Clemson, Notre Dame, UK: Future Division I stars take over Kroger Field this week
The state of Kentucky’s No. 1 and No. 2 recruits in the senior class will take the field this weekend at Kroger Field. So will the No. 1 recruit in the class of 2021.
And that’s just in one game.
This year’s UK Orthopaedics/KHSAA Commonwealth Gridiron Bowl finals feature numerous talented prospects projected to make a big impact at the next level, but if you can only make it to one game, the Class 5A tilt between Covington Catholic and Frederick Douglass should be the one you circle.
CovCath tight end Michael Mayer and Douglass offensive tackle Walker Parks are 1-2 in the class of 2020, depending on which recruiting service you listen to (Rivals has Parks in its top spot while 247Sports gives Mayer the edge). Both of them are ranked as four-star prospects and top-five talents at their respective positions.
Each since last year has been committed to one of college football’s premier programs; Mayer (6-foot-5, 240 pounds) will play for Notre Dame and Parks (6-5, 270) will suit up for Clemson. Mayer leads CovCath with 902 yards and 15 TDs on 45 catches while Parks is a stalwart for a unit that’s helped the Broncos rush for nearly 3,500 yards in 2019.
The University of Kentucky recruited both, and continues to chase Jager Burton, one of Parks’ teammates and the top-ranked in-state junior by both services. Burton (6-4, 270) is also a four-star prospect and considered a top-10 offensive guard nationally. Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Penn State are among his numerous offers.
UK is also one of four schools that have offered Dane Key, a sophomore who leads Douglass in receptions (31), receiving yards (537) and scoring (eight TD receptions, four punt return TDs, three rushing TDs and two two-point conversions). Louisville, Marshall and Western Kentucky have also offered Key (6-2, 170), who is the son of former Kentucky player Donte Key.
Douglass’s most versatile senior is also FBS-bound: Devin Neal, a 6-foot, 187-pound three-star prospect, committed to Cincinnati in February. The Broncos’ two-way star has rushed for 528 yards and nine TDs on only 61 carries and 185 yards and three TDs on just nine receptions (he’s also returned a punt for a score). He was recruited as a cornerback; Neal has recorded two interceptions this season, and of his has 71 tackles (58 solo), nine were for a loss.
Lucas Jones, a 6-4, 269-pound offensive tackle at Covington Catholic, will play at Cornell. He also had an offer from Dayton.
Future QB?
Could a future UK quarterback take his first snap at Kroger Field on Saturday?
Kaiya Sheron, rated as a three-star prospect in the 2021 class, led Somerset to its first championship appearance since 2009. The 6-3, 195-pound junior has thrown for 3,043 yards and 27 TDs with five interceptions on 167-of-243 passing; he’s also rushed for a team-high 905 yards and eight TDs. Marshall is the only other school from whom Sheron, rated by 247Sports as the No. 33 pro-style quarterback in the class, has reported an offer.
Somerset linebacker, Jase Bruner, has committed to UK as a preferred walk-on in the 2020 class. There will be a bit of a UK-U of L battle happening on the field, too: Kade Neely leads Mayfield, Somerset’s opponent in the Class 2A finals, with 1,221 yards and 20 TDs on 52 catches. He’s committed to Louisville as a preferred walk-on.
Big-school battle
Most of the players bound for Power Five programs in this year’s finals are playing in the smaller division games. But one of the state’s top seniors is playing in the only Sunday game, reserved for the state’s biggest schools.
Male wide receiver Izayah Cummings, who’s committed to UK, will look to lead the Bulldogs to their second straight title against Trinity, the state’s leader in all-time championships (25). He’s rated as a three-star prospect by 247Sports and Rivals, and the former has him ranked as a top-100 player at his position. Cummings with a big day could cross the 1,000-yard receiving mark for the first time: he has 962 yards and 11 TDs on 50 receptions this season.
Briceson Rodgers, another Male senior, follows Cummings with 645 yards and five TDs on 41 catches. U of L and Purdue have been involved in the 6-4 tight end’s recruitment but neither has offered; Southeast Missouri and Western Michigan have, though.
Trinity boasts three players with three-star ratings, including junior Jack Dingle, a top-50 outside linebacker whom Louisville, Cincinnati and Western Michigan have offered. Senior defensive end Tyler Roberson has reported offers from Ball State, Eastern Illinois and Western Michigan. Charlie Ely, a junior middle linebacker, has not reported any offers but has camped at UK, U of L, Cincinnati and Purdue.
Runnin’ Rebels
A standout group that led Boyle County back to the promised land as sophomores will look to do so one more time as seniors this weekend.
Landen Bartleson and Reese Smith, both three-star recruits, lead the Rebels. Bartleson, a running back who’s joining Mayer at Notre Dame, has rushed for 404 yards and 12 TDs on just 46 carries this season; he also has four receptions for 127 yards and two TDs. Smith, a wide receiver, has 1,353 yards and 19 TDs on 51 catches and has rushed for 128 yards and three TDs on seven carries; he’s committed to West Virginia, coached by former Boyle County standout Neal Brown.
A couple of two-star prospects will play in this game, too: Wilson Kelly, a 6-1, 261-pound defensive tackle for the Rebels, has committed to Middle Tennessee. Devin Johnson is a standout linebacker for Johnson Central, making its fifth straight title-game appearance. Johnson committed to Youngstown State, led by former Nebraska coach Bo Pelini, in October.
Other standouts
▪ London Stephney, who has thrown for 1,392 yards and 18 TDs on 74-of-116 passing with only three interceptions, is committed to Air Force. The senior has also run for 954 yards and 14 TDs on 88 carries for Bell County, which will face Belfry for the Class 3A title Friday night.
▪ At least two future Division I players will share the field in the Class A game. Paintsville’s Jaylyn Allen has committed to Eastern Kentucky; he leads the Tigers with eight sacks this season. Jackson Hensley, a three-star wide receiver who plays for Pikeville, is headed to Harvard; he has 730 yards and 10 TDs on 47 receptions this year.
State championships
At Kroger Field in Lexington
Friday
Class A: Paintsville (11-3) vs. Pikeville (13-0), 2 p.m.
Class 3A: Belfry (10-3) vs. Bell County (14-0), 7 p.m.
Saturday
Class 2A: Mayfield (13-1) vs. Somerset (13-1), 1 p.m.
Class 4A: Boyle County (14-0) vs. Johnson Central (14-0), 4:30 p.m.
Class 5A: Covington Catholic (14-0) vs. Frederick Douglass (14-0), 8 p.m.
Sunday
Class 6A: Male (14-0) vs. Trinity (12-2), 2 p.m.
This story was originally published December 2, 2019 at 12:26 PM.
