Recapping a big recruiting week for Kentucky football

It was a significant week for the Kentucky football program. Five new commits joined the fold since Monday, with two announcing their decisions live on KSR. The Wildcats added a pair of top 600 prospects, a homegrown tight end, an intriguing project out of the northeast, and one of the nation’s top special teams recruits. Kentucky’s 2024 recruiting class is now up to nine commitments after the once slow-moving group received a much-needed jolt of momentum throughout the week.

There is still plenty of work to be done though. On3 ranks UK’s current class as the 44th-best in the country and just 13th-best in the Southeastern Conference. But the majority of teams ranked ahead of the Wildcats hold upwards of a dozen commitments each, some even tipping 20-plus. Kentucky will catch up in terms of total recruits eventually, which will shoot up the overall team ranking. More commits will likely be on the way in the coming weeks.

But right now, we’re going to recap what happened this week. The official visitor weekends of June 9-11 and June 16-18 proved crucial to the program, leading to the influx of commitments. Kentucky doesn’t expect to host another big weekend in the coming days (Vince Marrow is getting married, after all), but the effort put in by the staff over the last few weeks is certainly beginning to pay off.

Now, before we dive into the meat, let’s first hear from our weekly recruiting sponsor.

Time for our weekly 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].

Jadon Lafontant gets the ball rolling

Unranked inside offensive lineman Jadon Lafontant sparked this week’s recruiting run on Monday, choosing the ‘Cats over Pittsburgh, Boston College, Duke, and Vanderbilt. He was scheduled to officially visit all five programs, stopping at Pitt (June 1) and Boston College (June 9) before making his way to Lexington during the middle of last week. But Lafontant must have learned everything he needed to during his time at UK as he elected to pull the trigger on a commitment without seeing Duke or Vanderbilt.

Lafontant is one of two offensive guards Kentucky has locked in for this class, joining Independence (KY) Simon Kenton three-star Aba Selm. Those two are joined by Campbellsville (KY) Taylor County three-star tackle Hayes Johnson as future pieces of the Big Blue Wall. Clocking in at 6-foot-3, 315 pounds, Lafontant was recruited by wide receivers coach Scott Woodward, who is familiar with the northeastern area. The Old Greenwich (CT) Brunswick School product also wrestles in the spring and shows an intriguing amount of athleticism for someone his size. Expect him to receive a national ranking by the time this cycle is over.

[Adam Luckett’s Film Room breakdown]

Add a 5-star specialist into the mix

Next to commit was Jacob Kauwe, who announced his decision on Tuesday. Considered a five-star kicker and punter by Kohl’s Kicking, the Billings (MT) West product also took an official visit during the middle of last week and left Lexington with a full-ride scholarship. He left town knowing that, barring something unexpected, he was going to choose the Wildcats.

“It was towards the end of my visit,” Kauwe told KSR of when he received the offer. “They just really loved having me there and I really loved being there and that was the next step. They really see me as someone who can come in and compete for that job. I took a few days to get home and talk about it but I was pretty much committed as soon as they said it.”

Kicking since he was in eighth grade, Kauwe checks in at 6-foot-2, 200 pounds and comes from a soccer background. Getting noticed out of Montana isn’t always easy, so it says something about his skills that he was able to get in front of the Wildcats’ staff, along with the likes of Oklahoma, Oregon State, and Duke, where he camped prior to officially visiting UK. Montana State even offered a scholarship, but playing in the SEC was far too big of an opportunity for Kauwe to pass up. He believes himself to be a kicker at heart.

Two #Yahtzees in one day

The two biggest pieces added to the recruiting class both came on Wednesday, although one was mostly a surprise. To start off the day, three-star running back Tovani Mizell came on KSR to announce his commitment to Kentucky. The Fort Lauderdale (FL) Western product is one of the two primary ball carriers that new running backs coach Jay Boulware is targeting (the other being three-star Jason Patterson).

Mizell possesses good size at 6-foot-1, 195 pounds and can also catch out of the backfield. The “Boogeyman” took his official visit to UK this past weekend, where he celebrated his birthday and Father’s Day with his family while on the trip. Sound relationships with Boulware and offensive coordinator Liam Coen led Mizell to commit and forgo an official visit with Oklahoma this coming weekend. He previously OV’d at North Carolina, as well.

“The players were bonding very well, they made it easy for me to talk to them,” Mizell said on KSR. “We was just chopping it up, talking about football. It just felt like family. It didn’t feel like no regular program, it felt like everybody was close. So that’s one thing that I liked about the program. Even the coaches too.”

The coaching staff has compared his skillset to that of former Kentucky great, Benny Snell.

[Adam Luckett’s Film Room breakdown]

It wasn’t until later that same night that a surprise commitment came down the pipe. 6-foot-4, 180-pound athlete Jiquavious Marshall announced his commitment to Kentucky after taking an official visit during the middle of last week. The three-star Macon (GA) Westside product previously OV’d at Florida State and was expected to be at Georgia Tech this weekend before landing with the ‘Cats.

Defensive backs coach Chris Collins was responsible for locking down Marshall, likely indicating he’ll play on the defensive side of the ball at UK, although he also split time at wide receiver in high school. Regardless, he has impressive size and could be an ideal player for the Wildcats as a cornerback. Marshall also plays basketball for Westside.

[Adam Luckett’s Film Room breakdown]

Willie Rodriguez closes out the workweek

The fifth and final piece to this week’s puzzle was three-star tight end Willie Rodriguez, who announced his commitment to Kentucky on KSR Friday morning. The Covington (KY) Catholic product is the fourth in-state pledge for the Wildcats and is considered a top-five prospect across the Commonwealth. Rodriguez clocks in at 6-foot-4, 225 pounds and was being primarily recruited by associate head coach Vince Marrow, who will also serve as his position coach. He officially visited UK the weekend of June 9-11, which is when he immediately clicked with prized QB commit Cutter Boley

“I really felt at home on my official visit with the coaching staff and with the players,” he told KSR. “I really bonded with the team and seeing how they bonded with their coaches, they were comfortable. It made it feel like home for me.”

Kentucky slow-played Rodriguez, waiting to extend a scholarship until mid-April. But once the offer was in play, the Wildcats were in firm control. He also officially visited Purdue (May 31) and Virginia Tech (June 5) before making his stop in Lexington soon after. Rodriguez — like Lafontant — comes from a wrestling background and uses his strength as a primary advantage on the gridiron. UK is looking to bring in two tight ends this cycle (the other being four-star Damarion Witten) and Rodriguez was an easy choice to take up one of those spots.

[Adam Luckett’s Film Room breakdown]

---

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