucky.

The massive 6-foot-6 tackle out of Paw Paw (Mich.) High was a top target for Eric Wolford, and the Wildcat closed the deal over the weekend. Strey gives the Wildcats a solid recruiting win at a priority position and is the first big recruiting win for Wolford in his second stint with Kentucky.

Sunday’s camp was about building some relationships for the future for Kentucky’s coaching staff, but there was no hiding from the significance of the latest commitment. Strey was a significant addition.

Stone Saunders brings a crew to Lexington

During the Sunday camps around official visit time, you can see some of the official visits end. There was a Chevrolet Suburban parked outside of the facility waiting to take prospects out of town. KSR spotted four-star recruit Javeon Campbell and family leaving campus. But no one seemed to have more people in town than Harrisburg (Pa.) Bishop McDevitt quarterback Stone Saunders.

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The Kentucky quarterback commit seemingly brought the entire family to Lexington as this weekend served as a big opportunity for Saunders to build a relationship with new offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan. All signs point to Saunders being all-in with Kentucky even though the Cats added three-star quarterback Brennen Ward to the class after Hamdan arrived in Lexington.

Keeping two high school quarterbacks in the same class is a new adventure for Kentucky, but both Saunders and Ward appear to be locked in heading into their senior seasons. I’m sure the dinner at Jeff Ruby’s with the Saunders clan created a fun evening in Lexington.

One final push

Unfortunately, there were not many big personnel takeaways from the event, but that doesn’t mean the rest of camp season will remain that way. In-state lineman Brady Hull (class of 2027) was a camp participant and looked the part heading into his sophomore season. Now the Kentucky coaching staff is shifting into another busy week with two more one-day camps on Monday and Wednesday before another big official visit weekend in Lexington.

KSR will provide more coverage of camp season as relationships are being built with 2026 and 2027 prospects. Stay locked in with us at KSR+ as we are pumping out daily recruiting content and keeping the Big Blue Nation up to speed on the latest developments on the trail.

Want more Kentucky football recruiting intel? Join KSR Plus for the most comprehensive coverage of the Cats on the internet. With a KSR membership, you get access to bonus content and KSBoard, KSR’s message board, to chat with fellow Cats fans and get exclusive scoop.

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