What the 2025 Kentucky Football Recruiting Class Looks Like One Month from Signing Day

College Football Signing Day will be here before you know it. For decades, the first Wednesday in February was dedicated to celebrating the future. The Early Signing Period diminished its significance when it was created in 2017, held on the Wednesday prior to the Christmas holiday. This year Kentucky will sign its high school class four days after the Battle for the Governor’s Cup.

It’s a quick turnaround. That’s why Kentucky Sports Radio is beginning preparation one month until signing day, starting with a snapshot of what the Wildcats’ 2025 recruiting class looks like.

As rosters grow to 105 scholarship players, so do the high school recruiting classes. Kentucky already has 21 commitments, with room to add more. The Wildcats’ class ranks No. 21 nationally and No. 13 out of 16 in the SEC.

Class Breakdown by State

Ohio — 8
Kentucky — 3
Alabama — 2
Georgia — 2
Michigan — 1
Tennessee — 1
Pennsylvania — 1
South Carolina — 1
Texas — 1
Florida — 1

Class Breakdown by Position

Defense
Cornerback — 2
Safety — 2
Defensive Line — 3
EDGE — 1

After signing five linebackers in 2024, Kentucky turned its focus to the secondary and picked up a couple of projected future starters in the trenches.

Offense
Quarterback — 2
Running Back — 1
Wide Receiver — 4
Tight End — 1
Interior Offensive Linemen — 2
Offensive Tackle — 3

The Wildcats are adding much-needed depth at wide receiver and quarterback. The Big Blue Wall needed bodies, and they have some big ones in this recruiting class.

Stars of the Kentucky 2025 Recruiting Class

There is no shortage of quality football players in this Kentucky football recruiting class. Six players are consensus four-star talents and nine are considered a four-star prospect by at least one major recruiting service. Kalen Edwards is built like a starting SEC DT, Mikkel Skinner has exceptional pass-catching abilities for a tight end, and there are a few pass-catchers who look poised to make some noise at the next level. But the following four feel like the most important prospects committed to play for Kentucky.

Marquise Davis

Record-breaking running backs have played or Mark Stoops. All of those guys were three-star talents. Davis can break tackles like a Benny Snell and a Chris Rodriguez, but his explosiveness is jaw-dropping. He’s a Top 10 running back in the country, the highest-ranked player in Kentucky football history at that position, and he’s putting up silly stats on a weekly basis. He could be a 1,000-yard rusher next fall for the Wildcats and bring a physical running game back to the Bluegrass.

Martels Carter

Mike Edwards is one of the most underrated players of the Mark Stoops era, and the same can apply to Carter, who plays safety in a similar fashion. The exceptional athlete can cover centerfield or smash you in the mouth in the box. He gets overlooked after committing early and rarely speaking publicly, but Carter is the real deal. Vanderbilt and Auburn are trying to pry Carter from Kentucky.

Cedric Works

Works is from Dayton but is spending his final season of high school football in Lexington at Frederick Douglass. If you could build an EDGE in a lab, he would look something like Works. His skills must be refined, but the athleticism is off the charts. LSU is poking around quite a bit as we approach signing day.

Darrin Strey

We’ve spent most of the season wondering what in the hell is going on with the Kentucky offensive line. Most of the problems must be fixed in recruiting. Eric Wolford has some players with potential, but are considered projects. Strey is the exception. The offensive tackle stout at the point of attack and has great positional length. You can see a lot of Landon Young in his game, but Strey is physically more impressive than the former Wildcat at this stage in his career.

Kentucky Football 2025 Recruiting Class

Player	High School	Position	Ranking
Javeon Campbell	Frankfort (Ky.) Western Hills	DL (6-5, 260)	4-star (No. 163 overall)
Marquise Davis	Cleveland (Ohio) Heights	RB (5-11, 200)	4-star (No. 188 overall)
Martels Carter	Paducah (Ky.) Tilghman	S (6-1, 185)	4-star (No. 216 overall)
Cedric Works	Lexington (Ky.) Frederick Douglass	EDGE (6-5, 230)	4-star (No. 251 overall)
Andrew Purcell	Enterprise (Ala.) High	CB (5-9, 185)	4-star (No. 276 overall)
Kalen Edwards	Dyersburg (Tenn.) High	iDL (6-4, 325)	4-star (No. 373 overall)
Mikkel Skinner	Greer (S.C.) Riverside	TE (6-3, 220)	High 3-star (No. 404 overall)
Darrin Strey	Paw Paw (Mich.) High	T (6-6, 295)	High 3-star (No. 432 overall)
Ja’Kayden Ferguson	Missouri City (Texas) Fort Bend Marshall	WR (6-2, 175)	High 3-star (No. 521 overall)
Quintin Simmons	Cincinnati (Ohio) Withrow	WR (6-0, 170)	High 3-star (No. 548 overall)
Demarcus Gardner	Cedartown (Ga.) High	CB (6-0, 165)	High 3-star (No. 593 overall)
Preston Bowman	Pickerington (Ohio) North	WR (6-0, 196)	3-star (No. 620 overall)
Dyllon Williams	Demopolis (Ala.) High	S (6-2, 180)	3-star (No. 705 overall)
Stone Saunders	Harrisburg (Pa.) Bishop McDevitt	QB (6-0, 205)	3-star (No. 712 overall)
Montavin Quisenberry	Danville (Ky.) Boyle County	WR (5-9, 175)	3-star (No. 797 overall)
Brennen Ward	Gahanna (Ohio) Lincoln	QB (6-2, 205)	3-star (No. 821 overall)
Jermiel Atkins	Trotwood (Ohio) Madison	T (6-8, 270)	3-star (No. 932 overall)
Jayden Clark	Clayton (Ohio) Northmont	OL (6-5, 250)	3-star (No. 1,060 overall)
Nicholas Smith	Loganville (Ga.) Walnut Grove	DL (6-5, 275)	3-star (No. 1,124 overall)
Bryan Auguste	Coconut Creek (Fla.) Monarch	T (6-6, 285)	3-star (No. 1,190 overall)
Tucker Kattus	Cincinnati (Ohio) St. Xavier	OL (6-5, 300)	3-star (No. 1,264 overall)

What’s Next for the Kentucky Football Recruiting Operation?

The work is far from finished. Kentucky must be vigilant to retain players and add a few more pieces to the puzzle over the final month of the recruiting cycle. Adam Luckett has highlighted what to keep an eye on for our members at KSR+. Join today and get seven days of access for only $1, plus 50% off an annual membership.