Not to be outdone by Calipari, Rich Brooks is bringing big time prospects to Lexington to visit

While much has been made about the appearance of UK basketball prospects Brandon Knight and Stacey Poole at the UL/UK football game this weekend, Rich Brooks and company are hosting some big prospects of their own.

Much has been made about Brook’s new approach to recruiting and the Wildcat’s boast 7 commitments thus far. Now I did recently read somewhere that UK may only have around 18-20 scholarships available (sorry, I lost the link) so every commitment counts. While it appears that Tim McAdoo may or may not be a firm commitment , consider the fact that former UK commits Donte Rumph and Mychal Bailey are planning to re-commit to UK next year, and it appears that the numbers are starting to shrink. Regardless, Brooks still has some big tomatoes to harvest and it appears that this weekend will be a busy time for the football staff and hopefully a commitment or two will follow. Let’s take a look at who will be visiting Lexington.

DERRICK BRYANT – DE

It’s obvious that the DL is a major area that Brooks is aggressively recruiting for and Bryant could very well be the cornerstone of that DL for the next four years. He is THAT good. Bryant, who is 6’4 and 230 has narrowed his choices to four schools: UK, UCLA, North Carolina, and Oregon. He is one of the new breed of quick DE that the SEC is stacked with. Bryant has already made his visit to UK, as he made his official visit on Sunday and came away impressed with his visit:

“It was really nice. My parents and I really enjoyed ourselves. We got to see the C.A.T.S. Center. Kentucky was already high on my list but it did (help them) because I saw how they support the players academically. I got a really good showing from Kentucky.”

Bryant said the trip did improve UK’s standing and he will be visiting UCLA this weekend. He said that a decision should be coming a few days after the UCLA visit.

STORM JOHNSON – RB

Storm Johnson has been an “enigma trapped in a riddle” when it comes to figuring where this guy is going to go to school. In July, ESPN was ready to pronounce Johnson a LSU commit. But that announcement never came. Recent buzz has Florida State as the presumed winner for Johnson’s services. But alas, that announcement has never been made. And now, Johnson, the #6 RB prospect is coming to Lexington for the UL/UK game this weekend. His father, Wes, told Kentucky Ink that “He likes Coach (Rich) Brooks and thinks he’s a great coach. The style they run, he likes that offense. Plus it’s a great school.”

Johnson is a game changer recruit and UK fans have plenty of reason to salivate. Johnson rushed for 230 yards and 4 TD’s in his game on Friday night and also had a 82 yard TD run called back for a penalty. Can you imagine this guy and possible recruit Dyjuan Lewis coming to Lexington next year to play with Hartline, Matthews, and Cobb, and possibly Morgan Newton. Wow. Now I am salivating.

TYLER ROBINSON, TE/DE

Every UK fans knows about UK’s LaGrange, GA pipeline but Tyler Robinson could be the next commit from the Alcoa, TN pipeline. Other Alcoa Tornado alums that have found their way to Lexington are some guy called Randall Cobb and Kyrus Lanxter. Robinson is a solid talent and has the size (6’3, 254) and the ability to play either TE or DE. Robinson has been in steady contact with his former Alcoa mates and says that UK holds a special place for him as they were the first school to offer.

TREVAUGHN BROOKS, RB

Brooks would fill the RB that UK has not had in a few years, that of a big battering ram that can wear a defense down. Brooks, from Florida, is 5’11, 200, and also boasts 4.5 speed. Brooks gave a preliminary look at the type of damage he can do in a recent HS games where he rushed for 243 yards on 30 carries and 4 TD’s. Brooks is getting interest from Arkansas and UCF, but the Wildcats were the first team to offer him.

** Just a quick programming note: We will be trying to do a live football blog for the UK/UL game on Saturday, and look for it to start around 11:30AM. I realize, most people have their pre-game rituals, but if you currently don’t have a live-blog, stop by and hang out. I will stay around for the whole game if even a few fans turn up. It’s better than me screaming at the TV alone and scaring the dog, so I’d rather chat with some Cat fans**

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