Kentucky football set to host second big official visitors weekend

After Kentucky football hosted over a dozen rising high school seniors last weekend, the program is set to host another slew of top-ranked recruits this weekend. While there won’t be as many prospects in Lexington this weekend compared to last, the overall talent level might actually be higher.

Four four-star recruits are expected to take official visits to Kentucky in the coming days along with four three-stars, making up a total of eight official visitors (that we know of, at least). This weekend was at one point anticipated to break double-digits in terms of expected visitors, but a handful of Kentucky targets went ahead and committed elsewhere earlier this week or elected to cancel their trip.

Even still, this is going to be another massively important stretch for the Wildcats. So far, only one commitment for UK (three-star LB Antwan Smith, who officially visited last weekend) has come out from the month of June, but that could change in the very near future. Let’s dive into Kentucky football’s expected official visitors for this weekend to see who could be next.

This weekend’s class of 2024 official visitors

*All player ratings are courtesy of the On3 Industry Ranking*

Jac’Qawn McRoy (OT) 6-8, 340 | Clay-Chalkville (Pinson, AL)
4-star: No. 188 overall, No. 16 OT

• Jac’Qawn McRoy is proving to be a very important target for the Wildcats. He’s coming off official visits this month to Ole Miss (June 2) and Arkansas (June 9) with another set for Oregon (June 23). The Ducks have been trending as the favorite and them receiving his last OV is significant. But Arkansas made some noise when they hosted him and Kentucky can shift the tides even more with a red-carpet pitch this weekend. McRoy is set to announce his decision on June 30, so whatever happens over these next two weeks will likely play a major role in where he ends up.

Jalewis Solomon (ATH) 6-0, 185 | Schley County (Ellaville, GA)
4-star: No. 225 overall, No. 10 ATH

• A late addition to the visitor’s list this weekend is Jalewis Solomon, who confirmed with KSR that he’ll be in Lexington beginning on Friday. He can play either side of the ball and is being recruited by some of the nation’s top programs. Solomon took an OV to South Carolina earlier in the month and will be at Florida State on June 23. He’s also taken trips in the last couple of weeks to Georgia and Texas A&M. Kentucky is making a notable push somewhat late in the process.

Kendall Jackson (DL) 6-3, 245 | F.W. Buchholz (Gainesville, FL)
4-star: No. 365 overall, No. 33 DL

• Once considered a near-lock to Florida, Kendall Jackson’s recruitment has broken open a bit in recent months. The Gainesville product already officially visited the Gators to begin June but was at Arkansas this past weekend and will head to Miami (FL) near the end of the month. In the meantime, this weekend will be the second visit to Lexington for Jackson in roughly two months. If all goes well, Kentucky could be right in the thick of his leaderboard. All that being said, Florida could still be tough to beat out.

Dominic Nichols (EDGE) 6-5, 240 | Oakdale (Ijamsville, MD)
4-star: No. 380 overall, No. 25 EDGE

• Kentucky will have some ground to make up with Dominic Nichols (if he even ends up taking this weekend’s OV, that is) after Michigan apparently made a great impression last weekend. Nichols received an RPM pick in favor of the Wolverines earlier this week, not long after his OV at Michigan wrapped up. He’s also officially visited Wisconsin this month, but signs are pointing toward UM right now. Just getting Nichols on UK’s campus could be huge.

Tovani Mizell (RB) 6-1, 195 | DeMatha Catholic (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
3-star: No. 491 overall, No. 38 RB

• North Carolina impressed Tovani Mizell when he visited Chapel Hill last weekend, but Kentucky will have a chance to take control of his recruitment this weekend. Mizell was only offered by the Wildcats in April but has quickly gained steam in a short amount of time. A former Georgia commit, Mizell will also OV at Oklahoma later this month.

Makai Byerson (EDGE) 6-3, 235 | Manchester (Richmond, VA)
3-star: No. 724 overall, No. 48 EDGE

• With a decision date of July 1 looming, Makai Byerson will take his third OV of the month this weekend when he comes to Lexington. The Virginia product has already visited West Virginia (June 2) and Rutgers (June 9) with another scheduled for Virginia Tech (June 23). Byerson once visited Lexington for Junior Day back in January and is clearly high on the ‘Cats. That being said, having Virginia Tech — which is the closest in proximity and rosters some of his friends — go last in the order is significant.

Dorian Williams (WR) 6-3, 190 | Princeton (Cincinnati, OH)
3-star: No. 756 overall, No. 108 WR

• Another late addition to the official visitor list is Dorian Williams, who was in Lexington for an unexpected unofficial visit earlier in the week where he caught passes from Kentucky commit Cutter Boley. He’ll come back for an official visit, although it won’t begin until Sunday and will run through Tuesday. Williams has already OV’d at Colorado State (June 9) and will be at Vanderbilt this coming weekend before turning right around and making the trip to UK. The ‘Cats will make the final pitch.

Caleb Redd (EDGE) 6-4, 220 | DeSmet (Saint Louis, MO)
3-star: No. 877 overall, No. 64 EDGE

• Caleb Redd’s recruitment might be the most mysterious of the expected visitors this weekend. He was supposed to OV at Southern California at the beginning of the month, but that was ultimately canceled. Redd’s trip to Lexington on Friday will be his first official visit of the season. He’s scheduled to be at Kansas State on June 23, too.

UK targets that canceled OVs for this weekend

Johann Cardenas (RB) 6-1, 215 | St. Thomas (Houston, TX) –> Trending toward Vanderbilt
4-star: No. 317 overall, No. 28 RB

• After an official visit to Vanderbilt this past weekend, Johann Cardenas has canceled his Kentucky OV and will not schedule any others at this time. The growing consensus is that the Commodores are the clear frontrunner. Vandy even received an RPM pick to land Cardenas on Thursday morning.

Jaden Smith (LB) 6-2, 195 | West Charlotte (Charlotte, NC) –> Committed to Michigan on June 12
3-star: No. 423 overall, No. 42 LB

• Jaden Smith announced a top four of Southern California, Michigan, Virginia Tech, and Kentucky on June 7 and was scheduled to take a trio of OVs in the weeks after, one of which was to UK. He wound up taking his visit to the Hokies but committed to Michigan almost immediately after.

Crews Law (LB) 6-1, 215 | CPA (Nashville, TN) –> Committed to North Carolina on June 12
3-star: No. 748 overall, No. 80 LB

• Not long after taking his official visit to North Carolina, Crews Law went ahead and committed to the Tar Heels. He was set to be in Lexington this weekend but that no longer appears to be the case. He also OV’d at Vanderbilt before picking UNC.

Cameron Monteiro (WR) 6-3, 180 | Brockton (Brockton, MA) –> Committed to Pittsburgh on June 14
3-star: No. 768 overall, No. 113 WR

• Choosing between a trio of Pittsburgh, Kentucky, and Virginia, Cameron Monteiro went with the Panthers on Wednesday, which he officially visited last weekend. The expectation now is that he won’t be at UK in the coming days for his OV.

Jack Hines (OT) 6-7, 280 | Avon Old Farms (Avon, CT) –> Committed to Wake Forest on June 12
3-star: No. 1,234 overall, No. 91 OT

• Jack Hines’ first official visit was to Wake Forest this past weekend, which must have been a perfect trip because he went ahead and committed to the Demon Deacons on Monday. He is no longer expected to be in Lexington this weekend.