Where Kentucky football’s 2024 recruiting class finished in national rankings
The days of big productions for the first Wednesday in February are finished for college football programs with most high school recruits now signing in December, but this week did mark the unofficial end to the 2024 recruiting cycle.
Kentucky closed out its class with a commitment from Georgia prep linebacker Quintavion Norman, who picked up a scholarship offer during a visit to Lexington over the weekend.
Norman’s recruitment evoked memories of Josh Allen and Calvin Taylor, two unheralded prospects who only landed UK offers late in their senior years. Whether Norman can eventually develop into a star like Allen and Taylor will probably take years to determine.
Just two months ago Norman appeared headed to junior college. He played only one full season of varsity football at Newton High School and did not have a rating from any of the major recruiting services when he began his official visit to UK.
Now, 247Sports rates Norman, the younger brother of NFL defensive back Tay Gowan, as a three-star prospect.
Kentucky’s high school class ended Wednesday ranked in the top 25 by 247Sports (24), ESPN (23), On3 (25) and Rivals (25). The 247Sports Composite, which averages the ratings of the major recruiting services, slotted the class at No. 25, marking the fourth time in 12 recruiting cycles with Mark Stoops as coach that metric has ranked the Wildcats in the top 25.
The class ranks just 13th of 16 SEC teams (including Texas and Oklahoma), according to the 247Sports Composite, though. Kentucky will hope a transfer portal class that 247Sports currently ranks 14th nationally and sixth in the SEC helps close the gap with its conference rivals. Stoops and his staff will probably add to the transfer class when the portal opens again in April.
Kentucky recruiting rankings in the Mark Stoops era
2024: 25th
2023: 32nd
2022: 14th
2021: 34th
2020: 25th
2019: 34th
2018: 37th
2017: 30th
2016: 34th
2015: 38th
2014: 22nd
2013: 34th
Rankings from the 247Sports Composite.