Under the Radar, Late Signing Recruits that Became Stars at Kentucky

The “under the radar” recruit is a label that gets thrown around often on National Signing Day. It’s how many will describe Noah Matthews, a Delaware EDGE that was previously committed to FCS Weber State, who signed with UK Wednesday afternoon. When evaluating Kentucky’s 2022 recruiting class, the highest-ranked in school history, do not overlook Matthews based on his recruiting ranking. Mark Stoops has a reputation for transforming these late, low-ranked NSD additions into stars at Kentucky.

Josh Allen

Panic set in across the Big Blue Nation in the final week before National Signing Day in 2015. There were two late flips on the defensive line, Tyrone Riley went to NC State and Jason Strowbridge flipped to North Carolina. Kentucky immediately sprang into action and flew to New Jersey to offer a scholarship to a two-star former Monmouth commit, Josh Allen. After officially visiting, he was prepared to sign with Kentucky.

On National Signing Day, Freddie Maggard heard from a few critics when he proclaimed that Allen could be the best player in the entire recruiting class. Freddie got the last laugh when Josh Allen became College Football’s Defensive Player of the Year and a top ten draft pick.

Chris Westry

The 2015 class had a few late defections. Jeremiah Dinson also flipped to Auburn in the eleventh hour, opening the door for UK to sign Chris Westry. Even though he was a just a three-star recruit that some did not consider to be a top 100 cornerback in his class, UK’s coaches loved his length. A few weeks into his freshman season he became a starter and never relinquished the position over the next four years. He picked off three passes, made 134 tackles and finished his career with a 10-win season. Westry earned a starting spot with the Baltimore Ravens last fall.

Calvin Taylor Jr.

Calvin Taylor Jr. is the latest addition of them all. You can’t even consider him under the radar because according to recruiting services, he wasn’t even a prospect. Unranked by 247 Sports, he only had offers from Temple and Charlotte. He did not sign on National Signing Day. UK added him to the 2015 recruiting class in June. Four years later he spent most the season atop the SEC leaderboard in sacks.

A 6-foot-9 former basketball player, Taylor is one of the few Wildcats to guarantee a win during the Mark Stoops era. He promised a win over Louisville and delivered with a 45-13 victory in his final game at Kroger Field.

SEC sack leader Calvin Taylor Jr. says UK “will win” Saturday vs. Louisville. pic.twitter.com/uoHNgZhAFl

— Nick Roush (@RoushKSR) November 26, 2019

TJ Carter

There were 1,720 players ranked higher than TJ Carter when he committed to Kentucky just days before NSD in 2016. There weren’t many better than Carter on the defensive line that fall at Kentucky. By the end of his freshman season he played his way into the rotation, earning the highest graded performance of any Wildcat in the Gator Bowl against Georgia Tech. The defensive tackle concluded his UK career with 71 tackles, 12.5 for loss and six sacks. Former running-mates alongside Taylor, the two defensive linemen spent last season on the Steelers’ practice squad.

Bunchy Stallings

Neal Brown and John Schlarman walked through an Alabama ice storm to visit Bunchy Stallings at his high school, where the gym had transformed into a storm shelter. Making that kind of sacrifice for a low three-star recruit sounds silly. That commitment convinced Stallings to pick UK over Mississippi State.

Stallings’ decision days before National Signing Day seemed inconsequential as the BBN focused on Matt Elam, the biggest star in UK’s 2014 recruiting class, the highest-ranked in school history at the time. The class featured a Super Bowl winner (Mike Edwards), a 1,000-yard rusher (Boom Williams), but only one All-American, the second lowest-ranked player in the class, Bunchy Stallings.