Kentucky Wildcats Basketball grabs a couple of #1 preseason rankings

Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Mark Stoops had an interesting “two for one” situation last week in which he got commitments from the Dowell Twins yet lost Alex Stump. Although the loss of Stump hurt, national analysts feel that Kentucky still came out ahead.

"Rivals.com national analyst Mike Farrell says the Cats got the better end of the deal. “I think the Dowell brothers were more important to what Kentucky needs to do,” Farrell told the Herald-Leader. What UK needs to do, Farrell says, is stockpile defensive talent. Rivals.com ranks both Dowells as four-star prospects and among the top 15 players from Ohio in the class of 2015. They play multiple positions in high school, but both are projected as defensive backs in college — Andrew at safety and David at cornerback. “I think they’ll both be hard-hitting defensive prospects, and I think that’s where Kentucky needs to shore things up a little bit, on the defensive side of the ball,” Farrell said. “Offensively, (Mark Stoops) has been getting some speed. He’s got some talented guys. I think defense is going to be what wins in the SEC consistently. So I think there’s a need to shore up that side of the football, and obviously those two guys are huge gets from Ohio.” Farrell called Stump an “overachiever” who is sure-handed and an excellent route-runner. “(He) does everything well.”"

Oct 11, 2014; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats quarterback Patrick Towles (14) celebrates with teammates after throwing a touchdown pass against the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks in the first half at Commonwealth Stadium. Kentucky defeated Louisiana-Monroe 48-14. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

Mark Stoops has gotten credit for taking Kentucky recruiting to a whole new level, but there are a lot of players on this team that Joker Phillips recruited as well. Stoops has done a great job of combining the two groups and making them a family as well as a 5-1 team.

"Go two deep on Kentucky’s depth chart and there are a dozen reasons that Stoops melded the two groups. Many of Phillips’ former recruits are big-play guys for the Cats — players like quarterback Patrick Towles and four of the five starters on the offensive line. Half of UK’s defensive line starters are holdover players — defensive end Bud Dupree and Mike Douglas. And much of the Cats’ secondary — Cody Quinn, Fred Tiller, J.D. Harmon, Ashely Lowery. All of them were Phillips guys developed further and brought along by Stoops’ staff. “The guys that were here before we came, those are our leaders,” offensive coordinator Neal Brown said. “You talk about Darrian Miller, Jordan Swindle. You talk about Bud Dupree. Those guys.” Maybe that blending of families didn’t show in the wins and losses last season, but Brown said it showed in the Cats’ locker room. “He stands in front of this group and says, ‘There is no my guys. You’re all Kentucky Wildcats. You’re my guys. Whether I recruited you or I didn’t recruit you, you’re my guys,” Brown recalled. Defensive coordinator D.J. Eliot has seen Stoops do this at previous coaching stops. “It’s not ‘my guys’ and ‘the old guys,'” Eliot explained. “As soon as he walks on campus, ‘You’re my guy.’ Everybody’s a part of the program, no matter who recruited you or how long you’ve been here.” Much of it is just Stoops’ personality, Brown said."