New Kentucky Football Recruits on the Radar
Dec 2, 2012; Lexington , KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Stoops spoke with reporters with Athletic director Mitch Barnhart (left) and University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto (right) at the Nutter Field House. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports
Mark Stoops is already making waves on the recruiting trail, and there are recruits that are looking at Kentucky that may have not in the past. Let’s look at some of them and where they stand with Kentucky.
James Quick- Four Star Wide Receiver out of Trinity High School, Louisville Kentucky. It’s pretty much a three team race for Quick, and two teams are the favorite. Quick is seriously considering Louisville, Ohio State and Oregon. Neal Brown is making a late push for Quick, but a commitment to Kentucky seems extremely unlikely. Experts predict that Louisville will win out over the Buckeyes.
Jason Hatcher- Four Star Defensive End out of Trinity High School, Louisville Kentucky. Hatcher has a verbal commitment to play for USC, but that commitment seems to be a little softer than it has in the past. Neal Brown visited Hatcher, and he plans to take an official visit to Kentucky. Hatcher will also take official visits to Tennessee and Louisville. My money is on Hatcher sticking with the Trojans, but the fact that Brown talked him into an official visit is encouraging for the future.
Ryan Timmons- Four Star Athlete out of Franklin County High School, Frankfort Kentucky. Timmons has been on Kentucky’s radar for some time now, but there is a push to secure a commitment out of him. It may be between Kentucky and Ohio State for Timmons. If OSU lands James Quick, then Timmons to Kentucky would be a safe bet. If not, then UK will have a battle on their hands. But the excitement of Stoops and the lure of being a hometown hero may give the Wildcats some momentum. Timmons has already taken an unofficial visit and will make an official visit in January.
Kyle Bolin- Three Star Quarterback out of Lexington Catholic High School, Lexington Kentucky. Bolin has been a solid verbal to Louisville for a long time and has been open about his hatred of the Wildcats on twitter. That didn’t stop Stoops from extending an offer to the kid. Many view it as a sign that Stoops is not afraid of going head to head with Charlie Strong. Expect Bolin to remain a Cardinal.
Steve Borden- JUCO Tight End Transfer. Borden has already graduated from a Junior College in Texas and wants to attend a Division I school. He is 6-3, 250, a big boy by any stretch of the imagination. According to reports he has Kentucky as his #1 choice over Texas Tech. He took a visit to Lexington and fell in love with the place. His dad just happens to be professional wrestler Sting.
Ra’Shaad Samples- Four Star Wide Receiver out of Skyline High School, Dallas Texas. Straight from the hot bed of high school football recruits comes Ra’Shaad Samples. He has offers from Texas, Arkansas, Kansas State, Ohio State, Notre Dame and a host of others. He is committed to Oklahoma State as of now, but was recruited hard by Neal Brown, formally of Texas Tech. Samples is now considering Kentucky. Samples gave multiple shout outs to Big Blue Nation on Twitter and was shocked that UK fans were so passionate about football. Do we have a chance? Stay tuned.
Anthony Siciliano- Unranked Quarterback out of Winter Springs High School, Orlando Florida. Anthony is being recruited by Mississippi State, Florida State, Wisconsin, Oregon, and Nebraska, among others. Kentucky just picked up on the 2014 QB and he has agreed to do a recruiting journal for our website. Hopefully that gives an inside track on where Anthony decides to go. He is only 5-11, but he has a cannon for an arm.
Many of these players will end up playing somewhere other than Lexington, but the fact that they are considering Kentucky after a two win season is impressive. Stoops and Brown have brought a renewed excitement to the world of recruiting.