Kentucky Wildcats Football: Weekend Recruiting Notes

Nov 24, 2012; Knoxville, TN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats running back Raymond Sanders (4) is tackled by Tennessee Volunteers defensive back Jaron Toney (35) during the game at Neyland Stadium. Tennessee won by a score of 37 to 17. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

We are entering that time of the year where everything in college sports slows down. With UK baseball struggling, all we really have is likely softball. And I certainly wish those ladies luck, but don’t get any channels that they might be broadcast on, so I can’t really get into their post-season like other sports. So that leaves recruiting. In my case football recruiting of course. That being said, there aren’t any hard-hitting stories developing right now, so here are some newsworthy tidbits:

• Ohio DB Mike Edwards could decide this week. Edwards has been high on the Wildcats for a long time and was rumored to have committed at the Spring Game. But he wants his parents to sign off on any decision he makes and they are finally coming to Lexington on Monday. If Edwards is still as interested in being a Cat as before, a good visit between his parents and the staff could yield another big-time Ohio player for Kentucky and Vince Marrow.
• Another Ohio DB who will be announcing soon is 4* Darius West. West has plans to announce on 5/30 and most feel that Kentucky is in the driver’s seat. Marrow is on this one hard and so are the other Kentucky commits. Drew Barker apparently plans on making the two-hour drive to see West announce, no pressure. West and Edwards have recently played some games on Twitter, asking Kentucky fans how badly they want the other one, while at the same time talking about plans to play together in college.
• Speaking of defensive backs for a minute, I thought I’d point out one of Kentucky’s recruiting strategies. Everyone expected Stoops to sell his Florida State defenses and the numerous FSU guys to be drafted this year, but the thing that so many DB recruits keep bringing up is that Stoops has coached a whopping 11 first-round DBs. That list includes the likes of Ed Reed and Sean Taylor.
• A day after Kentucky got a commitment from Kobie Walker, 3* LB Chris Frey chose Michigan State over the Cats. Kentucky didn’t offer Frey a scholarship until he was already on his Michigan State visit, and while I like that they decided to mark their territory, they likely waited too long. If Frey had a Kentucky offer two weeks ago he would be a Cat. As far as the rumor that Walker essentially took Frey’s spot in this class, Kentucky would have gladly accepted Frey had he chosen them. He had a committable offer.
• With Barker’s decision to wear blue and white, Kentucky is likely to land at least two more  4* wide receivers to go with Thaddeus Snodgrass. The real question is which ones? Barker is close with Snodgrass, North Carolina’s Braxton Berrios, Ohio’s Derek Kief, and South Carolina’s Blake Bone. He plans on recruiting 4* Florida WR Artavis Scott at an upcoming Rivals camp, to the point that Barker is rooming with Scott at camp. Indiana WR Dominique Booth could also be a consideration.
• Offensive line will be a priority in this class. Barker had some concerns after watching Bud Dupree and Za’Darius Smith run wild in the Spring Game, so he has been recruiting some big guys to take care of him when he plays. Kentucky has been in on several Ohio players on the line, which is a good plan as the state probably produces lineman better than any other. None of the targets look close to committing yet, but Jarett Larubbio and Brady Taylor have Kentucky near the top of their lists.
• I just want to take a moment to remind people not to get too high or too low with early Summer recruiting news. All of the guys that Kentucky has on board right now are great players who can really help raise the talent level in Lexington. That being said, football recruiting doesn’t stop until the ink dries on the paper and the numbers say Kentucky won’t actually sign all of these guys next February. Now there is only one commit that I think could waffle down the road, as these other guys seem committed to playing together and building something. That’s a strong draw.  But I also want to tell you not to get too down if Kentucky misses on some guys that they are after right now. Every year the recruiting board changes drastically between Spring and Fall. Partly due to guys who have already committed, or committed elsewhere, or new prospects are identified during the Summer camp circuit. It’s safe to say that as much as half of the class that actually signs in February will consist of guys you haven’t even heard of yet.