Kentucky football makes history with top five SEC recruiting class
Kentucky’s 2022 recruiting class ranks in the top 15, nationally. But most of UK’s games are played in the Southeastern Conference; where it ranks there is just as, if not more, important.
Through Wednesday, UK ranked fourth among all SEC programs in the team rankings produced by 247Sports and Rivals. That’s easily the highest it’s ever finished within the conference, by either of the longtime services, since the advent of internet recruiting rankings. (UK also ended up No. 4 among league teams in consensus team rankings put out by On3 Sports, a fledgling service launched this year by Shannon Terry, founder of 247Sports and Rivals.)
Kentucky’s previous highest ranking among SEC teams on 247Sports was ninth, with the 2020 recruiting class. That year saw the Wildcats sign defensive lineman Justin Rogers, their first five-star prospect from outside the state and, before Wednesday, the highest-ranked individual recruit the program had signed under Mark Stoops.
Kiyaunta Goodwin claimed that title from Rogers after making it official with the Wildcats following a roller-coaster Wednesday that started with him disclosing that Kentucky was, at the end, one of two finalists (along with Michigan State) and that he wasn’t sure when he would make a final decision. Goodwin in both 247Sports’ and Rivals’ rankings was the highest-rated offensive lineman signed by an SEC school in the 2022 class.
Barion Brown, UK’s next-highest rated player on both services and a five-star prospect in On3 Sports’ rankings, was among the top 10 receivers signed by any SEC program. Texas A&M landed Evan Stewart, a Frisco, Texas, standout and a top-five player in the country, to claim the top spot in that category. On 247Sports, Brown was the sixth-best receiver signed among SEC schools, after: Stewart; Luther Burden (Missouri, No. 2 at the position); Chris Marshall (Texas A&M, No. 4); Kobe Prentice (Alabama, No. 9); and Shazz Preston (Alabama, No. 17). Through Wednesday was considered the No. 18 receiver by 247Sports and No. 20 by Rivals.
Big three
Kentucky’s recruiting haul was incredible by most standards — particularly since its ranking doesn’t include the addition of committed Power Five transfers Tashawn Manning (a three-star offensive lineman from Auburn) and Tayvion Robinson (a former four-star wide receiver out of Virginia Tech) — but it was looking up at three behemoths in every service’s rankings.
Georgia, Alabama and Texas A&M were 1-2-3 in some order on each of the three sites, nationally and within the league. Texas A&M topped the rankings from 247Sports and On3 Sports as of Thursday morning, while Alabama sat atop Rivals’ list.
Tennessee finished just behind, in total points, of Kentucky in Rivals’ rankings; the Volunteers had 1,959 total points to UK’s 1,960. Arkansas (1,812) and Mississippi State (1,802) rounded out the top half of those rankings.
Over on 247Sports, UK (236.44) edged Missouri (235.05) for the fourth spot. Tennessee (227.86) and Auburn (227.15) were the others in the top seven there.
Kentucky’s consensus class score from On3 Sports was 89.962, just ahead of Missouri (89.925). LSU (89.444) and Auburn (89.412) completed its top seven.
Quarterbacks
Most of the top quarterbacks in the nation signed with SEC programs.
Cade Klubnik, the consensus top prospect, signed with Clemson, but Alabama, LSU, Georgia, Missouri and Texas A&M all added top-100 level prospects at the position.
Conner Weigman, considered the No. 2 player at QB by 247Sports, signed with Texas A&M, while the No. 3 player — Ty Simpson — went to Alabama. The No. 5 quarterback, Walker Howard, signed with LSU. All are five-star prospects according to that service.
Gunner Stockton, the best “dual-threat” quarterback available, according to Rivals, signed with Georgia. Sam Horn, the only QB among that fivesome not ranked inside the top 100 overall by both services, signed with Missouri as the ninth-best QB. He’s rated No. 68 overall by Rivals and 125th by 247Sports.
Kentucky’s only quarterback signee, Destin Wade, is rated as an “athlete” by both services. Rivals tabs him as the No. 17 player at that “position” while 247Sports has him as its 49th overall athlete.
He’s not a 2022 signee, but South Carolina this week earned the commitment of Spencer Rattler, the former quarterback at Oklahoma. He was considered the No. 1 quarterback in the 2019 signing class by both 247Sports and Rivals.
Notes
▪ Using 247Sports’ historical “all-time recruits” list, Kentucky this week signed five of the top 20 players in school history: Goodwin (the top recruit of Mark Stoops’ tenure), Brown, linebacker Tyrese Fearbry, linebacker Keaten Wade and wide receiver Dane Key. Ten of the top 20 signed with UK over the last three classes (Justin Rogers in 2020, Jager Burton and Trevin Wallace in 2021).
▪ As of Thursday morning, Kentucky’s class was ranked No. 10 overall by Rivals, No. 11 by 247 Sports and No. 12 by On3 Sports.
▪ Recruiting service rankings for other schools of local interest ...
Louisville: 58th (Rivals), 60th (247Sports), 53rd (On3).
WKU: Unranked (Rivals), 122nd (247Sports), 92nd (On3).
Cincinnati: 35th (Rivals), 38th (247Sports), 44th (On3).
Marshall: 48th (Rivals), 57th (247Sports), 75th (On3).
This story was originally published December 16, 2021 at 7:57 AM.
