Kentucky football recruiting targets react to Junior Day visit

From elite four-star prospects with impressive lists of Divison I offers to under-the-radar recruits on the verge of blowing up on the scene, the Kentucky football coaching staff brought all of them to Lexington for one of the biggest recruiting days on the calendar: Junior Day.

By all accounts, Junior Day went extremely well for the program. Dozens of nationally ranked recruits were in town to soak in the red carpet vibes that Kentucky’s recruiting staff rolled out. There were the all-important photo shoots in a UK jersey, in-depth conversations about NIL (name, image, and likeness), personal connections with several coaches, and an unrivaled gameday experience at Rupp Arena.

We’ve already heard from a couple of the visitors that were in town over the weekend, three-star juniors Cameron Lindsay and Shaun Boykins Jr., who gave rave reviews about their experience at Junior Day. But they weren’t the only ones who left campus impressed with what they saw. Below are three more recruits who made the Junior Day visit and later spoke with KSR about their time in Lexington.

Zach Bandy (OT) 6-5, 275 | Avon (Avon, IN)

Class of 2024 offensive tackle Zach Bandy made the trip to UK alongside one of his Avon (IN) High School teammates, Mason Reynolds, a 6-foot-2 quarterback prospect who possesses an offer from Toledo.

Bandy already holds a handful of Divison I offers from the likes of Ball State, Central Michigan, Toledo, Miami (OH), Bowling Green, and Penn. He also earned a scholarship from Kentucky back in December, his first from a Power 5 program. Bandy has taken visits to other high-level programs such as Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan State, Purdue, and Notre Dame, among others, but UK was the first to pull the trigger with an offer. He visited UK for the first time back in October before returning for Junior Day.

“My visit was unbelievable,” Bandy said. “The love that I received from coaches was unexpected and appreciated. I was very impressed with everything they had to offer from facilities to the things I learned about the culture. I got to learn a lot of new information from the education standpoint to player development and NIL. All of it really stood out to me as being some of the best I’ve seen.

“You know, there’s some great schools recruiting me, but haven’t really caught my eye like Kentucky has.”

Phillip Gladney (CB) 6-0, 165 | North Cobb (Kennesaw, GA)

Class of 2024 cornerback Phillip Gladney was one of multiple North Cobb (GA) High School products who made the trip to Lexington. While he’s not the biggest name on the recruiting trail right now, that could change sooner rather than later. Gladney held zero Divison I offers at the end of 2022, but is already up to six just one month into 2023.

Since Jan. 18, he’s been offered by (in order) UNC Charlotte, Georgia Southern, Boston College, Toledo, Eastern Carolina, and South Florida, with UNC Charlotte and Boston College making the biggest pushes so far. Kentucky has yet to pull the trigger on Gladney with an offer, but he had plenty of good things to say about his visit.

“It was a great experience at UK definitely taking it into consideration after!!” Gladney told KSR through text. “It was me and about three other recruits in a group. I spoke a little bit with Coach (Chris) Collins, the DB coach, and the strength coach. It was also a great learning experience with how serious they take academics and how willing they are to make sure the players are put in the best position to succeed in the classroom. And I learned about NIL teaching us how to market for ourselves and teaching us how to be in the community and how far helping in your community helps. One thing I can say although it may not be the most eye-catching thing but it’s just how supportive the admins are about players getting degrees and just their success in school and how they’ll do anything in their power to help you.”

“I OVERALL JUST LOVE THE CULTURE!!“

Jaylin Lackey (CB) 6-0, 180 | South Gwinnett (Snellville, GA)

Finally, class of 2024 cornerback Jaylin Lackey is another Georgia prospect who made the drive up to Kentucky for Junior Day. Similar to Gladney, Lackey has seen his recruitment explode over the last month or so. It started with Georgia Tech reaching out with an offer on Dec. 30 and continued with one from Pittsburgh earlier this month.

Lackey has also earned scholarships from the likes of Georgia State, Troy, Arkansas State, and Akron. He has plans on revisiting Georgia Tech and Troy along with taking his first visit to Pittsburgh. After visiting Kentucky, Lackey hopes to return for another trip, too.

“I really enjoyed the time I spent up at UK, no doubt a 10/10,” Lackey told KSR. “I hung around Coach Collins a lot of the time that I was there. All of the coaches and players were really cool, they for sure made it feel like a welcoming family environment. I learned just about everything that they do up there and how they operate. I’d love to get back up there soon.

“(Coach Collins and I) spoke about personal life of course. We also spoke about him coming down to see me this spring, and me coming back up there this spring as well. He talked to my mom and I about the things outside of football such as building my brand, family, and just being a better man.”