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A Georgia homecoming for 15 UK scholarship players

The 2009 Kentucky roster is nearly as much Peach as it is Bluegrass. UK has 22 native Kentuckians on scholarship, but Georgia ranks close behind with 15 scholarship Wildcats.

UK head coach for offense Joker Phillips has always been a presence in Georgia, citing the state's central location and dense population.

"It's just natural for us to be there," Phillips said. "Parents don't have any problems getting to games, whether it's three hours to South Carolina, 2½ hours to Knoxville, four hours to Vanderbilt, an hour-and-a-half to Auburn. We felt like with the numbers of football players there it's a place we had to be."

Georgia, Georgia Tech, Auburn and other SEC programs usually pluck most of the four-star prospects out of the Peach State, leaving Kentucky to scrap for the two- and three-star players. But many of those lower-tier prospects have panned out nicely. One of the first players Phillips brought to UK from Georgia was Quentin McCord, whose only offers were from Kentucky and Troy, a Division I-AA school at the time. More recently, UK brought in a pair of lightly regarded Georgia products, Trevard Lindley and Sam Maxwell, and turned them into pro prospects.

"(McCord) becomes a guy that not only stars here, but plays in the NFL," Phillips said. "We've been getting guys like that to develop into players. You've got to project here at Kentucky, and we've been able to go down there and get guys who really have helped us."

McCord started the LaGrange pipeline that netted Kentucky standouts such as Wesley Woodyard and Braxton Kelley, but UK has gone all over Georgia to bring in talent. Senior tight end Ross Bogue played at North Gwinnett, a Class 5A powerhouse, and senior Sam Maxwell and junior Shane McCord both prepped at Hartwell's Hart County High School. Redshirt freshman offensive lineman Trevino Woods is right out of Georgia's backyard in Athens.

None of the current Georgia natives on Kentucky's roster was offered a scholarship by the University of Georgia, but not all of those players were necessarily sitting by the phone waiting, either.

"I grew up in Huntsville and moved to Georgia, so I was an Alabama fan," said sophomore cornerback Randall Burden, a LaGrange native.

"My dad played at Georgia Tech, and my mom went to Florida," Bogue said. "I was a huge Florida fan. I was an outcast in all the social circles. All my friends were Georgia fans. I wasn't well-liked."

"You know how you're around something everybody loves so much that you get sick of it?" Maxwell said. "Everybody loves Georgia around that area so much, and I wanted something different for myself. Some guys may not be tall enough or big enough for certain schools, but a lot of these guys can play. A lot of them get looked over, but I was lucky to get picked up."

Bogue said there's more than enough talent in the Georgia high school ranks for a school like UK to pad its roster.

"Every team I played I felt there was at least one kid who was a Division I prospect, if not more than that," Bogue said. "When there are 4,000 kids going to each school, you're bound to have a good team with some good players. It's a crowded area, and there are so many good kids to choose from."

Kentucky has more help on the way from Georgia. Stone Mountain tailback Raymond Sanders was lightly regarded when he committed to UK earlier this year but has since become one of the state's top prospects, and the Cats also have a commitment from Sanders' teammates, tight end Ronnie Shields and linebacker Jabari Johnson, along with LaGrange kicker Joseph Mansour and Jesup defensive end Alvin Davis.

Kentucky became even more attractive to Georgia kids after they beat the Bulldogs in 2006, and the Cats are hoping a win this weekend can produce similar results.

"That helped us, definitely," Phillips said. "Not only did we beat them, but we've played them tough over the years. And one of the reasons I think we've played them tough is because we've got so many Georgia kids on the team and it's an emotional game for them. I'm sure it would be emotional this week with them going back home."

Cobb a game-time decision

Sophomore receiver Randall Cobb (bruised shoulder) will be a game-time decision, UK Coach Rich Brooks said following Thursday's practice. Senior linebacker Micah Johnson made it through the entire practice and is expected to play. Sophomore defensive tackle Antwane Glenn has the flu and will not make the trip.

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