Kentucky sought speed, playmakers and defense. That’s what it acquired on signing day.

Having a top 25 national ranking, a player win oodles of awards and your team playing in a New Year’s Day bowl made Kentucky a much easier place to sell than in some of Mark Stoops’ earliest days on campus.

But it doesn’t mean there aren’t still some long conversations late on a Tuesday night, some fighting off perennial powerhouses and some last-minute surprises.

That’s just all part of the drama that is national signing day, especially the early version in December.

“You feel good about it and everybody’s like, ‘Yeah, don’t you want to go celebrate?’” Stoops said, smiling, on Wednesday afternoon after unveiling UK’s new 21-member signing class that was ranked among Rivals’ top 30 as of late Wednesday afternoon.

“No, I want to go to bed.”

It’s easy to understand why. Since the regular season ended in a 56-10 victory at Louisville, Stoops has been on the run, visiting recruits around the country to solidify this 2019 recruiting class.

All of that was happening while he was attending awards ceremonies for outside linebacker Josh Allen, who won most of the nation’s top defensive player of the year awards, and while trying to think about the Cats’ upcoming Citrus Bowl game against Penn State on Jan. 1 in Orlando.

“It’s brutal. It’s a brutal December,” Stoops said. “There’s no doubt about that.”

Brutal as it may have been, UK was able to sign a class that got it much of what it needed, including playmakers at positions of need like outside linebacker and in the secondary, places where UK loses a lot of talent off of this season’s team.

“This is the best linebacker class we’ve signed since we’ve been here,” recruiting coordinator Vince Marrow said of newcomers like four-star prospects Jared Casey and J.J. Weaver, Shawnkel Knight-Goff, K.D. McDaniel, Tra Wilkins as well as junior college transfer Marquez Bembry.

Kentucky needed to replenish its linebacking group and did that, Stoops said, especially at outside linebacker.

“There’s the athletic guys. There’s some guys that played inside and outside,’ Stoops said. “So there’s a lot of versatility in this group. When you’re a 3-4 you need some linebackers. So outside backer was the biggest area of need — with defensive back coming into this year. So certainly feel good about what we did at those positions.”

Kentucky graduates its entire secondary after the bowl game, and a big class of cornerbacks and safeties from a couple years ago will fill those openings, but many in this 2019 class will be auditioning for the parts, too.

UK added defensive backs Taj Dodson, an early surprise, at least to fans; four-star safety Moses Douglas, junior college transfer Brandin Echols and Jalen Geiger.

And then a late surprise in Quandre Mosley, who was added to the class after the news conferences on Wednesday. The 6-foot-2, 180-pound signee had 50 tackles and a league-high six interceptions last season at Eastern Arizona Community College.

Securing the perimeter was key for the Cats’ defense, Matt House said the afternoon before signees rolled in.

“We’ve got to get more players on the edge, whether it’s outside linebacker or corner, because as you know we lose good players there,” the UK defensive coordinator said. “That was first and foremost, and then just guys that are natural football players that can run and hit.”

Kentucky also was able to secure two important interior defensive linemen out of Ohio in Cavon Butler, a 6-foot-3, 300-pound tackle from Toledo, and Douglass teammate Isaiah Gibson, a 6-4, 300-pound tackle from Springfield.

Butler was one of those players that UK really had to battle some Big Ten schools for late.

“I was on the phone texting back and forth with Cavon until about 10:30, 11 last night,” Stoops said. “I said, ‘I’ve got to get up early tomorrow, dog, I’ve got to get to bed.’ But I wasn’t going to go.”

On the other side of the ball, the goal going into signing day was to find players who could change “the digits on the scoreboard,” Stoops said.

Kentucky set out to find speed and playmakers, with coaches mentioning two players who left early in running back Boom Williams and wide-out Jeff Badet, two difference makers that UK has had trouble replacing in the past two seasons.

“That’s the biggest thing; speed and being able to make plays,” offensive coordinator Eddie Gran said Tuesday of his hopes for this class. “I think if everything goes right we got that done. … If we can get those guys in here, I think we’ve got a really good character group. A bunch of good kids that want to be here at Kentucky. That’s important.”

Two of those playmakers are at wide receiver in DeMarcus Harris, a 6-1 freshman from Vero Beach, Fla., who is a productive son of a coach, and 6-foot-2, 180-pound Louisville Butler star Tae Tae Crumes.

“This kid is fast,” Marrow said of Crumes, whose speed the recruiting coordinator likened to Badet. “Ohio State was recruiting him, Michigan, Michigan State. … I think you’re going to be very surprised with this kid and his speed when he comes in here.”

A running back room that looks loaded for the future with A.J. Rose and freshmen Kavosiey Smoke and Chris Rodriguez added Travis Tisdale from Valdosta, Ga.

“This reminds me of Boom Williams so much,” Marrow said of the 5-9, 175-pounder, who was rated as the nation’s No. 18 running back by ESPN. “He got some traits like him. I really think this kid is going to be a home run hitter.”

Kentucky signed two quarterback prospects in 6-2, 200-pounder Amani Gilmore out of Louisiana and Nik Scalzo, a 6-foot, 175-pound three-star out of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

“Winners, both of them are winners,” Stoops said. “Both did an unbelievable job leading their team to state championships. And just winners and playmakers, just the things we’re looking for.

“Obviously, they can throw the ball. They can run it a little bit. They can ad-lib. But they’re also very, very serious about the job.”

Kentucky rounded out the offense by adding a 6-5, 250-pound tight end from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in Nik Ognenovic, whom Marrow was high on as well as two offensive linemen in Jake Pope and West Jessamine star Eli Cox.

“Very excited about Eli, and he was a fun guy to recruit,” Stoops said of the 6-4, 300-pound, three-star signee. “He’s the type of guy we’re looking for. He’s a Kentucky kid that wants to play here and wants to continue that legacy of playing very, very physical, tough offensive line play.”