Even with no offer, Jonah Bolden has Kentucky Wildcats basketball in Top Six

Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

Make no mistake about it, the future of Kentucky Wildcats football is bright.  And Kentucky still has more than pride to play for.  With a win over either Georgia or Tennessee, Mark Stoops would become the first UK coach since Bear Bryant to have a better overall record and SEC record in his first year than the previous coach.  And it certainly appears that Mark Stoops has not given up on this season yet.  

"He discussed that future in its various phases, including recruiting progress for the 2014 class and beyond. But Stoops was quick to note that he thinks Kentucky can still make plenty of improvement with its current roster in the final two games, starting Saturday at Georgia. “I want to win now,” he said when asked how many recruiting classes it might take to turn UK’s fortunes around. “I want to win this week. I think we’re putting together a good football team. I love their attitude, and I love their work ethic.” Stoops said Kentucky’s struggles on the field this season, which include losing six of its last seven games, haven’t hurt recruiting efforts for the 2015 class. “I feel very good about it, really,” he said. “A lot of good things are happening that way. I feel good about the recruiting. I feel great about the leadership of the ’14 class. I feel like hopefully there’s some good news here in the next couple weeks that will give us some momentum for ’15 and beyond.” Have these first eight games helped Stoops pick out the places where Kentucky needs the most help? “The short answer is we need help in all areas,” Stoops said. “I think we’re going to continue to do that and recruit extremely hard. “I feel very good about the way things are going in ’14 and off to a good start in ’15. Makes me very optimistic about the future.” The coach again mentioned finding playmakers on the offensive end, noting that he was pleased to see seven or eight explosive plays against Vanderbilt and he’d like to see that number continue to rise."

It’s true that Stoops has played a lot of freshman this year, but the players that he has redshirted show a ton of promise and potential.

"“(Offensive lineman) Ramsey Meyers is a guy that’s a big, physical guy. That’s a nasty guy that we need inside … is a guy that jumps out at me right away,” Stoops said. “Regie Meant, again, a big guy, mean guy that I like on the D‑line. Those are — I think all of our linemen that we’re redshirting are going to be good players.” Stoops said it is a “balancing act” to use players immediately because of need and redshirting players to give them extra time to develop. “I think some players understand that they need to redshirt and they’re okay with that,” Stoops said. “Some players are good enough to come in and play. You and I both know to say that you’re going to fill a whole team and win a whole bunch of SEC games with a bunch of freshmen is hard to do, but I think you can definitely sprinkle in some to make a big difference. “I think you’re already seeing that this year, the improvement, and now you put some more on top of that and let these guys grow up, and you have to find that balance.”"