With commitments rolling in what seems like every weekend, I wanted to recap the pledges Kentucky has received so far and take a look at how each fits into UK’s roster. I realize that signing day is a long way away and anything can happen, but in this post we will assume that all committed players sign with Kentucky and are eligible to enroll as freshmen. We’ll start with the most recent guys and work back.
Ashley Lowery – 6’1 / 190 – Cleveland, GA
Lowery is a versatile athlete that will probably fit into Kentucky’s defensive scheme as a FS/SS or possibly an OLB. He has adequate speed for either position at this point, but would need to add size and strength if he hopes to move to linebacker. Lowery will come to Kentucky somewhat highly touted despite sporting only one other BCS conference offer (Illinois). He will have the opportunity to play early in UK’s secondary and could see the field as soon as his sophomore or redshirt freshman season at safety because of limited depth at the position.
Nile Daniel – 6’0 / 180 – Griffin, GA
There was little doubt that UK would pursue several WR prospects this year and Daniel looks to fit the position nicely at the college level. He is a multi-sport star at his high school and brings speed and athleticism to the table for the Cats and will be the most agile receiver in this class. He does have some potential at CB but Kentucky looks to have enough depth there to keep him on offense. He is relented enough to warrant offers from West Virginia, Tennessee, Maryland, South Florida, and Arkansas while being recruited by Georgia, Florida, and Alabama. This year, the staff is showing a slight change in philosophy, beginning to recruit natural WR instead of pursuing ATH and QB players to make the switch in college. Daniel will have a shallower learning curve than other players the Cats have brought in recently.
Justin Bean – 6’2 / 195 – Tupelo, MS
Originally a member of the 2009 class, Bean failed to qualify and went to Itawumba CC instead of Kentucky. He recently committed to Kentucky again and will add some depth to the WR class. He is another natural receiver with two years of JUCO under his belt and should be better physically prepared than other WR recruits Kentucky will bring in. If he is prepared physically and mentally when he shows up next summer, he should be a factor in the receiving rotation from day one. Kentucky was his only known D-1 offer.
Daylen Hall – 5-9 / 190 – Louisville, KY
Hall is listed as a CB by most sites, but he actually is more of an ATH prospect. He has the size and speed to play RB or WR as well, but his height might prove to be problematic against taller SEC corners if he is placed at WR. His blazing speed will be his greatest asset no matter which position he lines up at and he will also have some value as a kick returner. He picked UK over Marshall (his only other offer), but had drawn interest from teams such as Notre Dame, Purdue, Cincinnati and Louisville. It is likely that Hall will redshirt his first year at Kentucky.
Christian Coleman – 6’5 / 255 – Milan, TN
When thinking of a couple of prospects in this class that were close to a sure thing, Coleman’s name was likely to come up. Hailing from the same high school as 2010 class member Avery Williamson, Coleman was high on UK from a very early point in the process. Coleman is interesting because he is listed as an OT by Scout and a DE by Rivals and both spots are considered need positions in this class. He has the ability to put on some weight to slide over to DT down the road, but his best college position is probably as a DE. He picked UK over Duke, Memphis and MTSU. Tennessee and Ole Miss had both shown interest. Like most linemen, he’s likely to redshirt his freshman year.
Blake Terry – 6’0 / 235 – Denton, TX
When he committed to the Cats, few fans had heard of him before. He is a short and stocky linebacker in the Qua Huzzie mold from talent-rich Texas. Terry will bring a high motor and a tenacious hitter to the Kentucky defense and will probably fit into UK’s schemes as a MLB or WLB. Kentucky was Terry’s only BCS offer, but schools like Arkansas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Indiana and Mississippi State had shown interest. He is also likely to redshirt his freshman year as the UK staff gets him ready to physically contribute at an SEC level.
Riyahd Jones – 6’0 / 170 – Columbus, GA
I’ll have to admit that I smile every time I see Jones posing in front of the enormous UK logo in the Nutter center. It’s nice t have a highly regarded player from another state getting amped to play for Kentucky and not something the Cats have been used to over the years. People that watched Jones said Kentucky was getting a steal when he committed and his recent performances in the Top Gun camp has gone on to prove those folks were correct. While Jones originally camped with UK as a WR, his offer came the second go-round as a CB and that is likely where he will stick. He has all the physical tools to be a player that contributes early and a solid camp next summer could easily mean skipping a redshirt year. He had received no other offers at the time of his commitment to Kentucky but had garnered interest from several SEC and AC schools.
Terrell Mitchell – 6’6 / 230 – Powder Springs, GA
Another commitment from the 2009 class that failed to enroll at UK, Mitchell went to Georgia Military College and a bevy of UK football followers felt he would be hard or impossible to hold onto. Mitchell surprised a lot of folks by picking UK again this spring and will add a game ready player to the roster when he arrive next summer. With the TE situation at UK less than clear, Mitchell will afford the staff some options as a tall and speedy player at the position, He could very well be Kentucky’s highest rated recruit when all the rankings are final, and could be the top rated JUCO TE in the country.
Clint Tucker – 6’2 ‘ 285 – East St. Louis, IL
Tucker might be the most important player in this class because he fills a position that Kentucky needs desperately. He comes to Kentucky ranked as high as the #26 overall DT in this class and no lower than #45. Tucker will give the Cats some size and strength in the middle of the defense and could see the field very early in his career at UK. As far as anchors for your defense go, there aren’t many better places to start than Tucker. He chose UK over an offer from Kansas and interest from Alabama, Illinois, and Ohio State. His ability to play as a freshman will probably depend on his ability to grasp the defensive scheme early because he’s already got D-1 caliber strength.
Antonio Cannon – 6’3 / 190 – Central, SC
In a string of four days Kentucky grabbed four commitments, capped off by Palmetto state WR Antonio Cannon. Another receiver that has played primarily the WR position throughout his career, he is also a multi-sport star. Cannon is tall and fast with excellent leaping ability and excellent speed for a player his size. His basketball background is another resounding theme amongst the WR prospects in the 2011 class. Cannon chose Kentucky over interest from South Carolina, West Virginia, Clemson, California, to go along with an offer from NC State. Cannon’s ability to play early will probably depend on how Kentucky’s staff feels about the depth at WR, but a redshirt year would do Cannon some good.
Theltus Cobbins – 6’0 / 180 – New Orleans, LA
After failing to grab a QB in the 2010 class, adding Cobbins to the roster will help give Kentucky some depth past Newton and Mossakowski. Cobbins is an athletic QB in the Randall Cobb form, but is a little more polished and a tad less athletic than the current Kentucky standout. If he sticks at QB, Cobbins will provide the UK offense another weapon in the form of his speed and athleticism at the position, but he shows real potential as a CB, FS/SS, or WR as well. He is an under-the-radar prospect who’s only BCS offer is Kentucky despite being ranked as the #23 QB by Rivals. He will probably redshirt regardless of hat position he eventually fins himself playing.
Josh Forrest – 6’4 / 180 – Paducah, KY
Possibly the most intriguing commitment Kentucky has received so far, Forrest is a rare basketball star that chose to pursue his career on the field rather than on the court. He is a big athlete t that can run and jump his way to the end-zone and should provide the Wildcats with a major redzone target. While some sites have indicated Forrest as a TE prospect, he is a little light even for an H-back style TE and will probably fit more comfortably as a WR early in his career. Kentucky was the only school to have offered a scholarship at the time of his commitment despite him receiving some interest from Louisville and Purdue. Forrest will almost certainly need a year or two to acclimate himself to the college game as he is still relatively new to football.
Darien Thomas – 6’3 / 200 – Theodore, AL
While the state of Alabama hasn’t been the pipeline Kentucky would have liked over the last few years, interest in the Cats has skyrocketed amongst the prep players in the state since the hiring of Mobile, AL native Tee Martin to the UK staff and Thomas is one of the first payoffs. He’s physically similar to Antonio Cannon, but has the versatility of being projected at both WR and FS/SS. It appears the intention for Thomas is at WR where he can use his explosive speed to stretch the defense. He is a talented player ranked as high as the #57 WR in the country by ESPN. The Wildcats were the only BCS offer he’s garnered yet, but he’s received some interest from Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, and Louisville. Several factors will play into his chances of playing early but like Cannon, a redshirt season would help him be ready to contribute earlier n his career.
Max Smith – 6’5 / 220 – Van Nuys, CA
When you talk about under-the-radar players, few players fit the bill better than Smith. He played in a high school offensive system that did little to showcase his abilities and went largely unnoticed in his class (2010). After receiving some interest from lower level schools, Smith sent some tape to Kentucky prompting the Cats to offer the QB as a member of their 2011 class in April, before discovering that he was actually classified as a 2010 prospect. Smith is a pro-style passer with a big time arm and NFL caliber measurements for the QB position. He will probably greyshirt this season and enroll at UK at the beginning of the spring semester. If this guys is as good as advertised, he takes an enormous amount of pressure off of UK to bring in a another QB in this class.
Glen Faulkner – 6’2 / 190 – East St. Louis, IL
As news of Faulkner’s commitment surfaced, many fans were not very familiar with him or the fact that Kentucky was even recruiting him. At the time, Faulkner was not very highly rated and his commitment barely made a blip on the national radar. Since March, he has skyrocketed up charts and is now rated as high as the #3 Safety (Rivals) in the 2011 class. He has the size and speed to contribute as a true freshman at a position of need for the Wildcats and if he’s able to grasp the defense early, there’s little doubt he’ll be in the mix for a starting spot by the time his second year roles around. He will be hard to hold onto until signing day because of the inevitable interest from some high profile schools, but Kentucky was the first school to offer and he’s been nothing but loyal to the Kentucky staff. When he arrives on campus next summer, Faulkner has the talent to be one of the best defensive players in recent history for the Cats.
Darrian Miller – 6’6 / 280 – Lexington, KY
It’s been a while since Lexington produced an offensive lineman as highly regarded as Miller and securing his commitment early on could be huge for the staff. He has superb athleticism for an offensive lineman and extraordinarily long arms will help him protect the blind side of which ever QB he is protecting during his time at UK. Miller is athletic enough that he has received some interest as a DE prospect but few would argue that his best chance of continuing his career onto the professional level is tightly tied to him playing OT. Miller picked Kentucky over offers from Alabama, Tennessee and many others, and is ranked as high as the #13 OT nationally (Scout). Making sure they hold onto this important piece of the offensive puzzle is crucial to the UK staff.
Jon Davis – 6’2 / 230 – Louisville, KY
Arguably the best player in the state of Kentucky, Davis picking UK was important to the success of this class. He is considered an ATH-type player that can fill multiple roles for the Wildcats on offense OR defense, but his best positions appear to either be TE or OLB. Based on comments made by Davis and his family, the staff plans on using him similarly to how Jacob Tamme was used as a TE/WR type player that can outrun linebackers and run over defensive backs. Davis is highly rated, ranked as high as the #5 TE in the country (Scout), and is considered an ATH by both Rivals and ESPN. He picked UK over offers from Louisville, Illinois, Purdue, and Stanford. With the type of natural athleticism Davis possesses, he will certainly be a candidate to play as a true freshman.
It’s clear that the remaining focal point of this class should be along the offensive and defensive lines and at linebacker. Kentucky has several high profile players still on their board at these positions including the in-state trio of OL Zach West, LB Lamar Dawson, and DT Jamon Brown. It’s beginning to look like this might be a full class of 25 players for the Cats.
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