Kentucky Wildcats Football: It’s time to look to the North

Chapter IV: The Solution

Moving forward, it appears that the recruiting efforts in the northern states are ramping up, but there are certainly obstacles to overcome.  The state of Kentucky does not have the best reputation amongst our neighbors to the north and many of them still view us as racist, straw chewing, shoe-less hillbillies that are hell bent on bedding our kin.  While I find this amusing (ever driven through central Indiana or central Ohio?), it remains a stigma that has been tough for Kentuckians to break outside of the sports world, much less inside of it.  In addition, most of the kids in the states to our north are brought up believing that the Big10 is the way to go and convincing these players to cross the Ohio river has been tough.  Competing with talent-rich schools like Michigan, Ohio State, Notre Dame, and Penn State has seemed like an insurmountable task that was better avoided than taken on.  But now, a new era in college football has arrived and the prestigious programs of the past have fallen on hard times.  Michigan only has a portion of its former luster and has limped to a 35-28 record over the past five seasons amidst three different coaches.  Notre Dame has fared even worse with a 32-31 record and multiple coaching changes as well.  Ohio State is coming off of one of the biggest scandals of the decade and is in rebuilding mode with their third coach in two years.  On top of all of that, Penn State has a scandal that puts the Buckeyes to shame and has lost their only coach since Lincoln was in office.  The north is officially ready for plucking and the competition has weakened significantly.  Outside of the big four schools, the remaining competition is teams like Wisconsin, Minnesota, Indiana, Purdue, Illinois, Rutgers, West Virginia, Syracuse, and other mid-tier Big10, ACC, and Big East schools.  If there was ever a time to pounce, it’s now.  The additions of Defensive Coordinator rick Minter and defensive backs coach Mike Cassity should be huge here, as both have extensive ties to recruiting grounds in these states.