Kentucky, Tennessee, & Auburn Recruiting

[jbcarol]

Ben Roberts @NextCats  ·  3 hours ago

Kentucky's 21-player recruiting class is ranked No. 34 nationally by Rivals. (Two transfers not counted in class rankings).

UK's three best pre-Stoops classes (in Rivals rankings): 36th in 2006, 41st in 2009 and 50th in 2010. Again, UK now ranked No. 34 for 2015.

[jbcarol]

Brandon Marcello @bmarcello  ·  3 hours ago

Gus Malzahn just compared Kerryon Johnson to Darren McFadden. They expect him to play "right off the bat." Love him in Wildcat.

[Jackrabbit Hog]

Brandon Marcello @bmarcello  ·  3 hours ago

Gus Malzahn just compared Kerryon Johnson to Darren McFadden. They expect him to play "right off the bat." Love him in Wildcat.

Good luck with that, Gus. 

Only one DMac.

[jbcarol]

Chris Low @ClowESPN  ·  22 hours ago

Auburn and Tennessee making huge statements on signing day. Now, we find out if they can make comparable statements on the field

[jbcarol]

Joel A. Erickson @JoelAEricksonAU  ·  1 minute ago

Breaking down Auburn's scholarship numbers, Tigers appear to have 86 after National Signing Day http://s.al.com/cCaVULT

A little math is waiting at the end of every National Signing Day.

Barring any last-minute additions to the class -- and Auburn target CeCe Jefferson, who initially committed to Florida, may still be in play after deciding not to fax his letter of intent to the Gators -- Auburn currently appears to have 86 players on scholarship, one more than the 85-scholarship maximum allowed by the NCAA.

A surplus at this point isn't unusual. A lot of Power 5 teams appear to be over the 85-man limit after National Signing Day, but a team does not have to be back under the limit until training camp begins in August.

And the number can come down for any number of reasons. During the spring and summer months, older players decide to transfer or find themselves forced to take medical hardships due to injuries, and an incoming signee also has to qualify academically.

Three Tigers -- linebacker Khari Harding, wide receiver Dominic Walker and safety Mackenro Alexander -- have already transferred so far this offseason. Other departures could be in the works but not public yet...

[jbcarol]

Jeff Drummond @JDrumUK  · 

2016 WR --> RT @bigross3: Just got off the phone with my new coaches , feels good to be apart officially a wildcat!!! BBN

6-5 220 2016 WR from Phoenix College

[jbcarol]

Brandon Marcello @bmarcello  ·  14 hours ago

Auburn's geographic midpoint on the recruiting trail moving closer to Florida http://ow.ly/IA4jg



Looks close to Albany currently.

[jbcarol]

John Talty @JTalty  ·  12 hours ago

Good read from @JoelAEricksonAU on the philosophy shift that comes with Auburn signing Tim Irvin: http://ow.ly/IMSpS

Tim Irvin's signing represents philosophy shift in Auburn's secondary

When Auburn flipped Tim Irvin away from Texas, the Tigers landed one of Will Muschamp's top defensive back targets and an early enrollee ready to get a head start on the college game.

Irvin's signing also represented something of a shift in recruiting philosophy under Muschamp and new cornerbacks coach Travaris Robinson.

Irvin is listed at 5-foot-9, 190 pounds, a body type similar to departing starter Robensen Therezie, but also a body type the previous coaching staff usually didn't take.

Under Ellis Johnson, Charlie Harbison and Melvin Smith, Auburn put a premium on recruiting tall defensive backs with a lot of length...

"Muschamp, you can look at it, a lot of the guys he produced went to the NFL, such as Earl Thomas, Matt Elam and those guys," Irvin said in a Signing Day interview with Auburn.

Thomas, who played under Muschamp at Texas, has become a three-time All-Pro with the Seattle Seahawks and a former first-round pick, is listed at 5-10, 202 pounds. Elam, a first-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens in 2013...

[jbcarol]

Matt Jones @KySportsRadio  ·  7 hours ago
UK gets Football commitment from 2016 Ohio CB Tobias Gilliam

[jbcarol]

Emanuel bridges @Kashh_Kidd  ·  3 hours ago

After a lot of praying and talking with my family I have decided to decommit from the University of Tennessee.

I apologies to all the Vol nation fans, this wasn't a easy decision. I appreciate all the love you've shown to me.


'16 3-star OLB from Newnan, GA.

[jbcarol]

ESPN SEC @ESPN_SEC  ·  7 minutes ago

Inside the weekend that changed Auburn's 2015 class http://es.pn/1Mj4LNm

There are recruiting weekends, and then there's the recruiting weekend Auburn hosted in January, three weeks before signing day.

"What was it, seven five-star guys? I've never heard of that, anywhere," Malzahn said. "And that was a short period of time with our new staff coming in, new defensive guys. So we feel like in the future, with this staff, we have a chance to do something special."

There were a total of 14 players ranked in the ESPN 300, at least one player ranked in the ESPN Junior 300 and four other 2015 recruits who wound up signing with the Tigers, including four-star athlete Tim Irvin who flipped from Texas to Auburn before he left town.

The headliner was Byron Cowart, the nation's No. 1 player.

Looking back, not everybody from that weekend signed with the Tigers. In fact, they missed out on five of the seven five-stars who were on campus.

[jbcarol]

Ben Roberts @NextCats  ·  16 hours ago

UK football commitment Drake Jackson ... RT @THE_DRAKE_52 Just received an offer from the University of Florida.

Got to love The Drake


Ben Roberts @NextCats  ·  16 hours ago

On the blog: After offer from Florida, top UK football commit Drake Jackson says he'll "always" be all in with Cats http://bit.ly/1zPqKBl

Hate The Drake

A day after UK football commitment Drake Jackson tweeted that he was "all in" with the Wildcats despite a new scholarship offer from South Carolina, another Southeastern Conference rival reached out.

Jackson — a four-star offensive lineman from Woodford County — said Wednesday that he has now received a scholarship offer from Florida. When asked if he is still "all in" with his UK commitment, Jackson left no reason for doubt.

"Always will be," he told the Herald-Leader.

247Sports graded Jackson as the No. 1 offensive player at the Best of the Midwest Camp in Indianapolis on Monday. National analyst Steve Wiltfong wrote that Jackson stood out in a "loaded" group of prospects at the event.

Jackson told the Herald-Leader that he was happy to "keep positive energy" for the UK football program through his performance at the camp. He is the highest-rated commitment in UK's class of 2016 (maybe ever), and he picked the Wildcats in December over scholarship offers from Ohio State, Alabama and Tennessee.

[jbcarol]

AL.com sports @aldotcomSports  ·  3 hours ago
#Auburn extends offer to Tennessee quarterback commit Austin Kendall http://ow.ly/JpFWd

Austin Kendall @A_Kendall11
Auburn University offered! #WarEagle 🔶🔷
11:38 AM - 20 Feb 2015

[jbcarol]

Three-star Ohio running backs commit to Kentucky

UK's football class of 2016 now ranked No. 4 nationally by 247Sports following commitments of Rose & Snell. Miami, Ole Miss, FSU are 1-2-3.

Kentucky landed two more football commitments for the class of 2016 on Monday, continuing the early momentum that has the program off to one of the hottest recruiting starts in the country.

Benny Snell and Asim "AJ" Rose — both three-star running backs from Ohio — announced their commitments to the Wildcats.

Snell was the first to make his commitment public. The 6-foot prospect is from the same Westerville, Ohio, high school that produced offensive lineman Nick Richardson, who was one of UK's top signees in the class of 2014 before redshirting last season.

Rose — a 6-2, 190-pound prospect from the Cleveland area — committed to UK less than 48 hours after wrapping up a recruiting visit centered on last weekend's "junior day" event in Lexington. UK was also the first major school to give him a scholarship offer.

Rivals.com and 247Sports list "athlete" as Rose's position, though UK has been recruiting him as a running back. He plays quarterback for his high school team and combined for 22 touchdowns rushing and passing last season.

247Sports ranks Rose as the No. 33 overall prospect from Ohio.

UK recruiting coordinator Vince Marrow was the primary recruiter for both players, and the Wildcats now have 10 total commitments for the class of 2016, with five of those coming from Ohio.

[jbcarol]

'16 3-star 6-6 240 Springboro, OH TE Justin Rigg gave a verbal to UK.

[jbcarol]

Austin Kendall, a 2016 four-star QB from Waxhaw, North Carolina, committed to Tennessee last August. But after the Volunteers added three four-star QBs in the 2015 class, Kendall is reportedly reconsidering Kentucky. Austin is the little brother of UK walk-on WR Ryan Kendall...

Kendall is the No. 3 pro-style QB in the country and the No. 27 player overall in the 2016 class (Rivals).

He is a four-star prospect according to all four major services.

Scout: No. 19 QB
247 Sports: No. 8 pro-style QB
ESPN: No. 15 pocket passer

[jbcarol]

'16 6-7 215 3-star Worthington Kilbourne TE Dakota Holtzclaw gave a verbal to UK.

Kentucky's second '16 TE verbal from Ohio in the past week.

[jbcarol]

Ben Roberts @NextCats  ·  1 hour ago

NEW: Three UK football commitments in ESPN's latest Top 300 for 2016. Several other UK recruiting targets also listed http://bit.ly/1NgywPg

Three UK football commitments and several other recruiting targets are listed in ESPN's latest Top 300 player rankings for the class of 2016.

Woodford County offensive lineman Drake Jackson leads the way with the No. 157 overall ranking from ESPN. Fellow UK commitments Jordan Griffin (No. 223) and Landon Young (No. 233) also made the list.

All three players are considered four-star recruits.

The Wildcats are still in the mix for several others who made ESPN's Top 300, including offensive lineman Willie Allen (No. 35), defensive back John Broussard (No. 56), defensive back Brenton Nelson (No. 107), linebacker Ethan Tucky (No. 211), quarterback Messiah deWeaver (No. 219) and quarterback Austin Kendall (No. 225).

UK appears to be in an increasingly good position for Ken, Tucky...

Kentucky already has 13 commitments for 2016.

[jbcarol]

Ben Roberts @NextCats  ·  1 hour ago

2016 offensive lineman Luke Fortner has committed to Kentucky. One of the top 40 prospects from the state of Ohio.

Rivals ranks new UK football commit Luke Fortner as the No. 4 center in the class of 2016. (UK commit Drake Jackson is No. 2 on that list).

Vince Marrow now has 9 (nine!) commitments from Ohio for the class of 2016. Fortner and 5 others are considered Top 40 in Ohio by Rivals.

247Sports ranks Vince Marrow as No. 8 recruiter nationally for 2016 so far http://247sports.com/Season/2016-Football/CompositeCoachRankings ... He's No. 2 in SEC http://247sports.com/Season/2016-Football/CompositeCoachRankings?Conference=SEC ...

[jbcarol]

Wesley Sinor @WesleySinor  ·  3 hours ago
4-star RB Elijah Holyfield visiting #Auburn this weekend.

RT @EH_taught_me #WDE

[jbcarol]

AL.com sports @aldotcomSports  ·  7 hours ago

#Auburn's Gus Malzahn battling Michigan's Jim Harbaugh for elite lineman EJ Price | http://ow.ly/K5r7f 

Auburn and Michigan remain on top for four-star offensive tackle EJ Price.

Saturday marked the sixth time Auburn has hosted the Archer (Lawrenceville, Ga.) standout, but he has yet to visit the campus at Ann Arbor.

He said Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn told him he could held fill a void on the offensive line in 2016 as a true freshman.

"(Malzahn) broke down the depth chart and let me know they have two tackles right now that will play probably their last year and end up going to the NFL," Price said...

[jbcarol]

Auburn quarterback target Austin Kendall de-commits from Tennessee

Quarterback Austin Kendall de-committed from Tennessee this morning, opening the door for other programs to recruit the four-star prospect.

The 6-foot-2, 205-pounder at Cuthbertson High in Waxhaw, N.C. shared the news on his Twitter account...

Kendall had been committed to the Volunteers since August and will reportedly consider Auburn, Florida, Kentucky and Michigan going forward.

Kendall's older brother is a walk-on receiver at Kentucky. Florida has yet to offer.

Kendall is ranked as the nation's No. 8 pro-style quarterback in the 247Sports Composite.

[jbcarol]

Ben Roberts @NextCats  ·  1 hour ago

UK's newest football assistant Andy Buh ... RT @jenheraldleader Buh said he'll be recruiting southeast portion of Georgia & New Jersey area.

[jbcarol]

Ben Roberts @NextCats  ·  3 hours ago

NEW: National analyst @rivalsmike says UK in good shape w/ 4-star QB Austin Kendall. "They definitely are the leader" http://bit.ly/1wyWSyz

Austin Kendall currently ranked as #3 QB and #27 overall by Rivals. He'd be UK's highest-ranked commit in Rivals era

[jbcarol]

Michael Carvell @Carvell_AJC  ·  Mar 18
Would an SEC school really encourage a top prospect to visit a rival to recruit other players? Hmmmm. http://on-ajc.com/18ZqRoc

Preston Williams, arguably Tennessee's top signee for this year, took an official visit to Auburn shortly before signing day.

Williams is a senior from Lovejoy High School, and he's the state's highest-rated WR prospect in more than five years, so the stakes were high.

You may have heard some of what happened on that Auburn visit last January because it was all over the Internet — Williams was asked to leave early "because he showed up wearing nothing but Tennessee apparel and was actively recruiting other visitors to join him at Tennessee."

"I can assure you that we had nothing to do with that," Tennessee coach Butch Jones told the AJC a few days ago. "You know, we did not even mention that to him.

"You know, I think what happened is that Preston developed an affinity and passion for Tennessee football. And individuals in the recruiting process sometimes want to take other visits. He elected to do that. And that was all him."

To me, it seems kind of risky for any college to encourage one of its top recruits to visit any other campus – simply because your player could end up liking it too much. But it sure makes for fun topic of conversation. College football recruiting can truly be wacky, and anything can and does happen.

[jbcarol]

 Ben Roberts @NextCats  ·  Mar 29

Confirmed that 6-9 offensive/defensive lineman Calvin Taylor has been added to UK's class of 2015 as a scholarship player.

Rivals lists new UK commit Calvin Taylor as a 2-star O-tackle. Cats recruited him as a possible defensive lineman.

Here's a blog post on UK's new football commitment for 2015 (includes video) http://bit.ly/1xN2nud

[jbcarol]

 Wes Rucker @wesrucker247  ·  15h 15 hours ago

A 2016 WR prospect from Louisiana committed to #Vols today: http://bit.ly/1BYS4y8

Junior wide receiver Corey Henderson (Shrevport, La./Evangel Christian Academy) took to Twitter to announce his verbal commit to Tennessee.

[jbcarol]

 Wesley Sinor @WesleySinor  ·  Mar 30

4-star LB Daniel Bituli 'deciding between Tennessee and Auburn' | http://ow.ly/KZoT4 

[jbcarol]

Ben Roberts @NextCats  ·  18h 18 hours ago
Top UK quarterback target Austin Kendall: "I would say Oklahoma (is at the top) right now." https://auburn.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1753648 ...

[jbcarol]

Ben Roberts @NextCats  ·  18h 18 hours ago
Top UK quarterback target Austin Kendall: "I would say Oklahoma (is at the top) right now." https://auburn.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1753648 ...

4-star Cuthbertson QB Austin Kendall gave a verbal to OU.

Kentucky, Tennessee, and Auburn had been recruiting Kendall the hardest from the SEC.

[jbcarol]

Ben Roberts @NextCats  ·  17h 17 hours ago

2016 quarterback Gunnar Hoak picked up an offer from UK today. He's in town for a campus visit. No. 35 QB in the class.

[jbcarol]

 John Talty @JTalty  ·  15h 15 hours ago

Auburn OL Tyler Pritchett tweets he's committed to UNC today.

[jbcarol]

'16 Bergen Catholic QB Jarrett Guarantano gives a verbal to Tennessee in Times Square.

Jarrett Guarantano @Guarantano18  ·  1h 1 hour ago

Excited to announce that I'm attending the University Of Tennessee ! 🐶🔶 #VolNation #GBO #VFL http://ble.ac/1DICDjk 

[jbcarol]

 Dustin Dopirak @TennesseeBeat  ·  16h 16 hours ago

If you haven't seen this yet, here's the story on how the Times Square Jarett Guarantaro video came to be. http://www.knoxnews.com/govolsxtra/football/jarrett-guarantanos-announcement-was-high-tech_61104249 ...

Dustin Dopirak @TennesseeBeat  ·  22h 22 hours ago

When it comes to celebrating recruiting victories without explicitly identifying players, Tennessee's staff uses every inch of leeway.

Butch Jones @UTCoachJones  ·  22h 22 hours ago

#WhatsNext #BrickByBrick



GoVols247 @GoVols247  ·  23h 23 hours ago

Top247 QB Jarrett Guarantano (@Guarantano18) commits to #Tennessee #Vols: (FREE) http://bit.ly/1FTeMjh 

[jbcarol]

 John Talty @JTalty  ·  16h 16 hours ago

Auburn QB target Jawon Pass RT @Puma_Blessed2: Ran into Hall Of Famer Michael Irvin at A-Day !

[jbcarol]

 Ben Roberts @NextCats  ·  Apr 19

NEW: Three-star quarterback Gunnar Hoak commits to Kentucky (includes full 2016 commitment chart plus video of Hoak) http://bit.ly/1J04UFn

Scout.com  ranks new UK commitment Gunnar Hoak as the No. 35 QB in the class of 2016. UK's 16th commit for 2016 (11 from Ohio).

[jbcarol]

 Wesley Sinor @WesleySinor  ·  15h 15 hours ago

Auburn wants running back Elijah Holyfield to commit now | http://ow.ly/LVYtt 



Trying to back prospect into a corner?

[NoNC4Tubs]

Wesley Sinor @WesleySinor  ·  15h 15 hours ago

Auburn wants running back Elijah Holyfield to commit now | http://ow.ly/LVYtt 



Trying to back prospect into a corner?

If he spends a weekend down here, he will be blackmailed him into committing.......

Cyrus Kouandjio says hello!

[jbcarol]

 John Talty @JTalty  ·  20h 20 hours ago

No surprise, but Spanish Fort LB Tre Threat has committed to Auburn. Nice pickup for the Tigers.

[jbcarol]

 Josh Ward @Josh_Ward  ·  4h 4 hours ago

The Rock on Tennessee's campus: (via @PaytonMarie03)

[jbcarol]

Wes Rucker @wesrucker247  ·  2h 2 hours ago
#Vols get their first commit of the day, and from a world-class name: Brodarious Hamm: http://bit.ly/1HE9B5K 

Four-star OL commits to #Vols during visit for spring game: (FREE) http://bit.ly/1IXfWbe

[jbcarol]

 Wesley Sinor @WesleySinor  ·  Apr 25

Former Auburn lean Brodarious Hamm commits to Tennessee | http://ow.ly/3xMbdW

[jbcarol]

 Michael Carvell @Carvell_AJC  ·  1h 1 hour ago

RT @AlPopsScouting #Tennessee Vols have offered 2019 (8th grade) ATH Owen Pappoe of Gwinnett County ... http://youth1.com/football/1271805813-2019-elite-101-member-owen-pappoe-picks-tennessee-offer ...

[jbcarol]

'16 3-star Leeds ATH TaDarryl Marshall gave a verbal to Tennessee.

[jbcarol]

Michael Carvell @Carvell_AJC  ·  4h 4 hours ago
2019 ATH from Grayson (Ga) got 1st offer from #Vols --> RT @therealkwat Owen Pappoe also received an offer from Miami today.

[jbcarol]

 Michael Carvell @Carvell_AJC  ·  2h 2 hours ago

FYI: Preston Williams will leave this morning to enroll in classes at Tennessee #Vols for May: http://on-ajc.com/1DYftSH

5-star refers to Nick Saban's personality as being like "sandpaper"

Preston Williams, who is rated as one of the nation's top 10 receivers for 2015, will get a head start to his college career.

The Lovejoy High School standout told the AJC that he is leaving on Monday to enroll in classes at Tennessee for the shortened May session.

What's the funniest thing any coach said to you during the recruiting process? "Coach Butch Jones told me that I was smarter than him because I scored higher on the ACT than he did..."

Which non-Tennessee coach was the nicest? "Urban Meyer. He is cool people. I like Coach Meyer. But Ohio is just not my area." Which coach maybe wasn't as nice? "Nick Saban. Me and him don't relate. We don't click. We have two different personalities, so I never saw myself playing at Alabama. I'm more of a family-type person. I'm talkative and I laugh. He's more like sandpaper. He's a good coach. He's just traditional and old school. I'm more new school and stylish."

[jbcarol]

 Michael Carvell @Carvell_AJC  ·  14h 14 hours ago

Now that's cool RT @RyanCallahan247 #Vols' @UTCoachJones wish #FSU commit happy birthday:

[jbcarol]

Will Sammon ‏@oanewspreps

Central's John Broussard chooses Auburn over LSU, Mississippi State http://www.oanow.com/sports/high_school/_football/article_9f6ba9d4-f4c3-11e4-ba21-63c8ab688deb.html ...

4-star CB

[jbcarol]

 Ryan Callahan @RyanCallahan247  ·  May 7

Four-star OT @Isaiah_Stokes, younger brother of Jarnell Stokes, drawing early offers



Tennessee and Ole Miss are on the list

[jbcarol]

 Michael Carvell @Carvell_AJC  ·  12h 12 hours ago

Auburn has 'Georgia on its mind' in recruiting http://on-ajc.com/1FX7JFh