Why was UK’s class short on Ohio stars? Blame COVID-19 and the state of Kentucky.
A good chunk of Kentucky’s success in recent seasons is attributable to how often it has walked into Ohio and mined recruiting gems.
It stood out when, on Wednesday, Kentucky announced the signing of 18 new football recruits and only three hailed from the Buckeye State. That matched an all-time low under head coach Mark Stoops; his staff also only signed three Ohio players as part of the 2013 and 2019 recruiting cycles.
The 2013 class is a bit of an outlier: it was Stoops’ first and he only had a couple months to cobble some commitments together. The 2019 class was the first in which recruiting coordinator Vince Marrow took over UK’s pursuit of in-state players, following a 2018 cycle that saw the Wildcats sign zero guys from within Kentucky’s borders.
Marrow’s continued focus with Kentuckians, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic, contributed to this year’s dip in Ohioans. He also suggested that since UK has had success with some undervalued prospects, Ohio State has made guys in its own backyard more of a priority.
“Oh, I’m coming back,” Marrow said with a grin. “ ... You’ll see us significantly in Ohio. Trust me, the 2022 class is pretty strong.”
He paused for a moment, before adding.
“The sad thing about that is the 2022 class in Kentucky is very strong, too. So I’m gonna have my work cut out for me.”
For all the problems it created for recruiting — Marrow joked that he’s been on so many Zoom calls with recruits this year that he was making more phone calls than a telemarketer — he said the pandemic preventing recruits from taking official visits to other schools was a benefit for the Wildcats, especially as they got deep into a season that saw them struggle moving the football.
“If this was a different year, where guys could take visits, we might have been really holding our breath,” Marrow said. “ ... A lot of our guys had (unofficially) been on (our) campus.”
Kentucky brought in six in-state high school products as well as a seventh Kentuckian in Justice Dingle, a Georgia Tech transfer who originally was part of that 2018 class that UK struck out on. Dingle was one of two surprise signings on Wednesday, joining Devonte Ross, an unranked Georgia receiver who flipped from Marshall University and was one of the first players to sign with UK this year.
Frederick Douglass standout Jager Burton, an offensive guard and top-200 prospect nationally, was one of the most coveted prospects in the class. He was rated No. 1 in the state by both 247Sports and Rivals, and his signing gave UK the top prospect in Kentucky for the first time since 2016, when it signed Lafayette standout Landon Young, also an offensive lineman.
Dekel Crowdus, one of the top receivers UK signed on Wednesday, also is a product of Douglass, Lexington’s newest high school that opened in 2017.
“They’ve been a priority of ours since two or three years ago,” UK head coach Mark Stoops said.
Stoops was complimentary of how high the talent level has grown since he arrived at Kentucky. In 2013, Kentucky produced only 11 players who were rated three stars or higher by 247Sports. This year, that number sat at 20.
Jordan Dingle, Justice’s brother, is a 6-foot-4 tight end who signed with the Wildcats out of Bowling Green High School. UK’s other in-state signees were North Hardin’s Jordan Lovett and La’Vell Wright, and Somerset quarterback Kaiya Sheron. All are three-star prospects and had their head coaches name-dropped by Stoops during his news conference.
“The past three years we’ve signed difference-makers from the state and we want to continue to do that moving forward,” Stoops said. “And again I think you have to credit the high school coaches and the programs because they are developing these young men and you’re seeing it on the field. ... I see the difference in this state and the way they’re developing players. Just in this city alone, there are some teams doing a great job and some coaches working hard.”
Notes
▪ In addition to Burton, UK added two offensive linemen in Paul Rodriguez and David Wohlabaugh, two of their three Ohioans (the other is Jamarius Dinkins, a defensive end whom Marrow pegged as one of his “sleepers” of the class along with Ross). Marrow fought back tears after he was asked about the late John Schlarman’s role in helping recruit those prospects.
“Coach Schlarman was a guy who knew how to identify linemen,” Marrow said. “We’d get into debates and he’d tell me, ‘Big Dog, that’s the guy.’”
▪ Receivers Christian Lewis and Chauncey Magwood, from Alabama and Georgia respectively, were among the marquee additions in a recruiting cycle that put a premium on playmaking. The recent hire of Rams assistant Liam Coen as UK’s new offensive coordinator played well with them and Crowdus, based on their signatures getting delivered on Wednesday.
▪ In addition to Wednesday’s 18 signees, Mark Stoops said “we expect a few more in the next couple days to add to this class” and that he’s kept some spots open for more potential transfers as well.
Recruiting rankings
How Rivals.com ranked 2021 recruiting classes after the first day of the early signing period:
1. Alabama
2. Ohio State
3. LSU
4. Georgia
5. Oregon
6. Clemson
7. Florida
8. USC
9. Notre Dame
10. Michigan
Other SEC schools in top 100
13. Texas A&M
14. Tennessee
18. Mississippi
20. Missouri
22. Arkansas
29. Vanderbilt
34. Mississippi State
44. Kentucky
52. Auburn
This story was originally published December 16, 2020 at 6:19 PM.
