Top-rated commit in UK’s 2025 high school class flips to Missouri days before signing day
Mark Stoops’ promised Kentucky football roster overhaul is off to an inauspicious start.
On the first day of the offseason, UK lost two high school commitments. Four-star running back Marquise Davis, the highest-rated commitment in the class according to the 247Sports Composite, flipped his commitment to Missouri after taking a weekend visit to Columbia. Three-star offensive lineman Tucker Kattus, the younger brother of current UK tight end Josh Kattus, flipped his commitment to Clemson.
Davis and Kattus, both Ohio prep stars, were recruited to UK by tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator Vince Marrow.
The flips come just three days before the December signing period for high school recruits opens. While Stoops has directed most of his attention toward the transfer portal in hopes of a quick turnaround in 2025, he has also stressed the importance of continuing to sign top high school talent to build roster continuity.
“The high school class is very good,” Stoops said last week. “We like the players that we have in there.”
Davis was considered one of the crown jewels of the class when he picked UK over defending national champion Michigan in May. He would have been just the second running back rated as a four-star prospect by the 247Sports Composite to sign with UK since 2014.
While the recruiting websites were not as high on Kattus, he was one of the earliest targets for UK in the class. He first committed to UK over Missouri in March. Since UK first offered Kattus a scholarship in the eighth grade and he committed shortly after the return of offensive line coach Eric Wolford to Lexington, his late flip has to be seen as a major blow. It also will add questions about the future of his older brother at UK.
The two decommitments are the third of the cycle for Kentucky. Three-star Texas prep wide receiver Ja’kayden Ferguson reopened his recruitment in January.
UK currently holds 19 commitments in the 2025 class, which is ranked 26th nationally by the 247Sports Composite.