Kentucky Football staff hitting recruiting trail hard this week

The spring evaluation period has been live for over a week now, and the Kentucky Football coaching staff is making their rounds.

In just the last 48 hours, the Wildcats have extended several scholarships to high-level prospects this side of Texas. The staff has made trips to Florida, Alabama, Missouri, Tennessee, and Ohio to survey the field of talent, including some of the nation’s highest-ranked recruits. Let’s dive into the recent offers that Kentucky has dolled out — there are few top 100 prospects in the mix. Judging by the offers, the staff is making the state of Florida a point of emphasis at the moment.

All rankings are courtesy of the On3 Consensus.

Ryan Wingo: 6-2, 200-pound WR – Saint Louis, MO | class of 2024
4-star, No. 6 overall; No. 2 WR

• Kentucky safeties coach Frank Buffano is reaching for the stars with a scholarship to one of the best sophomores in the country. Ryan Wingo earned his offer from the ‘Cats on Tuesday afternoon, joining an already expansive list of schools. Wingo holds over two dozen offers, including ones from Arkansas, Florida, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Penn State, and many, many more. You won’t ever have a shot at landing kids of this caliber if you don’t at least try.

Ellis Robinson IV: 6-1, 170-pound CB – New Haven, CT | class of 2024
4-star, No. 7 overall; No. 2 CB

• Ellis Robinson IV is one of three IMG Academy (FL) prospects offered by Kentucky earlier on Tuesday — the other two we’ll touch on in just a bit. Robinson is considered among the top overall high school sophomores in the nation with the offer sheet to boot. Georgia has been the team generating the most chatter in Robinson’s recruitment early on, and he recently took a trip to Florida as well, but UK is getting in on the action. Alabama is heavily involved, too.

Charles Lester III: 6-2, 170-pound CB – Sarasota, FL | class of 2024
4-star, No. 18 overall; No. 3 CB

• Another Florida prospect, Charles Lester III also earned his Kentucky offer on Tuesday, which came from new inside linebackers coach Mike Stoops. Tennessee also offered on Tuesday and Lester has previously hauled in scholarships from the likes of Alabama, Florida, and Georgia while also taking a recent visit to Florida State. Robinson holds the claim as the No. 2 ranked cornerback according to the On3 Consensus with Lester right behind him at No. 3.

David Stone: 6-3, 265-pound DL – Oklahoma City, OK | class of 2024
4-star, No. 20 overall; No. 3 DL

• Teammates at IMG Academy with Robinson, David Stone is recognized as one of the premier defensive linemen in all of high school football. His offer came on Tuesday as well, courtesy of Mike Stoops and defensive backs coach Chris Collins. A native of Oklahoma, the Sooners are considered the overwhelming favorite, but Stone is beginning to hear more and more from various schools, including the ‘Cats.

Kelton Henderson: 6-0, 180-pound ATH – Fort Myers, FL | class of 2023
4-star, No. 228 overall; No. 9 ATH

• Sticking in the Sunshine State, Kelton Henderson also heard from Mike Stoops, receiving his Kentucky offer on Monday. He recently visited Florida State and also holds offers from the likes of Mississippi State, Penn State, LSU, Tennessee, Ohio State, South Carolina, and Miami (FL). Henderson’s recruitment exploded a few months ago and figures to continue rising throughout the summer as he inches closer to his senior season.

Rickey Gibson: 6-1, 165-pound CB – Trussville, AL | class of 2023
3-star, No. 949 overall; No. 89 CB

• Offering defensive backs has been the trend early in the week and that continued with a soon-to-be high school senior in Rickey Gibson, who was offered by Kentucky’s new offensive line coach Zach Yenser on Monday. Gibson’s recruitment didn’t pick up until the new year began, but now he’s hearing from several big names. Arkansas, Tennessee, Georgia Tech, Kansas, UCF, Boston College, and several other non-Power 5 programs have offered him. Gibson visited Tennessee earlier in April.

Michael Balogh: 6-4, 220-pound TE – Lakewood, OH | class of 2024

• Up in Ohio, the Wildcats’ associate head coach, Vince Marrow, returned to his familiar territory to extend the first Divison I offer to Michael Balogh. Marrow gave Balogh the good news on Sunday, and on Tuesday, Toledo extended an offer, as well. He’s listed as a tight end, but Balogh also splits time at defensive end.

Zavier Hamilton: 6-0, 195-pound LB – Gulf Breeze, FL | class of 2024

• While he’s unranked right now, Zavier Hamilton figures to earn a high star rating in the very near future. Chris Collins offered him on Tuesday afternoon on Kentucky’s behalf, joining an impressive group of schools that have already done so, such as Arkansas, Auburn, Georgia, LSU, and others. Hamilton recently visited Florida State and is another Sunshine State prospect on the Wildcats’ radar. He was in Lexington for a visit in early March.

Koby Howard: 5-11, 175-pound WR – Pensacola, FL | class of 2025

• Koby Howard is one of two freshmen offered by Kentucky this week, although not much is known about them as of right now. What we do know is Howard is another Florida prospect, which the Kentucky staff is clearly making a point to recruit in. He already holds offers from the likes of Georgia, Arkansas, Florida State, Tennessee, Auburn, and a few others. UK’s defensive line coach Anwar Stewart and wide receivers coach Scott Woodward have made initial contact with Howard with an offer coming on Monday.

Dylon Worthen: 6-1, 220-pound EDGE – Eastman, GA | class of 2025

• The second freshman offered was Dylon Worthen, a Georgia defensive end prospect now at IMG Academy who should blow up very soon in the recruiting world. His Kentucky offer came from Mike Stoops on Tuesday, just a few hours after Michigan did the same. UK and UM are Worthen’s first two Divison I offers. He’s taken visits this spring to the likes of Miami (FL), Georgia, and Florida. Worthen won’t be an unknown prospect for much longer.