One thing you can't fault Will Stein for is swinging for the fences.
Upon arriving from Oregon, he went out and tried to land the best players at nearly every position. He got a lot of talented players on campus that not a lot of people had faith Kentucky could reel in. And he delivered. He landed CJ Baxter, Coleton Price, Lance Heard, and Kenny Minchey.
But when you fish in the deep end, there are going to be some big ones that snap the line. Here are the fish that Will Stein just couldn't reel in.
Leavitt was the No. 1 or No. 2 ranked QB in every recruiting service once it became clear he was entering the portal. The former Arizona State Sun Devil is an elite talent, and while there were medical concerns with his foot, Stein didn't seem too concerned.
He spent three days on campus with Stein and the staff, and things looked promising. But ultimately, he found his way to Lane Kiffin and LSU, much like another Kentucky QB target, Landen Clark. It stings to lose a guy after a multi-day visit, especially when he ends up in the SEC, but competing with LSU for QB1s is a battle Kentucky has to be willing to fight.
This is one that probably hurt the most. With Leavitt, Kentucky was able to pivot quickly to Kenny Minchey and get him on campus immediately. With Moore, it was much more drawn out.
Kentucky desperately needed to land a big-time wide receiver, something they failed to do last season. Moore took his time, visiting Lexington and keeping the Cats in the mix until the very end. But Colorado and Deion Sanders eventually won out. During the long wait, Kentucky lost out on other key targets like the next name on this list.
One thing Will Stein's offense is known for is short passes that turn into long touchdowns. For that to happen, you need guys on the perimeter who can make a house call at any given time.
Simmons fits that mold perfectly with electric quickness and moves. But while Kentucky was holding its breath waiting for Moore, they missed out on Simmons, who committed to Texas Tech.
WIll Stein is still working the portal magic
Kentucky got a lot of the players they wanted, but those three guys stand out as big "what ifs" in a crazy portal season. However, Stein isn't done yet.
He plans on hosting more guys as soon as the dead period ends today. Currently, Southern Utah's Shane Carr and former LSU Tiger Nic Anderson are scheduled to be on campus before the portal closes Friday.
Remember: The players do not have to commit by Friday; they just have to be in the portal by then.