Football recruiting update

With the season on hold until next Sunday (when the Cats discover their bowl fate), today provides a good opportunity to take another look at Kentucky’s 2011 recruiting class. In the recent weeks, there has been a ton of movement on the recruiting front and the Cats have offered several new prospects and lost a few committed players as well.

Who’s out…

Blake Terry – MLB – 6’0 / 235 – Dallas, TX
If there’s one position of need everyone can agree on, it’s linebacker. The wildcats lost a couple of reserve players this year and there should be some playing time available for the position. That’s what made the recent news of Blake Terry’s scholarship being revoked so surprising. Hopefully he lands on his feet somewhere.

E.J. May – CB – 5’11 / 175 – Mobile, AL
Kentucky has a class full of WR/CB type players and May was the lowest rated of the group. Recent news suggests May was asked to greyshirt at Kentucky and declined to do so.

Terrell Mitchell – TE – 6’6 / 345 – Powder Springs, GA
Mitchell was reclassified to the 2012 class after leaving his JUCO in Georgia and enrolling in another school in Missouri. He will not be eligible to enroll at any FBS school until at least 2012.

Who’s in…

Eric Dixon – CB – 5’11 / 175 – Mobile, AL
Kentucky added defensive back Eric Dixon a little earlier this month. He’s an athletic playmaker that has the speed to play cornerback, but could also develop into a safety over time.

Demarco Robinson – WR – 5’10 / 170 – Lithonia, GA
Kentucky’s newest commitment is a record setting receiver from Georgia. Robinson has garnered interest from several programs this year and was expecting an offer from home-state Georgia. When the offer didn’t come, he pledged to UK and is believed to be a very firm commitment.

Who’s still committed…

Justin Bean – WR – 6’2 / 195 – Tupelo, MS
Antonio Cannon – WR – 6’2 / 175 – Central, SC
Theltus Cobbins – QB – 6’2 / 190 – New Orleans, LA
Christian Coleman – DE – 6’4 / 255 – Milan, TN
Rashad Cunningham – WR – 6’4 / 200 – Mobile, AL
Nile Daniel – WR – 6’0 / 185 – Griffin, GA
Jon Davis – TE – 6’3 / 235 – Louisville, KY
Glen Faulkner – DB – 6’2 / 195 – East St. Louis, IL
Josh Forrest – WR – 6’4 / 200 – Paducah, KY
Daylen Hall – CB – 5’9 / 170 – Louisville, KY
Riyahd Jones – CB – 6’0 / 170 – Columbus, GA
Shaq Love – DT – 6’5 / 280 – Harriman, TN
Ashely Lowery – DB – Cleveland, GA
Nick Martin – OL – 6’5 / 280 – Indianapolis, IN
Darrian Miller – OL – 6’6 / 275 – Lexington, KY
Max Smith – QB – 6’5 / 225 – Van Nuys, CA
David Washington – DT – 6’3 / 275 – Hampton, GA
Zach West – OL – 6’5 / 300 – Lexington, KY



Who to watch…

Alonzo Harris – RB – 6’1 / 210 – Gadsden, AL
He hails from the same school as current wildcat Dale Trimble. He’s a bruising runner from a powerhouse program in Alabama. He could conceivably play running back, fullback, or linebacker in college. Harris is the type of player Kentucky could really use, because he’s all about bringing the pain to the defense when he’s running. He attempted to give DB coach Chris Thurmond a verbal commitment last week, but was told he needed to wait until he could talk to Joker.

Julius Pendergrass – RB – 5’10 / 185 – Chester, SC
He hails from the same school as current Wildcat Gene McCaskill and is rated by rivals as the #12 all-purpose back in the country. He is believed to be favoring Kentucky heavily at this point, but there’s also speculation that he may struggle to enroll for the coming season. He’s definitely one to keep an eye on.

Troy Gray – LB – 6’2 / 225 – Kennesaw, GA
He hails from the same school as current Wildcat Matt Roark. He’s an athletic linebacker with safety speed that can play any of the three linebacker spots in college. He’s said to be down to Kentucky and Virginia with UK holding a slight lead at this point. Gray should have no trouble qualifying for enrollment.

Devin Lucien – WR – 6’1 /190 – Encino, CA
He hails from the same school as current Wildcat verbal Max Smith. Lucien’s name is relatively new to most Cats fans and he has recently stated that he would like to play with Smith in college. UK already has several receivers on their board, but if one decides to recommit, Lucien might be the first option to replace them. If a current Wildcat receiver decides to leave the program, UK may take Lucien to replace him.

Isiah Norton – DT – 6’5 / 300 – Dallas, TX
It’s never a problem to have too many talented defensive tackles on a team and Norton would immediately become one of the highest rated players in this class were he to commit to Kentucky.

Steven Daniels – LB – 6’1 / 230 – Cincinnati, OH
Kentucky’s need for linebackers could be alleviated by the addition of Daniels. He’s a prototypical player for the Mike position and has the size speed combination to play any of the three linebacker spots. He and his cousin Antonio Poole remain two of UK’s top targets.

Antonio Poole – LB – 6’1 / 215 – Cincinnati, OH
Picking up linebacker Antonio Poole would be a huge “get” for the Wildcats. Poole is an athletic linebacker that would probably excel best in the Will position that Danny Trevathan plays now, but he is also versatile enough to help out in other spots. He could very easily skip redshirting and play right away on special teams next season.

Lamar Dawson – LB – 6’3 / 240 – Danville, KY
The cream of the crop is clearly Lamar Dawson. He hails from the same school as Jordan Aumiller, Jacob Tamme, and linebackers coach Chuck Smith. Dawson also could play any of the three linebacker spots, but would fit best on the strong-side or in the middle. He is one of the top linebackers in the country and right in Kentucky’s back yard. He’s a must-get and his commitment would round out one of the best classes in school history.

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