Bio Blast: Nigel Glover

There were a dozen first-year transfers listed on Kentucky’s updated fall roster last week. That does not mean the Wildcats are done adding players. A potential late find has emerged this week.

Northwestern true freshman linebacker Nigel Glover entered the transfer portal on July 17 following the firing of Pat Fitzgerald, and Kentucky is getting the first official visit one week later. The Cats have a chance to add a 10th top-500 prospect to the 2023 high school recruiting haul.

Now it’s time to learn more about the Clayton (Ohio) Northmont prospect who had a fairly quiet recruitment. Vince Marrow is leading the way as Kentucky has a great chance to bolster a linebacker room that needs more quality options.

Top prospect in Ohio

In the decade-plus Kentucky has been recruiting with Mark Stoops in charge and Vince Marrow roaming the streets in Ohio, the Wildcats have inked nine top-10 prospects in the Buckeye State. Lynn Bowden Jr. and Darian Kinnard were both All-Americans who turned into draft picks. Tyrell Ajian, C.J. Conrad, and Darius West were multi-year starters. Chris Oats was well on his way to stardom. Alex Afari and JuTahn McClain will both play big roles on the 2023 team. That’s a productive hit rate. These players are typically top-300 recruits who are good enough to play right away.

Nigel Glover (6-3, 215) could become the 10th to join the program.

The Northwestern signee was the No. 306 player in the 2023 On3 Industry Ranking and the No. 31 linebacker. Glover was the No. 10 recruit in Ohio. History tells us that players in this range typically go on to be very productive football players in Lexington.

After having a quiet recruitment that ended with a Northwestern commitment eight months before signing day, things could get more hectic for Glover this time around with three official visits to Kentucky, Michigan, and Michigan State all scheduled for this week.

100% COMMITTED!! Wildcat nation let’s go!!! @coachfitz51 @Coach_McGarigle @NUFBFamily pic.twitter.com/rYN8aI9w9h

— Nigel Glover (@Nglover_) April 10, 2022

Path for early playing time

When the playing time topic comes up on Nigel Glover’s visit, Kentucky should have an appealing recruiting pitch ready to go. D’Eryk Jackson (redshirt junior) and Trevin Wallace (junior) enter the year as UK’s clear starters, but each South Georgia product has only two years of eligibility remaining. After that, there appears to be a drop-off.

The Wildcats added Northern Illinois linebacker Daveren Rayner (senior) who has 128 career tackles and two seasons of eligibility remaining. Outside of that, the LB4 spot appears to be wide open. Jayvant Brown was the only off-ball linebacker that the program signed in the 2023 high school recruiting cycle. Glover could have a path to potential playing time very early in his career in Lexington.

Kentucky only has six scholarship off-ball linebackers. Glover could become the seventh and find an early role despite joining the team late in the process.

Luckett’s scouting notes

To find out what type of player Nigel Glover is, we’re rolling the high school tape. The native of the Dayton suburbs flashes good instincts and range on film.

Playing safety for Northmont High, Nigel Glover uses instincts and range to make plays from sideline to sideline at 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds. The four-star prospect can fill the alley and does a good job of making solid contact and wrapping up in space. Glover flashes some knockback power as a striker. Has a quick trigger downhill and can close ground quickly. Sure tackler on tape thanks to early striking and fundamental finishing. Shows good hip explosion upon contact. Has a frame that should fill out but already moves well for his size. Was electronically-time at 4.79 in the forty-yard dash, per On3’s database. Could have some outside linebacker flex, but a small wingspan (6-3) makes playing in the box at off-ball linebacker more likely. Needs to show he can read and flow through traffic at the next level, but the instincts shown on his high school tape say that shouldn’t be a difficult transition. Tall, well-built linebacker prospect with movement skills and striking power. Positional athleticism should provide great coverage value in a zone scheme thanks to instincts and range.

Nigel Glover is a linebacker/safety tweener at the moment that should become a full-time linebacker. Getting up between 230-240 pounds should not be an issue, and that will create an intriguing prospect with his speed and instincts. The contact skills immediately jump out, and the 2023 recruit looks like a player who could make a special teams impact as a true freshman with the chance to become SEC starter-caliber in year two.