Kentucky National Signing Day Preview: Potential Additions in the Trenches

Despite the lack of fanfare, National Signing Day is still the first Wednesday in February. December’s Early Signing Period has neutered the tradition, but there are still college football programs across the country that will add a few talented prospects tomorrow. The University of Kentucky has its sights set on two talented players in the trenches that could submit faxes to become Wildcats over the next 24 hours.

William “Woo” Spencer

William “Woo” Spencer is a three-star interior offensive lineman from Louisville that will choose between the Cats and the Cards. Originally a two-way star for Louisville Male High School, he transferred across the river to New Albany High School for his final year of prep football. He’s considered the No. 6 player in the Hoosier state and No. 38 IOL in America, according to the On3 Consensus.

Handicapping this recruitment has been difficult at times. Recruited by Vince Marrow for a couple of years, Kentucky appeared to be the obvious choice over the summer. Things got quiet long enough for Jeff Brohm to take over at Louisville, complicating the equation for Kentucky. Spencer officially visited Lexington two weeks ago, followed by an OV to UofL over the weekend. Neither side is overly confident they will be the choice, but it feels like longevity will likely win out for the Wildcats. I’d give Kentucky a slight 55/45 edge over Louisville.

KSR will be at Aspirations Gym tomorrow night when Spencer announces his final decision at approximately 6:30 pm EST.

Kendrick Gilbert

Another prospect that calls Indiana home, this once appeared to be a task too tall for the Wildcats to overcome. Now Kentucky is in position to flip a four-star defensive lineman on National Signing Day.

Kendrick Gilbert — a lengthy 6-foot-5, 300-pound defensive end ranked as the No. 375 player in America — took official visits to LSU, Notre Dame, Purdue and Kentucky over the summer. Folks in Lexington believed a commitment was imminent. Instead, the Indianapolis Cathedral product delayed his decision multiple times before ultimately picking nearby Purdue. Kentucky did not completely close the door and Jeff Brohm reopened it when he left Purdue for Louisville.

Ryan Walters, the Boilermakers’ new head coach, got Gilbert on campus for an official visit last week, but the Wildcats received the last visit. He was in Lexington for the final weekend of the open recruiting period. It’s unclear when he will reveal his final decision on National Signing Day, but the latest intel indicates that Kentucky is in a strong position to flip the four-star talent from Purdue.

Grab some popcorn and prepare for what could be an exciting National Signing Day for the Kentucky football program.