Forget national signing day, the second of August might have been the most exciting day in UK recruiting for some time. I put out an update earlier of four new commitments to the UK program and since then, it looks like the Cats have added two more. For those of you keeping track, here’s an update with some notes on each guy…
Tyrone Pearson – DT – 6’3 / 270 – Louisville, KY
Rivals: 3-Star
Scout: 3-Star
ESPN: 3-Star
247: 3-Star
The Skinny: Late last week, rumblings started growing that Pearson would choose a school very soon and would pick between Kentucky and Louisville. He had previously committed to Louisville twice and UCF once before backing out all together shortly thereafter. He tweeted this morning that he has decided on Kentucky and claims that this commitment is solid. Pearson is a big, tough defensive tackle prospect that should be able to help Kentucky immediately and is rated as high as the #36 defensive tackle in the country. The only question marks left for him are his ability to stay committed to the Cats and his ability to gain eligibility. There does seem to be some debate as to his commitment status though, as ESPN and Rivals both have yet to list him as a Kentucky commitment. If he does indeed join the 2012 class, he will have picked Kentucky over reported offers from Alabama, Arkansas, LSU, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Stanford amongst others.
Daniel Ross – DE – 6’5 / 275 – Louisville, KY
Rivals: Not Rated
Scout: 3-Star
ESPN: Not Rated
247: Not Rated
The Skinny: most that follow UK recruiting thought it was just a matter of time before Ross cast his lot with the Cats. He’s been high on Kentucky for some time and despite the fact that three of the four major scouting services have yet to rate him, Scout thought highly enough of him to rank him as the #65 overall defensive end in the country. There is a little uncertainty as to Ross’ weight (some sites list him at 240), but most recent reports indicate that he has bulked up much closer to 280. With the new defensive schemes Kentucky is looking to use, Ross is the ideal guy that can slide in to play tackle in four-man fronts, or kick out to defensive end in three-man looks. Similar to Pearson, there are supposedly some concerns with his ability to gain admittance to school, but unlike Pearson, there seems to be no question about his commitment status. Kentucky is his only known offer and has been on him from the beginning.
T.J. Jones – OT – 6’5 / 280 – Myrtle Beach, SC
Rivals: Not Rated
Scout: Not Rated
ESPN: Not Rated
247: Not Rated
The Skinny: For all intensive purposes, Jones came out of nowhere to commit to the Cats today. Actually, he is kind of coming out of nowhere for a lot of fans in general. He has yet to be rated by any of the recruiting services and has parlayed a couple of solid camp performances into being recently added to the recruiting databases. While fans were paying attention to other offensive line targets, Jones quietly came to Lexington for one of Kentucky’s “Blue Lights” camps and impressed enough to score an offer. He joins an already stacked offensive line class and is the only player that is projected as a tackle by all the different recruiting services. He chose the Wildcats over an offer from ECU, but was getting interest from several other SEC and ACC teams.
Landon Foster – K – 6’2 / 180 – Franklin, TN
Rivals: Not Rated
Scout: Not Rated
ESPN: Not Rated
247: Not Rated
The Skinny: It’s pretty rare that a team will keep multiple kickers on scholarship, but it appears that that is just what Kentucky plans to do. It’s not clear whether sophomore-to-be Joseph Mansour is headed for placekicking or punting duties, but it’s a pretty safe bet that Foster will head to the other one. Don’t look into the ratings too much here though, because most services don’t rated many specialists if they rate them at all. Kentucky’s coaches must have felt like he was a real talent if they thought he was deserving of a scholarship, and that’s all you really need to know with this one.
Jadarius West – CB – 5’9 / 170 – Riverdale, Ga
Rivals: 3-Star
Scout: 2-Star
ESPN: 3-Star
247: Not Rated
The Skinny: As more information comes to light, it looks like West has attempted to commit, but his pledge has not been accepted just yet. He’s been high on the Wildcats for some time and despite his interest, he has had to push his visit back several times. Tonight, BBK reported that the staff has scheduled a meeting to discuss him and he has to get his transcripts in before he will be accepted into the 2012 class. If he ends up being added to the class, he’ll instantly become one of the most athletic members of the group. If everything works out, West would be a great addition to the class and should wrap up the recruitment of the defensive backfield.
Langston Newton – DE – 6’4 / 240 – Carmel, IN
Rivals: 3-Star
Scout: 3-Star
ESPN: 3-Star
247: 3-Star
The Skinny:Just about everyone could piece together that Langston is the little brother of Kentucky QB Morgan Newton, and if there’s any doubt, just look at his pictures. Newton is a big and powerful defensive end prospect that has great speed for his size and might even get a look at outside linebacker when UK goes to a three-man front. While no official word has come out on his commitment, Brian Eldridge hinted that a move could be forthcoming for Newton, which makes sense after the Wildcats picked up two defensive line commitments today. He was recently offered an opportunity to participate in track & field at UK in addition to his football scholarship offer.
So there’s a recap to help you kick start your day. Of course there will be some changes between now and national signing day, but it’s really starting to look like the Wildcats will be building the 2012 class from this inside out on both sides of the ball. I have to give kudos to Jeff Drummond, Chris Fisher, Aaron, Steve Jones, and of course Brian Eldridge at all the different sites that follow UK football. These guys have done a great job of keeping fans updated on what was one of the busiest days in football recruiting I can remember.
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