Kentucky Wildcats, Florida Gators top SEC Basketball recruiting classes

Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

Mark Stoops is currently doing a great job on the 2015 class, but the 2016 class is looming to be even more important for the Commonwealth of Kentucky prospects. There is a great class of in state prospects in 2016 and it will be very interesting to see Stoops and Bobby Petrino battle for them.

The current staff has proven since their arrival that they will be competitive for every in-state recruit. When Stoops arrived in December of 2012 he had less than two months to National Signing Day 2013. In that time he convinced Jason Hatcher and Ryan Timmons to turn down suitors such as USC and Ohio State, respectively, for an opportunity to build something at UK. Stoops did miss out on offensive tackle Hunter Bivin to Notre Dame, receiver James Quick to UofL, and cornerback Ryan White to Vanderbilt; though, the subsequently insane success of the 2014 signing class suggests if Stoops & Co. had more time they probably could have at least won over White and Bivin the year prior.

In 2014 UK convinced Matt Elam and Drew Barker to go to UK instead of heading to Alabama and South Carolina respectively. Stoops has made it more difficult for big-time programs to pluck Kentucky’s best recruits, and has put distance between UK and UofL at the local level.

Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

And now we know what SEC foes that 2016 class will play … and beyond. The SEC just released a list of the SEC West opponents that will appear on UK’s future schedules. Here is more from a SEC press release.

"BIRMINGHAM, Alabama – The Southeastern Conference on Monday announced a 12-year rotation of non-division opponents for SEC football schedules through 2025. The athletic directors re-confirmed the rotation at their May meeting following the decision to continue playing an eight-game conference schedule, to include six games against division opponents and two games against non-division opponents. One of the non-division opponents will be a permanent annual opponent and the other non-division opponent will rotate each season. Monday’s announcement pertains to the rotating non-division opponents. The rotation begins with the 2014 season and concludes with the 2025 season. Schools will play all permanent opponents on a home and away basis beginning in 2014. Schools will not play their non-divisional rotating opponents in back-to-back seasons to allow for schools to play all conference members on a more frequent basis. Also, the rotation of teams in the first six years of the 12-year cycle is not identical to the rotation in the second six years in order to maintain four home games and four road games per season for each school."

Here is who Kentucky will be playing.

KENTUCKY – 2014 at LSU; 2015 vs. Auburn; 2016 at Alabama; 2017 vs. Ole Miss; 2018 at Texas A&M; 2019 vs. Arkansas; 2020 at Auburn; 2021 vs. LSU; 2022 at Ole Miss; 2023 vs. Alabama; 2024 at Arkansas; 2025 vs. Texas A&M.
(Permanent opponents in 2014: Home – Georgia, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, Mississippi State; Away – Florida, Missouri, Tennessee. Sites alternate home and away through 2025.)