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Kentucky Target Elijah Satchell Commits to N.C. State

Nick-Roush-headshotby:Nick Roush07/06/25

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Elijah Satchell on his official visit to N.C. State, via N.C. State Athletics
Elijah Satchell on his official visit to N.C. State, via N.C. State Athletics

In the world of football recruiting, you can’t win ’em all. Kentucky was one of four finalists for Elijah Satchell, but on Sunday night, he announced that he is committing to N.C. State.

Satchell took official visits to Northwestern, Stanford, Kentucky, and N.C. State. The Wildcats and the Wolfpack have butted heads a few times on the recruiting trail recently. During this cycle, Kentucky got a commitment from IOL Tyreek Jemison, but lost the linebacker to N.C. State, who was recruited by former Kentucky defensive coordinator D.J. Eliot.

A 6-foot-2, 220-pound athlete from Camden, New Jersey, he’s a three-star prospect according to the Rivals Industry Rankings.

A classic tweener, Rivals lists Satchell as an EDGE, while 247 Sports considers him a defensive lineman. His status as a tweener ultimately played a significant role in this recruitment. Instead of rushing the passer, Kentucky foresaw his future as an off-ball linebacker. The Wildcats picked up one player at that position in the 2026 class, Max Mohring.

Kentucky checked a lot of boxes at positions of need over the summer. There are two exceptions at offensive tackle and EDGE. Eric Wolford got one offensive tackle on board, Cameron Miller, but they could use another. The Cats took big swings with Jackson Ford and Asharri Charles, but came away empty-handed. Expect new targets to emerge when the big board resets during the fall recruiting campaign.

UK’s 2026 Recruiting Class

PlayerPositionHigh SchoolRanking
Denairius GrayWR (6-1, 170)Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna4-star (No. 302 overall)
Messiah TilsonS (6-2, 165)Rockford (Ill.) Guilford4-star (No. 343 overall)
Jordan CrutchfieldCB (6-2, 195)Vero Beach (Fla.) HighHigh 3-star (No. 424 overall)
Dallas DickersonWR (6-1, 180)Bogart (Ga.) North OconeeHigh 3-star (No. 467 overall)
Lincoln WatkinsTE (6-4, 225)Port Huron (Mich.) Northern3-star (No. 606 overall)
Tyreek JemisoniOL (6-5, 330)Dallas (Ga.) Paulding County3-star (No. 688 overall)
Prince JeanWR (6-0, 170)Valdosta (Ga.) High3-star (No. 733 overall)
Garrett WitheringtonDL (6-4, 290)Birmingham (Ala.) Briarwood Christian3-star (No. 989 overall)
Davis McCrayWR (6-2, 190)San Antonio (Texas) Cornerstone Christian3-star (No. 1,089 overall)
Max MohringLB (6-3, 215)Malvern (Pa.) Prep3-star (No. 1,296 overall)
Delvecchio “Deuce” Alston IIRB (6-0, 200)Trussville (Ala.) Hewitt-Trussville3-star (No. 1,331 overall)
Cameron MillerT (6-5, 310)Hammond (Ind.) Morton3-star (No. 1,388 overall)
Ben DuncumDL (6-5, 250)Austin (Texas) Lake TravisUnranked
Isaiah McMillianCB (6-0, 170)Katy (Texas) HighUnranked

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2025-07-08