Kentucky football's early Big Board for the 2025 recruiting class

Kentucky football’s 2024 recruiting class isn’t quite wrapped up just yet, but now that the calendar has shifted over to August, the class of 2025 is now in the crosshairs. August 1 marked the first day that college coaches could make direct contact with rising high school juniors, which led to hundreds upon hundreds of recruits posting online about the schools they’ve been hearing from lately.

So far, Kentucky has just one commit in place for 2025, which came earlier this month when three-star QB Stone Saunders got the ball rolling. But who could be next for the Wildcats? Which recruits are high on the coaching staff’s radar as we inch closer to the start of the 2023 season? That’s what we’re here to talk about.

Below we’ve identified over 50 class of 2025 prospects that are believed to be high on Kentucky’s early Big Board. Some are already nationally ranked by the On3 Industry Ranking, some are from right here in the Bluegrass State, and some are under-the-radar recruits that Kentucky is hoping to zero in on earlier than the rest. Let’s dive right into our position-by-position breakdown, but first, let’s hear from our sponsor.

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Offense

Quarterback

Ryan Montgomery: 6-3, 210 | Findlay (Findlay, OH)
4-star: No. 206 overall, No. 16 QB

• At one point in time not long ago, Kentucky was heavily recruiting a trio of 2025 quarterbacks, Ryan Montgomery among them. The other two have already committed to the Wildcats, with Cutter Boley (the highest-ranked of the trio) the first to drop after moving up to 2024, and then Stone Saunders announcing his pledge earlier this month. But don’t be surprised if the Wildcats look to take a second quarterback from this class. Montgomery is one to keep a close eye on.

Stone Saunders: 6-1, 195 | Bishop McDevitt (Harrisburg, PA) KENTUCKY COMMIT
3-star: No. 337 overall, No. 25 QB

• The first domino to fall in the 2025 class, Stone Saunders will now turn to recruiting as he looks to jumpstart this class for Kentucky. He’s already been in the ear of high school teammate/four-star wide receiver Rico Scott (’24), who is currently committed to Alabama.

Jahmier Spain: 6-2, 175 | Mt. Healthy (Cincinnati, OH)

Kameron Keenan: 6-3, 200 | Ramsay (Birmingham, AL)

Running Back

Bo Jackson: 6-0, 205 | Villa Angela – St. Joseph
4-star: No. 132 overall, No. 10 RB

• Born to play running back, Bo Jackson is the top ball carrier the Wildcats are targeting at this time. He’s been hearing from Kentucky since his freshman season and hails from the Cleveland area, where associate head coach Vince Marrow has found success as a recruiter. Jackson has already visited UK multiple times and will likely be back for a gameday visit this fall.

Marquise Davis: 5-11, 200 | Cleveland Heights (Cleveland, OH)
4-star: No. 139 overall, No. 13 ATH

• After visiting Kentucky for a camp in June, Marquise Davis is high on the Wildcats’ radar. He’s considered a top 150 rising junior and is hearing from the likes of Ohio State, Notre Dame, and Michigan. While some schools are recruiting him on the defensive end of the ball, UK is looking at him as a running back.

Isaiah Groves: 6-0, 185 | East Robertson (Cross Plains, TN)

• The middle sibling of the three Groves brothers, Isaiah is going to be hearing plenty from Kentucky. The eldest of the group, Elijah, a four-star linebacker, has already committed to UK while the youngest, Zach, a rising 2026 EDGE prospect, is also high on the radar. All three brothers have discussed playing together in Lexington again one day. They’ll be back this fall to watch more games.

AC Walters: 5-10, 175 | Alabama Christian Academy (Montgomery, AL)

• Kentucky (where he visited last fall) and Ole Miss are the two biggest offers for AC Walters so far, but he heard from the likes of Florida, Mississippi State, and Appalachian State on August 1. He also visited Georgia in the spring. A big junior season from Walters could have him on the national radar.

Michael Taylor: 5-11, 185 | Pickerington North (Pickerington, OH)

Wide Receiver

Quintin Simmons Jr.: 6-0, 170 | Withrow (Cincinnati, OH)
4-star: No. 242 overall, No. 35 WR

• One of the many Cincinnati prospects on this list, Quintin Simmons is considered one of the very best among the bunch. He’s teammates with Kentucky’s recent 2024 commit, Terhyon Nichols, and even visited UK in March. Vince Marrow is going to be all over Simmons moving forward.

Cooper Perry: 6-2, 180 | Notre Dame Preparatory (Scottsdale, AZ)
4-star: No. 244 overall, No. 36 WR

• Playing high school ball out west, Cooper Perry received his first SEC offer from Kentucky back in June. Now, he’s planning a visit to Lexington this fall. Perry is friends with Cutter Boley and has been recently connected with Stone Saunders. Notre Dame, UCLA, Oregon, Utah, and Arizona State have already offered him.

Montavin Quisenberry: 5-9, 160 | Boyle County (Danville, KY)

• In-state prospect Montavin Quisenberry has been hearing from Kentucky for a while, but now, the likes of Michigan and Ole Miss have also gotten in on the action. Although undersized at 5-foot-9, he’s a game-breaker with undeniable speed and quickness. He’ll be a recruit the Wildcats can lock down sooner rather than later if they elect to go all-in.

Preston Bowman: 6-0, 190 | Pickerington North (Pickerington, OH)

• After catching the eye of Cutter Boley during passing drills at a camp earlier this summer, Preston Bowman landed on the radar of the Kentucky staff. He’s heard from the likes of Cincinnati, West Virginia, Louisville (which he visited at the end of July), Duke, Ohio State, Wisconsin, and Virginia Tech since August 1.

Aveion Chenault: 6-2, 170 | Frederick Douglass (Lexington, KY)

• One of the top basketball players in the state, Frederick Douglass’ Aveion Chenault might be even better on the gridiron. Kentucky offered him in May, which triggered more offers from the likes of Michigan, West Virginia, Ole Miss, Purdue, and Duke.

Jamil Miller: 6-3, 180 | Springfield (Springfield, OH)

David Rodriguez: 5-11, 155 | Mount Pleasant (Providence, RI)

Tight End

Luka Gilbert: 6-7, 225 | Lakota West (Cincinnati, OH)
4-star: No. 177 overall, No. 5 TE

• Ohio State is going to prioritize Luka Gilbert, but Vince Marrow has a stellar track record with tight ends out of Cincinnati. Kentucky was even the first Division I school to extend Gilbert an offer back in January 2022. Michigan is also looking to get more involved.

Ryan Ghea: 6-5, 230 | Milton (Alpharetta, GA)
4-star: No. 264 overall, No. 13 TE

• Kentucky offered Ryan Ghea back at the beginning of the year. He has yet to make a trip to Lexington though, visiting Michigan, Clemson, Purdue, and Vanderbilt in June then stopping by Miami (FL) just a couple of weeks ago.

Grant Houser: 6-5, 230 | Wapakoneta (Wapakoneta, OH)

Offensive Line

Matty Augustine (OT) 6-7, 265 | Brunswick School (Greenwich, CT)
3-star: No. 345 overall, No. 25 OT

• Offensive coordinator Liam Coen and wide receivers coach Scott Woodward are both very familiar with the Connecticut area. Matty Augustine is going to be tough to land though. Ohio State, Florida, and Notre Dame have all offered, but UK will be involved.

Mal Waldrep (IOL) 6-4, 280 | Central (Phenix City, AL)
3-star: No. 402 overall, No. 21 IOL

• Could Mal Waldrep be the first Phenix City, AL product that finally lands with Kentucky? There will certainly be plenty of competition. The likes of Georgia, Clemson, and Auburn are all in the mix, but he’s a prospect worth investing time in.

Kahlil Stewart (IOL) 6-3, 295 | St. Joseph’s Prep School (Philadelphia, PA)
3-star: No. 462 overall, No. 31 IOL

• Kahlil Stewart plays for the same high school in the northeast (Philly’s St. Joseph’s Prep) as Kentucky’s class of 2024 WR commit David Washington Jr. This is also an area where Coen and Woodward have plenty of connections.

Tucker Kattus (IOL): 6-5, 290 | St. Xavier (Cincinnati, OH)
3-star: No. 470 overall, No. 32 IOL

• The younger brother of Kentucky’s rising sophomore tight Josh Kattus, Tucker Kattus has already established himself as a top-tier offensive lineman in the country. Their father attended Michigan and the Wolverines have already offered Tucker, but that didn’t slow Kentucky with their recruitment of Josh. Tucker will be a priority in this class.

Raphael Greene (IOL) 6-6, 320 | Winton Woods (Cincinnati, OH)
3-star: No. 484 overall, No. 33 IOL

• A load of a rising junior at 6-foot-6, 320 pounds, Raphael Greene has been on Kentucky’s radar for some time now. Greene hailing from Winton Woods — a pipeline school for Marrow — should only help the Wildcats’ chances. He’ll visit Lexington in November for the Kentucky-Alabama matchup at Kroger Field. Consider him another priority for the ‘Cats.

Isaac Sowells Jr. (IOL) 6-2, 290 | Louisville Male (Louisville, KY)

• Although his father played college football at Indiana, Isaac Sowells Jr. is hearing mostly from the likes of Kentucky, Louisville, Wake Forest, and South Carolina, along with a few others. He has plans to visit a handful of games in Lexington this fall, specifically the Alabama matchup in November.

Parker Harden (OT) 6-4, 285 | Pickerington Central (Pickerington, OH)

Bowen Gossett (IOL) 6-3, 260 | Ironton (Ironton, OH)

Defense

Defensive Line

Ethan Utley: 6-4, 275 | Ensworth (Nashville, TN)
4-star: No. 161 overall, No. 18 DL

• Former high school teammates with Kentucky freshman WR Shamar Porter, Ethan Utley is an even more prized prospect. Utley is hearing from nearly every notable program though, and Kentucky is only in the early stages of making contact. There is ground to make up for UK, but a connection is already there.

Brandon Caesar: 6-4, 235 | Cleveland Heights (Cleveland, OH)
3-star: No. 424 overall, No. 40 DL

• Teammates with the aforementioned Marquise Davis, Brandon Caesar was among the group of Cleveland Heights players that came down to UK for a camp visit earlier in the summer. Caesar has hauled in offers from the likes of Alabama, Tennessee, Southern California, Notre Dame, Michigan, Penn State, and plenty more.

Brendon Rice: 6-3, 275 | North Farmington (Farmington, MI)

EDGE

Amaree Williams: 6-4, 205 | The Benjamin School (Palm Beach Gardens, FL)
4-star: No. 76 overall, No. 10 EDGE

• Amaree Williams is the son of former Kentucky running back great Moe Williams, who registered over 3,000 rushing yards and 27 touchdowns during his time at UK. Amaree expects to be equally impactful at the college level and is hearing from every high-level SEC program, along with the likes of Southern California, Miami (FL), Florida State, Penn State, and plenty more. Despite that, Kentucky will certainly be involved and can lean on the legacy pitch. UK was Williams’ first-ever DI offer and he visited campus last summer.

Cedric Works: 6-5, 215 | Northmont (Dayton, OH)
3-star: No. 380 overall, No. 30 EDGE

• Kentucky offered Cedric Works in May and reached out once again once the calendar tipped over to August. He holds several Power 5 offers already and is beginning to hear more from Ohio State.

Austin Alexander: 6-3, 215 | Cooper (Burlington, KY)
3-star: No. 422 overall, No. 32 EDGE

• Austin Alexander is the nephew of NFL Hall of Fame running back Shaun Alexander. While living up to those lofty expectations is a tall order, Austin will have the chance to be great in his own right on defense. Kentucky is already making a solid pitch to Alexander and will look to lock him down sooner rather than later. He’ll be near the top of UK’s Big Board.

Brock Driver: 6-3, 210 | Boyle County (Danville, KY)

• Brock Driver has been getting more and more familiar with Kentucky this year, visiting for Junior Day in January and then stopping by again in the summer for a camp. Eastern Kentucky is his only other offer at this time, but he’s also hearing from Louisville and West Virginia.

E’Mauri Smiley: 6-3, 240 | Opelika (Opelika, AL)

Linebacker

Tavion Wallace: 6-1, 195 | Wayne County (Jesup, GA)
4-star: No. 45 overall, No. 5 LB

• The younger brother of Kentucky rising junior linebacker Trevin Wallace, Tavion might even be the better prospect of the two. He’s considered a top 50 recruit in the nation and is going to hear from Kentucky until the very end. Tavion visited several UK games last season. Auburn and Florida State appear to be leading the charge at this moment, though.

Elijah Melendez: 6-2, 220 | Osceola (Kissimmee, FL)
4-star: No. 256 overall, No. 26 LB

• Kentucky made a good impression on Elijah Melendez earlier in the summer, but the competition for his services will be stiff. Florida is on him heavily and he recently received an offer from Southern California. That being said, Melendez puts stock into UK being the team that gave him his first Division I offers and sparked his recruitment. He’ll be in Lexington for a gameday visit this fall.

Dante McClellan: 6-3, 200 | McKinley (Canton, OH)
3-star: No. 367 overall, No. 34 LB

• Another linebacker whose first DI offer came from Kentucky is Dante McClellan, who came to visit in June for an unofficial. Southern California, Purdue, Rutgers, Boston College, West Virginia, Minnesota, and Pittsburgh have also extended offers.

Robert Lee: 6-0, 200 | Osceola (Kissimmee, FL)

• Central Florida is high on Robert Lee and Mississippi State is also poking around, but Kentucky is right there in the mix too. UK offered him in February and got him on campus a couple of months later. He suits up for Osceola High School in Florida, where Wildcats’ defensive backs coach Chris Collins has recruited from in the past.

Maddox Arnold: 6-2, 220 | Elder (Cincinnati, OH)

Mikey Young: 6-1, 200 | Perkins (Sandusky, OH)

Cornerback

Jaimier Scott: 6-0, 185 | Mt. Healthy (Cincinnati, OH)
4-star: No. 272 overall, No. 26 CB

• Jaimier Scott has visited both Kentucky and Louisville this summer and also camped at Ohio State. The likes of Penn State, Cincinnati, and Michigan have all offered. He’s another close proximity recruit out of Cincinnati.

Timothy Merritt: 6-2, 180 | Parker (Birmingham, AL)
3-star: No. 374 overall, No. 41 CB

• The likes of Penn State, Tennessee, Arkansas, Texas A&M, Clemson, and LSU, along with Kentucky, have all offered Timothy Merritt. The home state Auburn Tigers are also lurking.

Sam Afari: 6-0, 155 | Lakota West (Cincinnati, OH)

• Sam Afari is the younger brother of Kentucky rising sophomore cornerback Alex Afari. He received an offer from UK all the way back in June 2021 and has visited campus multiple times, but hasn’t heard much from other programs.

Cashus Shivers: 6-0, 185 | Cass Technical (Detroit, MI)

Xavier Thompson: 6-2, 170 | Pine Forest (Pensacola, FL)

Kaleb Lanier: 6-0, 160 | Decatur (Decatur, GA)

Safety

Martels Carter: 6-1, 185 | Paducah Tilghman (Paducah, KY)
4-star: No. 184 overall, No. 14 S

• Freshly enrolled at Paducah Tilghman, Martels Carter immediately became the state’s top ’25 prospect with his move to KY. He’ll be even higher on Kentucky’s Big Board moving forward, and his relationship with Cutter Boley will surely help. The two have played 7-on-7 together in the past and remain friends.

Sidney Walton: 6-2, 185 | Moody (Moody, AL)

Athlete

Trey McNutt: 6-0, 180 | Shaker Heights (Shaker Heights, OH)
4-star: No. 54 overall, No. 4 ATH

• Already considered one of the 60 best rising juniors in the country, Trey McNutt has been hearing from Kentucky since the winter. It was reported in the spring he was expected to visit UK in June, although there is no confirmation as to whether or not that trip actually took place. Ohio State, Southern California, Tennessee, Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Penn State, and Michigan are all involved.

Makhi Smith: 6-3, 180 | Woodford County (Versailles, KY)

• Kentucky was the very first school to extend an offer to local product Makhi Smith, and he has since added ones from Louisville, West Virginia, Western Kentucky, and Eastern Kentucky. He’s hearing plenty from Vince Marrow and has plans to attend a handful of home games this season.

Jordan Allen: 5-8, 160 | Buford (Dacula, GA)

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