Thursday night Kentucky Football recruiting notes

Good evening, folks! I’ve technically never written a “recruiting notes” post before, but thought that now might be the perfect time. While there is nothing major to report (other than Nick Roush’s scoop on Barion Brown’s official visit), there are plenty of smaller, yet still interesting recruiting nuggets that would be better suited for a hodgepodge post such as this one–which is exactly what we’re going to do.

So without wasting any more time, let’s dive right into it.

Kentucky offers rising 3-star Marquez Taylor

Marquez Taylor isn’t one of the bigger names from the class of 2023, but he sure could be in the near future. The 6-foot, 170-pound running back from Mckenzie High School (TN) is considered a three-star by Rivals and has picked up offers from the likes of Tennessee, Ole Miss, and Michigan State since the spring. He was also on an unofficial visit to Alabama last weekend, as well.

Taylor’s offer from Kentucky came in on Thursday from offensive line coach Eric Wolford.

During his sophomore season, Taylor rushed for 1,021 yards and 12 touchdowns while also hauling in 299 receiving yards and an additional three scores. Just watch this dude embarrass defenders in the open field.

Another JUCO cornerback?

The coaching staff already secured a JUCO cornerback commitment from DeCarlos Nicholson, but they aren’t done looking around for another.

Zahquan Frazier, a 6-foot-4 cornerback who plays for Coffeyville Community College (KS), announced on Monday that he received an offer from Kentucky defensive backs coach Chris Collins. On the same day, Frazier also announced an offer from Oregon State. Tennessee is another school that has offered and is recruiting him hard.

Like Nicholson, Frazier was named a First-Team Preseason JUCO All-American by JCGridiron after recording 17 tackles, 1.0 tackles for loss, three interceptions, and two pass breakups during his 2020 campaign. You can check out some of his film here.

Blessed to Receive an Offer From the University of Kentucky🔵⚪️ pic.twitter.com/zkjWRSFfYb

— zahh (@ZFrazier19) September 28, 2021

Nikolas Hall moving up the ranks

Kentucky legacy commit from the class of 2022, Nikolas Hall, received a hefty bump in his 247Sports ranking, moving up from a grade of 86 to 89, a significant rise that makes him a high three-star talent. The 6-foot-5, 310-pound offensive tackle is an elite athlete for his size who also participates in the throws events at Akins High School (TX).

Nikolas is the son of former Kentucky great Antonio Hall, who spent three seasons as a Wildcat while earning All-SEC First-Team honors as a junior. The Big Blue Wall continues to build for the future.

Big list of visitors for Florida-Kentucky

Last night, we dropped our running list of expected visitors for Saturday’s all-important matchup against Florida–and a few additions have been made since then.

Mainly, four-star wide receiver from Frederick Douglass, Dane Key, confirmed with KSR on Thursday that he will be at Kroger Field for the game. A handful of other significant prospects such as Frankfort’s Kaden Moorman and Georgetown’s Oryend Fisher have also announced that they will make the trip to Lexington. Both class of 2023 recruits are considered three-stars.

And of course, five-star wide receiver Barion Brown is expected to take an official visit, according to KSR. Brown appears to have confirmed the news through his Instagram Stories while Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports is also hearing that Brown will visit Kentucky. Alabama is considered the favorite for the premier talent, but UK is the dark horse making Nick Saban work. Getting him on campus is big-time.

Brandon White decides tomorrow

Kentucky could be in for some good news before taking on Florida. Speedy three-star wide receiver Brandon White will make his college decision tomorrow and all signs are pointing towards him picking the ‘Cats.

I broke down everything you need to know about White heading into his announcement, which you can check out here. Let’s hope for a weekend filled with a Yahtzee and a win over the Gators.