Kentucky targets several nationally-ranked recruits with recent round of outgoing offers

It’s been nearly a month since our last scholarship offer update. With bowl game prep consuming most of the Kentucky football staff’s energy in December, it wasn’t until the new year kicked off that more offers began to go out across the country — and I literally mean across the country.

In particular, Vince Marrow and Brad White have been busy on the recruiting trail over the last week or so. Frank Buffano has also been making his mark on the trail. By our count, at least a dozen class of 2025 and 2026 recruits announced offers from Kentucky in recent weeks. Of note, all eight of the 2025 recruits offered are ranked among On3’s top 600 prospects, including a couple of top 200 four-stars.

Before we dive on it, let’s give a shoutout to our recruiting sponsor.

---

Time for another recruiting update presented by our friend Andy Luedecke at MyPerfectFranchise. Andy is a huge college sports fan and franchise veteran, having owned multiple franchises and businesses. Using his expertise, he helps others find their American Dream through a very thorough consultation and evaluation process.

If you are wanting to find a way out of corporate America, wanting a side-hustle business, or a way to diversify…..reach out to Andy, as he’s got a ton of knowledge in this world and best of all, his services are 100% free to you – always! After you finish this post, you can learn more or reach Andy at [email protected].

Class of 2025 offers

Marco Jones (LB) 6-4, 215 | San Ramon Valley (Danville, CA)
4-star: No. 158 overall, No. 17 LB

• Brad White was busy on Thursday. The Kentucky defensive coordinator was tagged in four different scholarship announcements. While all three are nationally ranked, the most notable of the trio is Marco Jones. The California prospect holds offers from the likes of Oregon, Alabama, Washington, Texas, Southern California, and many more. It’s not often that UK dips into the West Coast, so it’ll be interesting to see if White can get Jones to Lexington for a visit. No visit is currently set, but Jones tells KSR that he would “love to get out there some time.”

Messiah Delhomme (ATH) 6-1, 200 | Warwick (Newport News, VA)
4-star: No. 191 overall, No. 11 ATH

• Another top 200 recruit, Messiah Delhomme announced his 18th Divison I scholarship on Wednesday from Kentucky. Safeties coach Frank Buffano was tagged in the offer, indicating that Delhomme — who doubles as a track and field athlete — is being recruited as a secondary prospect at the next level. Michigan, Ohio State, and Alabama have also offered.

Keon Young (S) 6-0, 170 | Lakeland (Auburndale, FL) KSR+ interview
4-star: No. 218 overall, No. 17 S

• Keon Young announced his Kentucky offer on Wednesday. Once a South Florida commit, the Florida native reopened his recruitment in September once his status began to grow. He now holds offers from the likes of Florida, Missouri, Michigan State, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Southern California, and many more. Young recently told Jacob Polacheck of KSR+ that an official visit to Kentucky will likely happen this summer.

Micah Matthews (ATH) 6-2, 200 | Turner Ashby (Bridgewater, VA)
4-star: No. 319 overall, No. 15 ATH

• The second highly-ranked recruit offered by Coach White on Thursday was Micah Matthews out of Virginia. Matthews was previously a South Carolina baseball commit before backing off that decision in September. He has said previously that his intention is to play both baseball (outfield) and football (wide receiver) at college. According to Brian Dohn of 247Sports, Matthews has visits set this month for North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, and Virginia Tech. Consider that to be the level of competition for UK. He’s likely to visit UK in the spring.

Caleb Williams (DL) 6-6 260 | Matoaca (Chesterfield, VA)
3-star: No. 362 overall, No. 38 DL

• The third Coach White target to pick up a Kentucky offer on Thursday was defensive lineman Caleb Williams. He already holds offers from the likes of Penn State, South Carolina, Tennessee, LSU, and plenty of others. The home-state schools Virginia and Virginia Tech are making an early push. Williams plans to visit Kentucky in the future.

Harry Dalton (ATH) 6-0, 205 | Dinwiddie County (Dinwiddie, VA)
3-star: No. 464 overall, No. 24 ATH

• The fourth and final recruit to announce an offer from Coach White on Thursday was Harry Dalton, who is listed as an athlete but is being recruited primarily at running back. The likes of Alabama, Tennessee, and South Carolina have all offered Dalton, as well. Standing at an even 6 feet and weighing 205 pounds, he certainly has the physical qualities of an SEC-level back. Dalton “definitely” plans to visit Kentucky.

Willie Fletcher (EDGE) 6-3, 225 | Martin Luther King (Detroit, MI)
3-star: No. 472 overall, No. 31 EDGE

• It was all the way back on Dec. 18 that Willie Flecther announced his offer from Kentucky. The Detroit product also holds offers from the likes of Tennessee, Louisville, Purdue, and Michigan. The home-state Wolverines have been making Flecther a priority.

Dejerrian Miller (WR) 6-3, 190 | East St. Louis (East Saint Louis, IL)
3-star: No. 567 overall, No. 88 WR

• Nearly a full month ago on Dec. 13, Dejerrian Miller announced an offer from Kentucky that came from Coach Buffano. UK joins a list of schools that already includes Michigan, Missouri, Oregon, Tennessee, Miami (FL), and others.

Class of 2026 offers

Xavier Lherisse (CB) 5-11, 185 | Eau Gallie (Melbourne, FL)

• Now we dive into the 2026 class of high school sophomores. Up first is Xavier Lherisse, who is going to be a player to watch sooner rather than later. Georgia, LSU, and Miami (FL) have already offered the Sunshine State native. Kentucky got in the mix with an offer of its own on Wednesday that came from inside linebacker coach Mike Stoops. The Hurricanes will be the school to monitor moving forward. Lherisse also plays baseball.

Ely Hamrick (QB) 6-4, 205 | IMG Academy (Bradenton, FL)

• The lone quarterback to recently receive an offer from Kentucky is Ely Hamrick, who announced his offer from the Wildcats on Tuesday. Associate head coach Vince Marrow was the one who reached out. This was just the second Division I offer for Hamrick, who also earned one from Toledo back in May 2023. He was part of IMG Academy’s state championship team this past season. Hamrick is hoping to visit UK either this month or next.

Joel Wyatt (WR) 6-4, 185 | Webb School of Knoxville (Knoxville, TN) KSR+ interview

• Kentucky became the first Division I program to offer Joel Wyatt, which he announced on Tuesday. Coach Marrow also reached out with this scholarship. The likes of Tennessee, Missouri, and Purdue have been in contact, as well. Wyatt is listed as a wide receiver but also suits up at safety for his Tennessee-based high school.

Kaydin Jones (RB) 6-0, 170 | Jenks (Jenks, OK) KSR+ interview

• The eighth Division I offer for Kaydin Jones came from Kentucky and Coach Marrow on Monday, joining the likes of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Colorado, Texas Tech, Utah, Baylor, and Tulsa. The two home-state schools, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, lead the charge right now. Remember, that area of the country is now technically SEC territory. Jones tells KSR he intends on visiting UK in the future.

---

Learn more about Andy Luedecke and franchise ownership through these resources:
Andy’s Story
Why a Franchise
Service Based vs Brick and Mortar
Semi Absentee Ownership
The Process and How It works

e: [email protected]

Book time with Andy: Andy’s Calendar