Kentucky Football: 10th Ranked Class in 16'

You don’t have to tell me. I already know that it’s “way too early”. But it’s still cool right?

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Mark Stoops now holds the 10th best recruiting class in the class of 16′ per 247Sports above teams such as Oregon, USC, and even Alabama (Yes, we are actually in front of Bama in something to do with football). And although it is WAY too early to say where we will be at come next February, we do have some pretty impressive recruits coming in.

One of the big reasons for the early success in next years class? In-state talent. 4 of the 7 current commits are coming from in the state of Kentucky, a place not usually known to produce top-level talent.

247Sports has more on the 7 commits that have the Cats in the top 10:

"CB Jordan Griffin (6-foot, 170)Jonesboro (Ga.)In 2014, Kentucky started their class with a commitment from 4-star cornerback Montrell Custis of Georgia. History repeated itself in 2015 with the commitment of 4-star cornerback Jordan Griffin. Opposing quarterbacks would not even throw in Griffin’s direction at the Rising Seniors game in Georgia. The defensive back has a great attitude and has worked for all that he has received.WR Zy’Aire Hughes (6-foot-1, 180)Paducah (Ky.) McCracken Co.Hughes is raw as a wide receiver but very gifted athletically. The talent played quarterback, defense, running back, wide receiver and everything else for his high school team last fall. When he is able to focus on the receiver position, the speedster will soar. He reminds me of freshman Thaddeus Snodgrass a bit at this stage.OL Drake Jackson (6-foot-2, 288)Versailles (Ky.) Woodford Co.Jackson is the highest rated recruit in the class after choosing the home town school over offers from Alabama, Ohio State, Tennessee and others. The lineman brings a lot of toughness and an aggressive attitude to the position. He will be the anchor of what is expected to be a great offensive line in the coming years.CB Davonte Robinson (6-foot-1, 165)Lexington (Ky.) Henry ClayRobinson is a guy that UK would like for less people to know about because when his highlights start getting around, a lot of schools are going to be interested. He is a 4-star caliber player. He’s quick, fast and has great size. Kentucky has a steal in this young man.WR Kayaune Ross (6-foot-5, 220)Phoenix College (Ari.)Ross was originally tied to the 2015 recruiting class but the JUCO-SEC rules forced him to push back his timeline. He is on pace to enroll early. After signing three wide receivers over 6-foot-3 in 2015, the Cats are off to a quick start in 2016 with Ross. A native of Ohio, Ross is excited about the opportunity to play close to home.ILB Roland Walder (6-foot-3, 220)Dayton (Ohio) Trotwood-MadisonWalder is a teammate of 2015 signee Kei Beckham. He visited a handful of times before he committed and fell in love. When he got his offer, it was only a matter of time before he jumped on board. UK has added depth at the linebacker positions in these last few recruiting classes and they are adding a guy athletic enough to return kicks in Walder.OT Landon Young (6-foot-7, 270)Lexington (Ky.) LafayetteYoung has held an offer and been committed to Kentucky for a long time now. The 4-star is athletic for his size and will be a big part of the offensive line in the future. With two in-state 4-star players already on the board and solid, Kentucky can turn their attention to building one of the best offensive line classes that they have ever had. In 2007, Kentucky signed four offensive linemen from the state of Kentucky (Billy Joe Murphy, Stuart Hines, Phillip Hibbard and Brad Durham). UK may not take four from the Bluegrass State in 2016 but the group they add will have more talent at the top."

Needless to say, this is a make or break year for Mark Stoops in terms of wins and losses. He must produce on field with the talent already on campus. Years before he has always been able to sell playing time and a program on its way up in the SEC to recruits. Now he must make true on one of those statements, and it certainly won’t be playing time with the depth that he has built through earlier years recruiting. We all know what happens when you skid 6 games to end the season (see week before signing day).

Let’s all just take a step back and realize that Kentucky currently holds the 10th best recruiting class in 2016. Have we ever been that high for anything in football?

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Kentucky Football: 10th Ranked Class in 2016

By Ethan Conger | Feb 9, 2015