Recruiting Wrap-Up: Kentucky survived slow start on way to solid finish

After the second signing day of the 2023 recruiting cycle, we can finally close the book on what has been a wild recruiting cycle. There is still one more transfer portal window to get through in May, but most of the hay is in the barn as winter workouts continue throughout college football.

The last 12 months saw many twists and turns while providing more than a few surprises along the way. KSR is ready to jump right in and take a look back at everything that occurred over the last calendar year. There is no denying that college football is now a 247/365 sport and I personally wouldn’t want to have it any other way.

Kentucky survived a very bad start

If we turn the calendar back to a year ago this time, things were not trending well for Kentucky football recruiting. The Wildcats only two players — Ty Bryant and Shamar Porter — committed to the program without much buzz trending.

There were major NIL questions as the Wildcats were slow to join the collective hustle that was all the rage in the 2023 cycle and the coaching staff moved a bit slower on in-state evaluations for a class that ended up with a dozen Power Five signees.

That caused a lot of worry as the program was fresh off a 10-3 season and a top-20 recruiting class, but there was little to no buzz on the recruiting trail while schools like Cincinnati, Louisville, and Tennessee were getting a lot of attention for hot starts on the trail.

Sometimes we need to just let the cake bake.

Despite a disappointing 7-6 season on the field, Kentucky rebounded nicely to sign a high school class that is well within their established standard. The Wildcats ended the cycle with 19 signees and nine top-500 recruits. Only three classes (2014, 2020, and 2022) had more. The overall group finished No. 28 in average star rating above Mississippi State, Missouri, and Vanderbilt in the SEC.

For the fourth time under Mark Stoops, Kentucky has signed a top-30 class. That is a win for the program after a clunky start to last year’s recruiting cycle. The 2024 class could tell us a lot about what Kentucky’s current ceiling and floor is as a recruiting operation as this year’s class is very strong in Ohio and should produce about 5-6 signees from Kentucky. Using that as the backbone, we’ll see what kind of noise the coaching staff can make elsewhere in the Mid-Atlantic and throughout the SEC footprint.

The present and future at offensive tackle is concerning

Things did not go well for the Kentucky offensive line in 2022. The Wildcats were consistently mauled at the point of attack under new offensive line coach Zach Yenser and had players playing out of position. However, the Wildcats gained valuable experience and that should payoff for this group moving forward.

But that does not change the fact that the program needed to address tackle in a big way this offseason. For many, two transfer additions and two true high school tackles were needed. Kentucky only got 50 percent of that.

Northern Illinois transfer Marques Cox was a spring enrollee and is expected to be a plug-and-play starter at left tackle to allow Kenneth Horsey to slide inside to guard. The MAC transfer has a ton of experience, but is coming off of a toe ligament injury that cost him last season. In the high school ranks, Richmond (Ky.) Madison Central product Malachi Wood committed to the program in March and held firm with that commitment. The in-state prospect is a long-term project, but has legitimate left tackle tools. After that, things get thin.

Kentucky did not add another true offensive tackle missing on targets both in the high school market and transfer market. Tackle will be something to coaching staff must address after spring football to determine if a player needs to be added during the May transfer portal window. No matter what that decision ends up being, tackle needs to be a top priority in the 2024 recruiting cycle. The hope is that latest commit Aba Selm can potentially fill that role once on campus.

Young skill talent must contribute early

When digging into the current personnel on the 2023 roster, Kentucky’s overall offense is in pretty good shape. There are established starters at each position with transfers coming in as plug-and-play adds at quarterback, tailback, and left tackle. However, depth gets thin quickly at the skill positions.

Kentucky will need some class of 2023 signees to play snaps immediately this fall.

At tailback, Jamarion Wilcox was a late add to the class in January but the high three-star tailback out of Douglasville (Ga.) South Paulding is bringing a skill set as a slashing zone runner that is needed for the Kentucky offense. Expect the true freshman to earn snaps early in his career.

At wide receiver, Kentucky has a clear top four with Barion Brown, Dekel Crowdus, Dane Key, and Tayvion Robinson all returning to campus but depth took a big hit with multiple players entering the transfer portal after the season. The Wildcats decided to load up on high school signees. Anthony Brown and Shamar Porter should both get the chance to be No. 2 players on the depth chart this season. If an injury occurs, someone could be playing big snaps.

Tavion Gadson and Kendrick Gilbert check multiple boxes

Quietly, Kentucky keeps stacking solid recruiting wins in the defensive line room. All the pieces are now in place for this group to have a big season under fourth-year defensive line coach Anwar Stewart despite losing Justin Rogers to Auburn. However, you always need to be building towards the future.

Kentucky did that by adding two top-500 prospects that check clear boxes for Kentucky.

Tavion Gadson and Kendrick Gilbert each possess great length and will bring some position versatility to Lexington. Gadson is more of field end/boundary tackle tweener while Gilbert could play boundary tackle or slide inside to nose. Both have some twitchy athleticism that can give them some long-term value as developmental pass rushers, but each has the size to be stout against the run and hold off blocks in Kentucky’s odd front.

These two signees are likely headed for redshirt seasons in 2023. However, each has a great shot to be a starter for Kentucky down the road as the Wildcats continue to do a good job of finding SEC-caliber defensive line players that fit Brad White’s scheme.

Five players to watch this fall

In the transfer portal era, redshirting players loses some value. At any point, a scholarship player can get up and leave their current program. So if you have a promising talent, they need to be playing sooner rather than later.

For Kentucky, that means finding some snaps for recently signed high school prospects. Heading into 2023, there are five players that jump out as potential players that could have some type of role this season.

— Grant Godfrey: When looking at positional versatility, look no further than the four-star linebacker from Metro Atlanta. During his recruitment, the comp to Jamin Davis came up frequently and there is a frame to add some serious weight and strength to. Godfrey might have the highest ceiling of any prospect in this class and could potentially play outside linebacker as an off-ball Sam or slide inside to play either Mike or Will. Kentucky needs this prospect to hit the weight room but he will have a role this fall even if it’s only on special teams.

— Anthony Brown: As we mentioned above, Kentucky needs wide receiver depth and will turn to their freshmen to fill that role. But Anthony Brown is best suited to help right away. The Springfield (Ohio) High product is enrolled for the spring semester and is a true fit at slot receiver. Kentucky will be losing Tayvion Robinson after this season and needs someone to take over that spot. That will be Brown’s position to use as the true freshman should gain much-needed playing experience this season.

— Jamarion Wilcox: Kentucky returns JuTahn McClain in the backfield and added Vanderbilt transfer Ray Davis. The two seniors should begin the season as a 1-2 punch, but depth is always needed at tailback. Both Davis and McClain have battled injuries in their career and a reliable No. 3 tailback will be needed for Kentucky. Jamarion Wilcox will have to beat out Ramon Jefferson and La’Vell Wright for snaps, but his explosiveness is simply something Kentucky does not have in the running backs room. Expect Wilcox to carve out a role this fall.

— Koby Keenum: In the SEC, you never want to have to play true freshmen on the offensive line unless they are just total freaks. Kentucky should be able to redshirt Koby Keenum this season, but we should get a glimpse of what is immediate future could be in Lexington. The offense needs a long-term answer at center and Keenum could become that. The Alabama product also plays with the edge that offensive coordinator Liam Coen is looking to get back on the Big Blue Wall. With multiple seniors at offensive guard, there could be a starting spot up for grabs in 2024. A good debut year by Keenum could position himself to be a starter at one of the three interior spots as a redshirt freshman.

— Nasir Addison: If you were going to bet on one low three-star recruit to become a starter for Kentucky, that list should start with Nasir Addison. The former Maryland commit is bringing great positional size (6-1, 185) to Lexington and has flashed good ball skills from time spent playing wide receiver for Irvington (N.J.) High. Kentucky is re-tooling at cornerback and needs to build depth. Don’t be surprised if Addison becomes a solid contributor immediately as this prospect is one of the best kept secrets in Kentucky’s 2023 class.