Midsummer Kentucky Football 2023 Recruiting Class Outlook
A hectic month of football recruiting on Kentucky’s campus is nearing a close. The Wildcats hosted dozens of unofficial visitors, hundreds of campers and around 20 official visitors. We now have a better idea of the direction UK’s coaches are taking to fill in the Kentucky football 2023 recruiting class. Before a handful of decisions are made in July, let’s run through as many targets as possible at every position on the Wildcats’ big board.
Quarterback
Kentucky will be hitting the transfer portal to find someone to compete with Beau Allen for the starting quarterback position in 2023. Looking further down the road, the departure of Liam Coen put Kentucky behind the 8-ball with 2024 targets. There are still a few lines cast — Danny O’Neil is a coin-flip right now between UK and Purdue — but Kentucky will most likely continue to live and die with transfer portal quarterbacks, a strategy that worked out well with Will Levis.
Running Back
Kaden Moorman — The Franklin County Flyer is rock solid in his commitment to Kentucky. A vocal recruiter, he attended a few camps over the summer to grow relationships with more kids in the 2023 class.
Khalifa Keith — A LB/RB prospect, Georgia Tech is the other big player for the big back from Alabama. Will Kentucky take another running back? Will they exclusively prioritize a bruiser between the tackles? The answers to those questions will determine if Keith becomes a Cat.
Jamarion Wilcox — He has a few Power Five offers, but the Wildcats were the first and only SEC team to offer him a scholarship. Another rusher who excels in a crowd of defenders, he unofficially visited UK’s campus in June.
Wide Receiver
After filling up its coffers on receivers over the last two classes, expect no more than three additions in 2023.
Shamar Porter — A top 200 prospect, Porter is the highest-ranked UK commit in the 2023 recruiting class. He used his official visit (OV) early, taking his talents to Lexington for the June 10 extravaganza.
Karmello English — One of the top targets on Kentucky’s big board, he officially visited Kentucky, Auburn and Michigan (in that order) ahead of his July 2 announcement. Located a stone’s throw away from Auburn, prying him away from the Plains may be too tall of a task for now, but that does not completely eliminate Kentucky from the equation. Just ask Ja’Kobi Albert.
Anthony Brown — Springfield High School has sent a few recruits Kentucky’s way, but only one was successfully cracked the rotation. Brown could change that if Vince Marrow can convince him to stay away from Cincinnati. Michigan, Penn State and Oklahoma are also sniffing around the speedster, the latter of which appears to have prolonged his recruitment. Without a ton of irons remaining in the Ohio fire in this cycle, Brown could be a big addition for the Big Blue next month.
Ty Perkins — Ironton, Oh. has multiple Division I prospects in 2023 and Vince Marrow isn’t letting verbal commitments get in the way. The Big Dog offered Perkins a scholarship less than a week after he committed to Cincinnati. His teammate, four-star linebacker Trevor Carter, is also being pursued by the Wildcats while verbally committed to the Bearcats.
Darius Cannon — Kentucky recently offered the under-the-radar recruit after he camped with the Cats. Cannon could be a nice option if others fall through down the road.
Tight End
Tanner LeMaster — The rock solid Kentucky commitment officially visited campus in June.
Jakob Dixon — If UK adds multiple tight ends in this class, it’s to get a hybrid-type to fill the role played by Izayah Cummings. After running a 4.51 and camping with the Cats twice, this PRP pass-catcher could be just what Marrow is looking for.
Khamari Anderson — He is another Cincinnati commit the Cats will continue to keep tabs on until the Early Signing Period begins.
Offensive Line
The Wildcats need to add a guard, center and tackle to the Big Blue Wall this fall. Zach Yenser would love to have enough leeway to add a fourth player to this class too.
Austin Ramsey — The first (and only) commitment of the summer for Kentucky, the guard nicknamed “House” pledged his allegiance to the Wildcats the day after concluding his official visit.
Malachi Wood — A Madison Central commit, in June he proved his worth to Zach Yenser at two camps. In-between camps he took a trip to Bama and used his official visit to Kentucky.
Naquil Bertrand — Like Ramsey, Bertrand is a big body from Philadelphia. Even though he’s a Colorado commit, Kentucky’s fiercest competition is elsewhere in the SEC. He took an OV to Auburn days after touring the grounds in Lexington.
Koby Keenum — Despite all the hype around Louisville’s recruiting efforts, Keenum is the first player to walk right into the middle of the Commonwealth’s rivalry on the gridiron. The talented center/guard officially visited each school in consecutive weeks. This battle could transform into an all-out war. Louisville has the recruiting momentum, but Kentucky has the developmental pedigree at the position. A few recruiting wins in Lexington could go a long way to land Keenum.
William “Woo” Spencer — Kentucky is in excellent position to land the highest-ranked player in the state, again. He spent time throwing Ls Down at a UK camp this summer.
Adrian Griffin — He camped with the Cats in June, but Kentucky appears to have cooled on the long-time target.
Sean Thompkins — Kentucky was able to get the big, quiet kid from Georgia on campus for an official visit. Ultimately, Baylor had too much momentum, securing a commitment from Thompkins over the weekend.
Defensive Line
Tommy Ziesmer — A frequent flyer to Kentucky’s campus this summer, the UK commit from Boyle County was in Lexington at least twice, camping with the Cats on one occasion.
Kendrick Gilbert — The four-star defensive lineman was a priority recruit for Brian Kelly’s staff at Notre Dame. That did not change when they moved to LSU. Iowa has also been at the forefront for the lengthy athlete from Indianapolis Cathedral, but Kentucky appears to be in good position. 247’s Josh Edwards submitted a UK crystal ball pick after an OV to Lexington.
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Jalen Thompson — The Kentucky coaching staff has tried to keep the Detroit Cass Tech pipeline open, despite Steve Clinkscale’s absence. Like many of the other targets they’ve pursued, this one feels like a long shot after failing to secure a visit from Thompson in June.
Edge
Neeo Avery — Brad White was able to get the former Penn State commit on campus for an official visit. He also took an OV to Maryland in June. Georgia and Ole Miss are a few other schools in the mix for Avery.
Arvell Reese — The four-star prospect’s participation at UK’s Sunday Showcase Camp was one of the most pleasant surprises of the open recruiting period. Long considered a heavy Ohio State lean, that might be changing for the talented athlete that can play either inside or outside linebacker. If Vince Marrow plays his cards right and uses Reese’s OV to UK at the right time, this could be a significant recruiting win.
Oryend Fisher — The athlete from Great Crossing posted excellent numbers at an Alabama camp. However, Kentucky does not appear to be investing in the nearby prospect. Keep an eye on Neal Brown at West Virginia.
Linebackers
Jaden Robinson — After officially visiting Kentucky, the four-star tackler shrank his list to four: Michigan, South Carolina, Maryland and Kentucky. Ann Arbor was the only school that did not get an OV in June. Recruited by Mike Stoops, the Gamecocks are UK’s toughest competition.
Grant Godfrey — One of the top 25 linebackers in America, Tennessee and Kentucky were the only schools he unofficially visited over the summer. This is recruiting battle may extend all the way until the start of the Early Signing Period.
Marcellius Pulliam — The three-star prospect was a surprise unofficial visitor. Georgia Tech, Auburn and Clemson are also in the mix for the Georgia native.
Stanquan Clark — A four-star prospect in the On3 Consensus, Kentucky snuck Clark on campus for an official visit. NC State is the only other school to receive an OV from the talented athlete.
Cornerbacks
Cristian Conyer — Few recruitments have fluctuated quite like Conyer’s. The three-star cornerback from Bowling Green has gone back and forth between Kentucky and Tennessee. On3’s Chad Simmons has switched his RPM pick three times in as many weeks, currently siding with the Vols following his recent official visit to Knoxville. Even with less than a week left, this recruitment will likely take a few more turns. It’s a coin flip between border rivals entering the July 3 decision.
Robert Stafford — The highest-ranked cornerback to visit UK’s campus, the Cats got the first crack at Stafford this summer. After an OV to Lexington, he went to Miami, Oregon and Arkansas. It’s going to be hard to beat the Razorbacks. Chris Collins has gotten a ton of talented kids on campus. Now it’s time to find out how well he can close.
Ja’Keem Jackson — The four-star cornerback from Central Florida made a pitstop in Lexington in-between OVs to Penn State, Miami and Tennessee. A top 250 player with the length UK is looking for, the Cats would like to extend this recruitment to make up some ground.
Jeremiah Collins — The talented cornerback is committed to Louisville, but that may be on shaky ground now that he’s outside of the city. Last week Collins revealed he transferred from Louisville Male to Oakland High School, a powerhouse football program in Murfreesboro, an area Kentucky has recently hit hard on the recruiting trail.
Safeties
Ty Bryant — The first commitment of the 2023 class used his official visit in June in-between unofficial trips to campus.
Avery Stuart — Announcing his decision July 6, Stuart is down to Kentucky and Florida State. Like Conyer, the Seminoles received the final OV. I’d feel much more confident about Kentucky’s chances if Jon Sumrall was still on the staff to close the deal. The Wildcats have just over a week to convince the top 250 safety to rock Kentucky blue.
Robert Billings — Ranked by Rivals as a four-star safety, he recently said he’s open to using an official visit at Kentucky. Billings stars for Milton, a national powerhouse in Georgia. He has officially visited Clemson. Florida State and Duke are a few of the other contenders in his recruitment.
Jaremiah Anglin — Kentucky hosted the safety ranked No. 216 in the On300, yet Florida State appears to have made a significant move. Chad Simmons placed an RPM pick for the Seminoles over the weekend.
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