Will Stein has been an absolute madman on the recruiting trail.
We detailed the massive blitz of offers he sent out the second he took over the head coaching job in Lexington. He hosted a massive wave of Junior Days in January, and from all indications, he made an incredibly strong impact on the kids he brought to campus.
Now? Those visits are starting to translate into real recruiting momentum.
Case in point: Four-star Alabama standout Braden Gordon just announced his top five, and the Kentucky Wildcats are officially on the list.
Braden Gordon is an incredible 2-way athlete
Most recruiting services currently project Gordon as a linebacker at the next level, but calling him just a linebacker is a massive understatement. He is an incredibly versatile, top-350 national prospect who does absolutely everything for his high school team.
Just take a look at his combined varsity statistics over the last two seasons. The numbers are absolutely video-game caliber:
- Over his last 25 games, he racked up 1,359 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns on 84 catches, while adding another 743 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground, averaging over seven yards a carry.
- On the other side of the ball, he recorded 115 total tackles, a staggering 31 tackles for loss, and 21 total sacks.
When you have a guy who can dominate on offense while simultaneously living in the opponent's backfield on defense, you do whatever it takes to get him in your locker room. Stein's open, position-less philosophy is a perfect fit for an athlete like Gordon.
The competition
Kentucky is not going to have a walk in the park to land him. Along with the Wildcats, Gordon's other finalists are Auburn, Georgia, Florida Tech, and Miami (FL). Beating out programs like Georgia and Auburn for a kid in SEC country is the ultimate test of a coaching staff's recruiting chops.
So, when will the Cats find out if they reeled in the elite athlete?
“I haven’t made a clear timeline," Gordon said regarding his recruitment process. "But I’m going to commit when I know.”
If Will Stein and his staff can get Gordon back on campus for an official visit this spring, Kentucky has a very real chance to pull off a massive recruiting heist right out of the state of Alabama.