Kentucky, Tennessee, & Auburn Recruiting

[jbcarol]

Kyle Tucker ‏@KyleTucker_CJ 33m33 minutes ago

New Story || Landon Young will be UK football's first Rivals 5-star signee. Just the Cats' second Rivals 100 guy. http://www.courier-journal.com/story/sports/college/kentucky/2016/01/18/young-becomes-uk-footballs-first-rivals-5-star/78970134/ ...

By their highest ranking, UK's top-rated recruits ever: No. 9 Micah Johnson, No. 12 Landon Young, No. 21 Matt Elam.

Of note, Tim Couch/Dennis Johnson were USA Today national players of the year but predated Internet star rankings.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Landon Young's week of practice for and performance in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl clearly turned a lot of heads, as the University of Kentucky pledge has now earned five-star status from two major recruiting services in a matter of days.

The latest distinction comes from Rivals.com, which on Monday elevated the 6-foot-7, 300-pound Lafayette High School lineman to the No. 3 offensive tackle and No. 29 overall prospect in the Class of 2016. That boosted the Wildcats' class to No. 20 nationally, ahead of the likes of Miami, Oregon, TCU and Oklahoma. UK has never signed a Rivals five-star recruit.

"Young has always looked the part of a five-star," national analyst Mike Farrell wrote on the site Monday, "and he was easily the best offensive tackle on the West team at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl."

Young would become just the second Rivals top-100 recruit to sign with Kentucky, according to the site's database, which dates back to the Class of 2002. The only other was defensive end Micah Johnson, who was No. 36 overall in 2006.

[jbcarol]

Matt Jones ‏@KySportsRadio 10h10 hours ago

Kash Daniel bumped up to a 4-star by Rivals http://bit.ly/1nj8kLJ

Future UK offensive lineman Landon Young's been stealing the headlines lately for earning a fifth star from 247 Sports and Rivals, but today, his future teammate Kash Daniel got some love from Rivals as well. Rivals upgraded Kash from a three-star prospect to a four-star prospect this morning...

According to Rivals, Kentucky's 2016 class now includes one five-star player (Landon Young) and four four-star players (Daniel, Griffin, Tate Leavitt, and Drake Jackson). The class is currently ranked 19th in Rivals' Team Rankings, although those haven't been updated to reflect Kash's new four-star status.

[jbcarol]

Michael Carvell ‏@Carvell_AJC  39m39 minutes ago
Tennessee recruiting mailbag: Why are the Vols down in national rankings? http://sec.news/1OxL5pP

The Vols are ranked No. 24 in the nation with 16 commitments. However, Tennessee still has at least 10 top-flight prospects remaining on its board...

Fewer scholarships have been discussed aplenty so let's leave that be.

First, Tennessee's coaching staff is at a crossroads. The Vols can't convince prospects to come to Tennessee for early playing time because there's not much to be had.

ennessee's coaching staff hasn't proven it can win at a high level. Sure, the Vols beat Georgia and have handled South Carolina under coach Butch Jones, but can they beat Florida and Alabama? Tennessee's coaches must still answer difficult questions about how they blew three double-digit leads last season.

The Vols are in between selling early playing time and selling championships.

[jbcarol]

Matt Jones ‏@KySportsRadio  7h7 hours ago
4 star 2017 TE commit Charles Reeves has decommited from Kentucky

[jbcarol]

Patrick Brown ‏@patrickbrownTFP 16m16 minutes ago

Patrick Brown Retweeted Happy New Quez

Marquez Callaway commits to Tennessee.

Tennessee's 2016 class now includes four wide receivers: Callaway, Jeff George, Corey Henderson and Brandon Johnson.


Happy New Quez
‏@CallawayMarquez

This is my commit😁

[jbcarol]

Jimmy Hyams ‏@JimmyHyams  20h20 hours ago
UT will have 3 official visitors this weekend: OT Ryan Johnson (UT commit), DT Chris Daniels of Texas, ath. Latrell Williams (Miami commit)

LB Daniel Bituli of Nashville will not come due to weather. He will reschedule for next weekend.

[jbcarol]

Keith Niebuhr ‏@Keith247Sports  12h12 hours ago
The $15K fundraising goal 4 #Auburn commit Tashawn Manning-who has cancer-was met tonight...

[jbcarol]

Jon Hale ‏@JonHale_CJ 5h5 hours ago

New Story | Four-star CB Jordan Griffin reiterates commitment to UK http://cjky.it/1OJFooM

Four-star CB reaffirms commitment to UK after Auburn visit.


LOB_1@WhyNot_JG

It truly is a blessing to be at this point of my life🙏!! It has been a crazy experience, but I am Committed to the University Of Kentucky🔵⚪🔒


JaelenGreene2️⃣2️⃣@DreamChaserJae

@WhyNot_JG i thought u been committed to them bro?


LOB_1 ‏@WhyNot_JG 4h4 hours ago

@DreamChaserJae @WhyNot_JG I was .. Auburn was coming at me strong

Griffin is one of five UK commitments rated as at least a four-star prospect by Rivals.com, which ranks him as the No. 15 cornerback in the class.

[jbcarol]

Carlin Fils-aime ‏@cboystunna3 13h13 hours ago

Having a great time with such great people. Tonight is really a special night😁😄. #GBO #VolNation #CMG



Great in-home visit photo. He approves:

[jbcarol]

Freddie Maggard ‏@FredMaggard 4h4 hours ago

Freddie Maggard Retweeted CoachingSearch.com

Important to Kentucky. Top priority JUCO DL JJ Holmes scheduled to visit Mizzou this weekend.


CoachingSearch.com
‏@coachingsearch

Missouri DL coach Chris Wilson has left for an NFL job: http://bit.ly/14IQx2Y

[jbcarol]

Ben Roberts ‏@NextCats 13h13 hours ago

UK has three O-line commits ranked 4 stars or higher by Rivals. No other school in the country has more (with chart) http://bit.ly/1Qw3IuY

[jbcarol]

Michael Carvell ‏@Carvell_AJC 4h4 hours ago

Breaking down a huge official visit weekend for Tennessee http://sec.news/1OUHGS7

[jbcarol]

Defensive lineman T.J. Carter is now ranked by ESPN as a high three-star prospect, one day after committing to the University of Kentucky.

Carter — a 6-foot-4, 250-pound defensive end from Mableton, Ga. — did not have a star ranking from any of the major recruiting services when he committed to UK on Thursday night. On Friday, ESPN assigned him a "77" grade, which makes him the 11th-highest-rated player in the Wildcats' 25-man recruiting class of 2016.


Rivals.com, Scout.com and 247Sports have yet to give Carter a star ranking.

[jbcarol]

Tyler Byrd's official visit to Tennessee didn't provide many answers to his recruitment, at least publicly.

"You will have an answer soon about everything," the 6-foot, 194-pound receiver from Naples (Fla.) High School told SEC Country on Sunday after his official visit to Tennessee.

Byrd said he enjoyed the visited but when asked if anything specifically stood out, said "Nope."

Byrd said he'll have a final decision on his college choice in a "day or so". Byrd is close friends with Tennessee running back commitment Carlin Fils-Aime. If the Vols have a chance to land Byrd, Fils-Aime will be key.

When asked last week by SEC Country about his relationship with Fils-Aime, Byrd said, "It will affect it, but at the end of the day I have to go where it's best for me."

[jbcarol]

Wesley Sinor ‏@WesleySinor 60m60 minutes ago

Safety Daniel Thomas playing 'numbers game' with Auburn http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2016/01/safety_daniel_thomas_playing_n.html ... @gamechanger021

Daniel Thomas left Auburn's campus Sunday without an offer, but things could change very quickly for the safety at Robert E. Lee in Montgomery.

The 6-foot, 190-pounder took his official visit to the Plains this weekend and indicated the Tigers are still weighing their options with other prospects before they extend him a scholarship offer.

"Just got to wait and see," Thomas said. "It's a number game, somebody's waiting around, but I'm good regardless... There ain't no doubt that I can play, it's a numbers game. They got here late and the had already offered out too many scholarships and it wasn't their fault so I'm just going to be patient. Wherever God takes me I'll be happy with that."

Auburn continues to push for four-star prospects Nigel Warrior and Stephen Davis Jr. at safety down the stretch. Thomas is ranked as a three-star prospect and the No. 98 safety in the 247Sports Composite.

Auburn is recruiting him to play safety and Nickel. He also hopes to get an opportunity to return kicks if he ends up on the Plains. He is also considering Clemson, Maryland, Minnesota and North Carolina. He took his official visit to Minnesota Thursday.

[jbcarol]

Ben Roberts ‏@NextCats 5h5 hours ago

On the blog: UK's top football target in the class of 2017 visited Alabama yesterday http://bit.ly/201crrq

Lafayette offensive lineman Jedrick Wills took an unofficial visit to Alabama this weekend.

Wills — a 6-foot-4, 315-pound prospect — is UK's top recruiting target in the class of 2017...

Alabama, Florida State, Notre Dame and Ohio State are among several major programs that extended scholarship offers to Wills, who is ranked by Rivals.com as the No. 3 offensive tackle and No. 15 overall prospect in the class of 2017.

[jbcarol]

Michael Carvell ‏@Carvell_AJC 17m17 minutes ago

How other first-year coaches fared in recruiting http://sec.news/1Q6Y7Zn

Butch Jones, Tennessee

When hired: Early December, 2012

2013 class rank: 24th nationally, 10th in SEC, per 247SportsComposite.

How it actually turned out: Some very good players (QB Josh Dobbs, OLB Jalen Rreeves-Maybin, CB Cam Sutton, OL Dylan Wiseman), but a few busts as well, notable receiver Marquez North, the highest-rated member of the class. Jones didn't inherit a good roster at all – the Volunteers were coming off three straight losing seasons – so in the short time Jones had he decided to take some chances. The group included no five stars and just four stars. Despite that, plenty of contributors are around who helped get Tennessee to nine wins this season.

Mark Stoops, Kentucky

When hired: Late November, 2012

2013 class rank: 41st nationally, 13th in SEC, per 247Sports Composite.

How it actually turned out: It hasn't born much fruit yet. Nobody from the class made first or second team All-SEC this past season, and the Wildcats have gone 2-10, 5-7 and 5-7 over the group's time in Lexington. Jojo Kemp, a three-star recruit, was the team's second-leading rusher this year, with 555 rushing yards and six touchdowns. The highest-rated recruit, defensive end Jason Hatcher, hasn't put it together yet, recording four sacks and 11 starts over three years. But junior college transfer Za'Darius Smith was productive in his two years at Kentucky, and was drafted in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL draft.

[jbcarol]

AL.com sports ‏@aldotcomSports 4h4 hours ago

Here's what has to happen for #Auburn to land a top 5 recruiting class: http://ow.ly/XMg6b 

Seventeen players, including nine four-star recruits, have committed to Auburn, but at least one player is waffling (three-star defensive end David Marshall) as coaches host three recruits this weekend with the expectation to grab four to five more commitments between today and national signing day.

The four major recruiting services rank Auburn's class anywhere between ninth and 15th nationally...

There is also a slight possibility -- with a  few upsets on signing day -- Auburn lands in the top five with a pair of 5-star commitments: defensive tackles Derrick Brown and Rashan Gary.

[jbcarol]

Primer on Kentucky football's 2016 recruiting class

Rivals.com is currently highest on the UK football class, ranking it 22nd nationally. 247Sports has the class in the top 25 at 24th nationally. ESPN (31) and Scout (34) are more conservative. The 247Sports Composite, which averages the ratings of the four major recruiting services, ranks the class 32nd nationally.

Three of the four highest rated recruits according to Rivals.com are offensive linemen. The nucleus of the class is also built around former Kentucky high school stars.

One of Kentucky's most obvious deficiencies in 2015 was its pass rush. Hope for immediate help in that department from the 2016 class rests primarily on junior-college outside linebacker Jordan Bonner, who will not enroll until the summer.

[jbcarol]

Wesley Sinor ‏@WesleySinor 60m60 minutes ago

Safety Daniel Thomas playing 'numbers game' with Auburn http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2016/01/safety_daniel_thomas_playing_n.html ... @gamechanger021

Brandon Marcello ‏@bmarcello 19h19 hours ago

Auburn recruiting class is "full," and coaches are unable to offer a scholarship to DB Daniel Thomas http://www.al.com/auburnfootball/index.ssf/2016/02/auburn_full_unable_to_offer_sc.html ...

Brandon Marcello ‏@bmarcello 19h19 hours ago

OT Tyler Catalina, a Rhode Island grad transfer, was offered a scholarship by Auburn today, per his brother.

Brandon Marcello ‏@bmarcello 17h17 hours ago

Source: Auburn has not yet extended a scholarship offer to Tyler Catalina, an offensive tackle grad transfer http://www.al.com/auburnfootball/index.ssf/2016/02/auburn_offers_scholarship_to_g.html ...


Derek Tyson Verified account
‏@DerekTysonESPN

Nate Craig-Myers: "After talking with coach Fedora, it's 50-50." The ESPN 300 WR is down to Auburn and North Carolina.

[jbcarol]

Ben Roberts ‏@NextCats 8h8 hours ago

Lafayette offensive tackle Jedrick Wills has received an offer from LSU. He's UK's top 2017 target. Visited Bama last weekend.

[jbcarol]

Bruce Feldman ‏@BruceFeldmanCFB 10h10 hours ago

CB Tyler Byrd announces that he is going to #Tennessee not #Miami. Byrd was one of our immediate impact FR guys: http://foxs.pt/20gZ9ww

[jbcarol]

Jon Hale ‏@JonHale_CJ 2m2 minutes ago

UK appears to have avoided the rash of late defections that plagued the 2015 class http://cjky.it/1nDvgVp

On the eve of 2016 Signing Day, Mark Stoops and his staff appear to have avoided the rash of defections that saw six recruits leave the 2015 class in a span of eight days.

"These kids have been very loyal to us," defensive backs coach and co-defensive coordinator Derrick Ansley said. "They've gotten a lot of opportunities where they can go to a lot of places, and they haven't really batted an eye."

Rivals.com currently ranks Kentucky's 2016 class No. 24 in the country. It includes the first player in program history rated as a five-star recruit by Rivals and six other prospects rated as four-star prospects by at least one of the major recruiting services.

Five-star offensive tackle Landon Young, four-star center Drake Jackson and four-star linebacker Kash Daniel were each named to the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.

[jbcarol]

Nigel Warrior picks Tennessee

[jbcarol]

ESPNU ‏@ESPNU 58m58 minutes ago

Nate Craig-Myers (#2 WR, #37 Overall) chooses Auburn over North Carolina.

[jbcarol]

Brandon Marcello ‏@bmarcello 4m4 minutes ago

Drama: OT Tyler Catalina, offered a scholarship today by Auburn, announced by Iowa State as a signee. Brother says it's "not accurate."


Iowa State Athletics Verified account
‏@CycloneATH

ICYMI: Tyler Catalina @Tycat72 will join #cyclONEnation! #CyningDay16 #AStormIsBrewing

[jbcarol]

Derrick Brown picks Auburn

School: Lanier High (Buford, Ga.)

Position: Defensive tackle

Height/weight: 6-foot-4, 317 pounds

Brown could make an immediate impact at defensive tackle. He's big enough and was a star on the all-star circuit. One of the nation's top five players at his position

[HyperDrive]

Daniel Thomas ended up signing with Auburn today after Warrior signed with Tennessee.

[NoNC4Tubs]

ESPNU ‏@ESPNU 58m58 minutes ago

Nate Craig-Myers (#2 WR, #37 Overall) chooses Auburn over North Carolina.

It co$t them a lot too...

[jbcarol]

Bailey Hockman
‏@B10aileyhockman

Visits coming up:
Auburn: February 16th... North Carolina: February 17th... FSU: February 25th... Tennessee: March 5th👣🏈🏹💯

Keith Niebuhr ‏@Keith247Sports 56m56 minutes ago

Keith Niebuhr Retweeted Bailey Hockman

2017 4-star QB

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/EFTfootball/status/700347681139531776

[jbcarol]

Keith Niebuhr ‏@Keith247Sports 18h18 hours ago

Little brother of @CameronNewton --- Caylin Newton --- among visitors at #Auburn today



http://247sports.com/Player/Caylin-Newton-67427

'17 3-star Grady ATH

[jbcarol]

Just four days after naming a top 10 that included five SEC options, a coveted four-star cornerback passed on all of them and committed to Oklahoma instead.

Trajan Bandy listed Alabama, Auburn, LSU, South Carolina and Tennessee in his top 10

[NoNC4Tubs]

Keith Niebuhr ‏@Keith247Sports 18h18 hours ago

Little brother of @CameronNewton --- Caylin Newton --- among visitors at #Auburn today



http://247sports.com/Player/Caylin-Newton-67427

'17 3-star Grady ATH

Well, his brother can buy him a laptop...

[jbcarol]

SportsTalk ‏@sportstalksc 2h2 hours ago

#STRecruiting:  DB LeAnthony Williams Jr. of Roswell, GA announced a commitment to Clemson this afternoon.  http://rvls.co/LWDecision

Class of 2017 Rivals100 four-star cornerback LeAnthony Williams took to the streets in his hometown of Atlanta to make known [his choice of Clemson over Florida, Georgia, Notre Dame and Tennessee].

[jbcarol]

 Michael Carvell ‏@Carvell_AJC 6m6 minutes ago

Auburn 'neck-and-neck' with Tennessee for linebacker Chandler Wooten http://sec.news/23lo1Vm

Tennessee was the clear-cut leader for Chandler Wooten just a few days ago.

But following his visit to Auburn on Saturday — in what proved to be his final visit for the nex (sic) few months — the three-star outside linebacker said he no longer has a front-runner.

Wooten unofficially visited Knoxville twice in March.

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/Carvell_AJC/status/719922847825715201

Trey Sermon holds 32 reported offers, but only six teams are left standing for his services.

The four-star running back from Sprayberry (Marietta, Ga.) High School released a Top 6 via Twitter Tuesday, and four SEC teams are in contention. Auburn, Georgia, Tennessee and Florida are all battling for the nation's No. 9 RB, along with Oregon and Oklahoma.

The 6-foot-1, 215-pounder also added that he plans to announce his commitment by September...

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/Carvell_AJC/status/744907725923037184

This past weekend provided a flurry of commitments for SEC schools, most notably the eight prospects who pledged their future services to the Tennessee Volunteers.

There was also another de-commitment, and at a place that needs to stop the attrition. Craig Yeast II, who goes by Russ, decided Friday to back away from his pledge to Kentucky. He became the fifth player to commit to the Wildcats and later change his mind in the Class of 2017, and that total gives Kentucky the SEC lead in a most dubious category.

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/NextCats/status/744277885272395776

[jbcarol]

Former Kentucky commit Craig "Russ" Yeast II not considering Wildcats among final 6 schools

Three-star athlete Craig Yeast II de-committed from Kentucky last month, and he no longer appears to be considering the Wildcats after releasing his top 6 schools on Twitter on Sunday.

Yeast, who goes by Russ, had Louisville, Iowa, Ole Miss, Illinois, Northwestern and Auburn making his cut. What's interesting is that Yeast's father was a star wide receiver for Kentucky from 1995-98.

The Greenwood, Ind., product is rated as the No. 36 cornerback nationally in the Class of 2017.

The elder Yeast was Tim Couch's "Percy Harvin".

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/aldotcomSports/status/768548772062359556

Auburn's season-opening home game against No. 2 Clemson is sure to have several big recruits in attendance.

One of them is Russ Yeast, a three-star cornerback/receiver from Greenwood.

Yeast's father Craig starred as a receiver at Kentucky, catching 208 passes for 2,899 yards from 1995-98. When his career at Kentucky ended, he was the SEC career leader in receptions.

Russ Yeast, who is 5-foot-10.5 and 178 pounds, decommitted from Kentucky earlier this summer. Auburn made his next group of finalists along with Illinois, Iowa, Louisville, Ole Miss and Northwestern.

"But Russ Yeast is not Craig Yeast," father said [sic].

He's ranked as the No. 40 cornerback nationally and No. 4 prospect in Indiana.

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/aldotcomSports/status/791425433518612480

Ignont to Tennessee; Shivers to Auburn

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/BenRobertsHL/status/813449488371187712

Volunteers Coach Butch Jones and several assistants visited Corker at his home on Dec. 7, two nights before the star recruit headed to Lexington for his official visit to UK.

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/Michael_Carvell/status/814866223951474688

'18 $tephenson OG

[jbcarol]

Marlon Williams, a 3-star wideout from Alabama, de-committed from Southern California on Tuesday morning

6-foot-1, 185-pounder out of McGill Toolen (Ala.) High has only one official visit scheduled as of now, and that's to LSU

Williams has been pursued by LSU, Auburn and Tennessee... has stated a desire to play in the SEC.

Alabama area recruiter and LSU wide receivers coach Dameyune Craig is handling Williams' recruitment.

LSU's wide receiver board remains loaded at this juncture in the recruiting cycle.

[jbcarol]

Tennessee will welcome a slew of commits and a couple prospective targets — including a late surprise visitor

Auburn commit Devan Barrett is a name who emerged late Thursday night. He's an interesting visitor, tripping to Tennessee once over the summer. But the tailback has been a part of the Tigers class since late July. Sources tell SEC Country that while Tennessee has come on hard late, Barrett is solid to the Tigers, hosting a pair of coaches Thursday. He will have his in-home with Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn next week. Still, Barrett's visit is at least curious. We'll see if anything materializes after he spends an extended period of time around Robert Gillespie and Larry Scott.

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/Michael_Carvell/status/852567534117191681

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/Michael_Carvell/status/856586236273840129

It Hurts

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/bartonsimmons/status/859185402946752512

Chose Vols over Auburn, Kentucky, et al.

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/Michael_Carvell/status/864949249422893056

https://twitter.com/DrCoreyMTeague/status/864941870295785472