Rupp Arena still gives Kentucky Wildcat Basketball a recruiting advantage

September 22, 2012; Gainesville FL, USA; Kentucky Wildcats wide receiver La

Despite the 2-10 record, several Wildcats are being honored and will be partaking in All Star games in the near future. Craig McIntosh, offensive linemen Larry Warford and Matt Smith, wide receiver La’Rod King, defensive back Martavius Neloms and defensive lineman Collins Ukwu will all participate. Here is a bit more information from a UKAA media advisory:

"McIntosh is one of many talented draft-eligible seniors competing in the Collegiate Bowl, is sponsored by the National Football League Players Association. The game will be held at The Home Depot Center on the campus of California State University-Dominguez Hills in Carson, Calif. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET and the game will be televised live on ESPN2. This game is on January 19. Warford will be in the Senior Bowl, which will be played on Jan. 26 at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala., with kickoff set for 4 p.m. ET. It will be televised on the NFL Network. Warford is the first UK player to be selected for the Senior Bowl since Derrick Locke in 2010 and he becomes the 33rd former Wildcat to participate in the event. Smith, King, Neloms and Ukwu will play for the Nation in the annual Texas vs. the Nation All-Star Game, which will take place Jan. 2 at Eagle Stadium in Allen, Texas. Kickoff for the game is set for 2:30 p.m. ET and will be televised on Fox Sports. The Texas vs. the Nation All-Star Game pits top collegiate players originally from Texas or who play college football in Texas against top players from around the nation. According to its official web site, the game is ranked in the top 10 all-time in NFL signees for an all-star game. Including this year, UK has had 10 players in the game since it was inaugurated in 2007."

Dec 2, 2012; Lexington , KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Stoops spoke to reporters during a press conference at the Nutter Field House. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

We are still a couple of weeks away from National Signing Day, and Ryan Timmons appears to be one of the biggest targets for Mark Stoops. Kentucky seems to be in pretty good shape, but watch out. It appears Florida and Joker Phillips are getting involved as well:

"The versatile Timmons is one of the state’s top players. He had 72 rushes for 1,260 yards and 25 scores for 12-1 Franklin last season and caught 29 passes for 970 yards and 17 more scores. He had 45 total touchdowns and scored 260 points. Franklin coach Chris Tracy says Timmons, who ran the 40-yard dash in 4.4 seconds at a Kentucky camp, will make his college choice known either Feb. 6 (the first day of the national signing period) or Feb. 7 during a ceremony at the high school. Tracy says new Kentucky offensive coordinator Neal Brown has “been to see him three or four times” already, including Tuesday night. “I think he is a priority for Kentucky and this new staff,” Tracy said. “Florida has really jumped back into the picture. They have not offered a scholarship yet, but they are really close. The one thing Florida likes is that he can do it all. They don’t have that type of guy now who can play the slot, play running back, play receiver and just do it all. All through middle school, he was a tailback.” The coach says Timmons has a “great relationship” with Illinois coaches and that they “have been there from day one” with him. Kentucky did not seem positioned that strongly with Timmons until the staff changed. However, Tracy says Timmons always liked head coach Joker Phillips and recruiting coordinator Chuck Smith. “I think his big issue with them had more to do with winning than anything else,” Tracy said. “He really, really likes Joker a lot. He had a great relationship with coach Smith. But it had more to do with winning."