Kentucky Wildcats Football: Solid Not Spectacular

Yesterday Mark Stoops and his staff wrapped up their third recruiting class since coming to Kentucky.

It was one wrought with twists, turns, hills and valleys but at the end of the day Kentucky got better with this class. It wasn’t the star-studded collection that many expected but there are solid pieces to build for the future. The class finished ranked in the 30s amongst the major recruiting services, which is a bit of a letdown after an expected top 25 finish. But where this class lacks “stars” it makes up for it in size and speed, two areas that Kentucky has long seemed to lag behind SEC competition. Out of 23 signees, only two were shorter than six feet tall and both of them make up for it with playmaking speed. The Wildcats added three cornerbacks who are at least 6’3 , ditto for wide receivers. The shortest member of the class, running back Sihiem King, runs a legit 4.4 forty and his film looks reminiscent of UK’s Stanley “Boom” Williams high school tape. The early enrollees already look physically ready to play, one can only imagine what they will look like by the Fall. The linemen added are a solid group, with a couple of stars in the making. Offensively George Asafo-Adjei is one of the most physically impressive guys on campus and he just got there last month. Hopefully he gets the opportunity to redshirt, playing true freshmen on the offensive line is rarely a recipe for success. On the defense fellow early enrollee Kengera Daniel is one of the most impressive freshman Kentucky has signed in the recent uptick in recruiting. The coaches say that they will start Daniel out playing Bud Dupree’s role, but he looks like he will outgrow it. The junior college transfers have a ton of upside. Mississippi State wanted Miggins badly. And one only had to look at DJ Eliot’s face to see that he feels that UK stole Alvonte Bell. Kentucky also made sure to add playmakers to the mix. The running back, King, was a WVU target under Dawson and was ultra productive in the top classification in Georgia. He scored 22 touchdowns in the state playoffs alone. Wide receiver Jabari Greenwood will stretch the field vertically while 6’6” Therell Gosier can be a weapon in the red zone. Slot corner Kei Beckham recorded nine interceptions as a senior. Five of them went for touchdowns. Safety commit Marcus Walker has kick return ability in addition to being a ballhawk. CJ Conrad finally gives Kentucky a playmaker that the tight end position has been missing since Jacob Tamme. So, loads of potential in this group. It’s hard to pick one and say that he will be the best of the bunch. This is a class where the majority will redshirt, which is exactly what Kentucky needs. Freshman contributors look to be Conrad, Daniel and probably a receiver and a defensive back. Otherwise the rest can sit and develop for a year. With the likelihood that Kentucky makes a bowl game this season they will also get additional practice time. Kentucky missed on several immediate impact targets but salvaged the class by adding size and depth.