Kentucky Wildcat football recruiting: Pike vs. Towles
By Paul Jordan
Looking way ahead, Kentucky is likely going to return three scholarship quarterbacks in 2012. Morgan Newton is the presumptive starter for the 2011 season and barring a record setting year, he is unlikely to leave school early. He should return for the 2012 season as a senior. Maxwell Smith enrolled at Kentucky early and will participate in spring practices this year before heading into his freshman season. He will also be returning in 2012, likely as a sophomore. Theltus Cobbins is slated to show up this summer and should be a freshman this fall as well. There’s always the potential for Cobbins to move to receiver or defensive back, but for today, I’ll keep him as a quarterback. Considering his shoulder injury and him not being scheduled to show up until the summer, I assume the plan is to redshirt Cobbins, which makes him a freshman again in 2012. That means the Cats will need some help at the quarterback position again in the next recruiting class.
Luckily, there is no doubt that the state of Kentucky will have the most talented group of high school senior quarterbacks coming through this fall in a long time, and quite possibly ever. The 2012 class will include Rowan County’s Adam Wing, Middlesboro’s Chase Roark, Daviess County’s Zachary Cox, Elizabethtown’s Kyle Todd, Scott County’s Benjamin Lawler, Dixie Heights’ Zeke Pike, and Highlands’ Patrick Towles. While all of these guys are great prospects, Towles and Pike are the jewels of the class.
It is extremely unlikely that Kentucky signs both players and the Cats will probably have to choose which guy to go after. Pike is the more heralded of the two. He’s 6’4 and weighs in at 220 pounds and has cannon for a right arm. Pike also has the ability to hurt defense with his feet, and has the size and speed to put up some major rushing yards along with anything he puts up through the air. He’s the best player on a mediocre team and his abilities pushed his Dixie Heights team to more wins than the probably should have had. Pike is the model quarterback for a spread option attack and will be a major coup for whoever gets him. The only problem with going hard after Pike, is that he now holds a scholarship offer from over 40 schools and the list grows daily. Kentucky will have to beat out teams like Florida, Auburn, USC, Alabama, and Georgia to have a shot at Pike and he’s reportedly not a natural UK fan. His upside is immense, but the competition will be too.
Going after Towles is in no way a consolation prize. While he hasn’t garnered some of the publicity that Pike has, Towles is making quite a name for himself. The 6’5 senior comes from one of the most prestigious programs in Kentucky and has been a winner his entire career. He’s run a pro-style offense and has the mobility to give his offensive coordinator the freedom to get creative with his playbook. Towles can run and throw with the best of them and has already received offers from Louisville, Cincinnati, and Illinois with Notre Dame and Kentucky on the verge of offering at any time. He’s also reportedly been a Kentucky fan growing up and is really anticipating an offer from the Cats.
So what do the Wildcats do? Go after Pike and hope they can get one of the top rated quarterbacks in the country? Or do they focus on Towles and get a guy that’s not as highly regarded, but fits their offensive system better and is/was a fan of the program?
My vote is to give up on Zeke Pike and go hard after Patrick Towles. Pike is talented and is a very special player, but he has no connection to the Kentucky program and doesn’t really fit the Kentucky offense either. Towles has a prototypical pro-style body and arm. He’s a winner that’s been a part of a dynasty at Highlands High School, and he’s currently being tutored by former Cat Jared Lorenzen. He has all the intangibles you look for in a quarterback and could be the type of player a program can build around. With Morgan Newton, Maxwell Smith, and Theltus Cobbins returning, there will be no need to throw Towles into the fire as a freshman and he can sit out and learn from former Wildcat quarterback Andre Woodson, who’s recently been added to the staff.
So BBN, who would you rather Kentucky go after?
Zeke Pike (#14)
Patrick Towles (#8)
Keep following www.http://wildcatbluenation.com for the best in Kentucky basketball and football news, rumors, and opinions. By Kentucky fans for Kentucky fans