On the defensive side of the ball we have a slew of linebackers that plan to attend, lead by local product Eli Brown. Eli is a 6″ 2 ” 192 lb. outside linebacker from Bowling Green, Kentucky and is the 7th best outside linebacker in the country and 98th overall best football player. Eli was, at one time, committed to Vanderbilt but has since de-committed and is open to Kentucky. He currently holds offers from Kentucky, Ohio St., Vanderbilt and Western Kentucky.
Joining Eli will be Ohio Inside Linebacker Nick Conner. Nick is 6′ 3″ 215 lb. and listed by Rivals as the 7th best inside linebacker and the 223rd best overall player. Nick likes Kentucky a lot and sees a need at his position. He believes he could play immediately. He currently holds offers from Boston College, Cincinnati, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Pitt, West Virginia and others.
Others who may attend at the linebacker position are David Long, CJ Stalker and Anthony McKee, all from Ohio. David and CJ are inside linebackers and McKee is an outside linebacker. Anthony is a near four star player as evaluated by Rivals and holds offers from Kentucky, Arkansas, Boston College, Georgia Tech, Tennessee, West Virginia and many others. He is the 16th best outside linebacker in the country.
If the coaching staff could secure verbals from some of these guys it would go a long way in shoring up their need at the linebacker position. There are other great linebackers out there that have interest in Kentucky but I don’t know if they will attend this weekends festivities. 4-stars Justin Hilliard and Richard McBryde would be be a great combination to go along with Eli Brown and Nick Conner. Of course that may just be wishful thinking on my part but I will not ever count out this staff. They have a real solid base and “know how” for recruiting.
Another big time target who is expected to be at Junior Day this weekend is 4-star defensive end Darius Fullwood. Standing at 6′ 5″ and weighting 245 Lbs., Darius is rated as the 20th best strongside defensive end in the country who hails from Olney, Maryland and holds a 4.0 GPA. His current offers include Kentucky, Alabama, Florida St., Georgia Tech, Miami (Fl.), Ohio St., Penn St. and many others. Darius is being recruited by coach Tommy Mainord and is building a good relationship with him. Darius is also teammates with current 2014 commit, Kobie Walker. Kentucky is in good position with Fullwood. Check out Darius’ Junior highlights below.
Defensive back is another position of need and the coaching staff has already received two verbal commits in Montrell Custis, a 6′ 0″ 185 lb. 3-star out of Hampton, Georgia and Marcus Walker, a 6′ 0″ 175 lb. 3 – star from Lake Wales, Florida. I don’t know if they have plans to be here this weekend or not but it would be great to have them here for Junior Day and help the coaching staff recruit.
Kei Beckham is another DB who may attend and he is high on the Cats. Kei is from Trotwood, Ohio and is rated as a high 3-star corner.
The biggest DB to visit Junior Day this weekend is Marcus Lewis A cornerback out of the District of Columbia, Washington. Marcus is 6′ 1″ 180 lb. and is rated as the #9 best corner in the country as well as the 68th overall player. I haven’t heard much chatter about Marcus so I don’t know where Kentucky sits with him yet but I hope they make a really good impression this weekend. Marcus has offers from some of the top programs in college football to include Kentucky, Ohio St., Florida, Florida St.,Clemson, Michigan St., Notre Dame, Virginia Tech and many others. I’m sure before it’s all said and done, more will join his list.
So, all in all, this is going to be a HUGE weekend for the coaching staff. They will have their work cut out for them but I am confident that they can continue to improve UK’s status in the recruiting world. I won’t say we will definitely get a verbal this weekend but, I could also see it happening. Once this staff gets a guy on campus, there is no telling what can happen. Good luck to the coaches and lets keep our fingers crossed UK Fans.
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