Kentucky football signing day: What you need to know about each 2025 recruit
Mark Stoops’ promised Kentucky football roster rebuild is expected to center around a large transfer portal class, but he will need help from the high school ranks for not only 2025 but beyond if the losing record of 2024 is not a harbinger of more struggles to come.
The bulk of the 2025 high school recruiting class signed Wednesday on the first day of the December signing period, which was moved up two weeks this year to help coaches manage a hectic schedule. The earlier date means no incoming transfers were announced Wednesday — the portal does not officially open for non-graduates until Dec. 9 — but there could still be instant impact players among the high school signees.
The December signing period continues through Friday. High school prospects will have another opportunity to sign scholarship papers with colleges in February.
Kentucky football 2025 high school signees
JERMIEL ATKINS
Offensive line
6-foot-8, 305 pounds
Trotwood, Ohio (Madison)
247Sports Composite rating: 3 stars
Notes: Atkins would tie Malachi Wood as the tallest player on Kentucky’s roster next season. Like Wood, he probably needs time to develop, but he at least arrives on campus with more weight on his massive frame than Wood did as a freshman. Virginia Tech and Arizona State were among the other schools to reportedly offer him scholarships.
BRYAN AUGUSTE
Offensive line
6-foot-4, 295 pounds
Coconut Creek, Florida (Monarch)
247Sports Composite rating: 3 stars
Notes: Auguste committed to UK in June after taking spring official visits to Boston College, Syracuse and Kentucky in consecutive weeks. As one of the lowest-rated recruits in the class, according to the 247Sports Composite, Auguste will probably need multiple years to develop into a contributor.
PRESTON BOWMAN
Wide receiver
5-foot-11, 201 pounds
Pickerington, Ohio (Pickerington North)
247Sports Composite rating: 3 stars
Notes: UK first offered Bowman a scholarship in June 2022, but two offensive coordinators later and two years later the Wildcats reissued an offer last spring. Bowman committed shortly afterward following an official visit to Lexington despite reporting offers from Michigan and Ohio State around the same time. Bowman will have a chance to play immediately in a wide receiver room looking for depth.
JAVEON CAMPBELL
Defensive line
6-foot-5, 270 pounds
Frankfort (Western Hills)
247Sports Composite rating: 4 stars
Notes: Campbell drew recruiting interest from powerhouse programs like Alabama, Auburn and Miami despite playing only two seasons of high school football. He backed up that quick rise up the recruiting rankings with 63 tackles, 20 tackles for loss and 16 sacks as a senior. Campbell’s relative inexperience means he will probably need time to adjust to life in the SEC, but he also has one of the highest ceilings in the class.
MARTELS CARTER
Defensive back
6-foot-0, 195 pounds
Chattanooga, Tennessee (Paducah Tilghman)
247Sports Composite rating: 4 stars
Notes: The highest-rated commitment in the class, according to the 247Sports Composite, Carter moved from Chattanooga, Tennessee, to Paducah prior to his junior season. He reported offers from many of the top programs across the Southeast at the time of his commitment. Carter will play for the 4A state championship against Franklin County at Kroger Field on Friday.
JAYDEN CLARK
Offensive line
6-foot-4, 300 pounds
Clayton, Ohio (Northmont)
247Sports Composite rating: 3 stars
Notes: The former high school teammate of four-star commitment Cedric Works, Clark committed to Kentucky in October over reported offers from Cincinnati, Boston College and a host of Group of Five programs. Clark has the size to play tackle, but UK will depend on transfer additions at the position to boost the 2025 offensive line while letting the freshmen develop.
KALEN EDWARDS
Defensive line
6-foot-3, 320 pounds
Dyersburg, Tennessee (Dyersburg)
247Sports Composite rating: 4 stars
Notes: Edwards first committed to Auburn during his junior year of high school, but decommitted in March. UK issued a scholarship offer in April then brought him to campus for an official visit in June. Edwards committed to the Wildcats on July 3. Edwards has the size to develop into a nose guard for Kentucky, potentially filling a vital role in the 3-4 defense.
DEMARCUS GARDNER
Defensive back
5-foot-11, 175 pounds
Cedartown, Georgia (Cedartown)
247Sports Composite rating: 3 stars
Notes: Gardner was committed to UCF for more than three months, but he flipped his pledge to UK shortly after taking an official visit to campus in June. Minnesota was the other Power Five program to offer a scholarship at the time of his commitment, but he reported an offer from Ole Miss in August.
GRANT GRAYTON
Defensive back
6-foot-3, 185 pounds
Laurel, Maryland (Good Counsel)
247Sports Composite rating: 3 stars
Notes: The second recruit to commit to Kentucky on signing day, Grayton picked the Wildcats after taking an official visit to Lexington for the regular season finale against Louisville. He also took official visits to Minnesota and Bowling Green. Minnesota is the only other Power Four conference school to offer a scholarship.
CAMERON MILLER
Wide receiver
5-foot-11, 175 pounds
Camden, New Jersey (Winslow Township)
247Sports Composite rating: 3 stars
Notes: UK’s first signing day commitment, Miller picked the Wildcats one day after decommitting from Wisconsin. Miller had been committed to Wisconsin since March. He also reported scholarship offers from Michigan, Georgia, Michigan State, Duke and Boston College at one point in his recruitment.
DJ MILLER
Wide receiver
6-foot-3, 200 pounds
Saint Louis, Missouri (Cardinal Ritter College Prep)
247Sports Composite rating: 4 stars
Notes: Miller’s late November commitment eased some of the sting of losing former wide receiver commitment Ja’kayden Ferguson earlier in the month. He received a bump to four-star status in the 247Sports Composite ratings shortly after pledging to Kentucky. Ole Miss and Tennessee were among the schools pursuing him at one point. Miller added some drama when he did not sign on the first day of the December period, but elected to stick with his commitment and sign scholarship papers with UK the second day of the window.
ANDREW PURCELL
Defensive back
5-foot-10, 185 pounds
Enterprise, Alabama (Enterprise)
247Sports Composite rating: 4 stars
Notes: Purcell took visits to Miami, Georgia and Kentucky in consecutive weeks in the spring before picking the Wildcats. His recruiting ranking continued to rise after his commitment, but he stuck with his pledge to UK. Purcell is expected to play cornerback in Lexington.
MONTAVIN QUISENBERRY
Wide receiver
5-foot-9, 173 pounds
Danville (Boyle County)
247Sports Composite rating: 3 stars
Notes: Perhaps the most dynamic playmaker among the Kentucky high school senior class, Quisenberry had to overcome doubts about his size for the UK staff to pursue his commitment. He first committed to West Virginia, where Boyle County graduate Neal Brown was the coach at the time, but flipped his pledge to UK after the staff appeared to prioritize him more after a stellar start to his senior season. Quisenberry did a little of everything for Boyle County, but UK listed him as a wide receiver on signing day.
STONE SAUNDERS
Quarterback
6-foot-1, 210 pounds
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (Bishop McDevitt)
247Sports Composite rating: 3 stars
Notes: The first commitment in the class, Saunders was ranked as the No. 20 quarterback in the class by the 247Sports Composite at the time of his pledge, but he had dropped to 43 in that ranking by signing day. The son of a former NFL strength and conditioning coach, Saunders picked UK when Liam Coen was offensive coordinator but elected to stick to his commitment after Bush Hamdan was hired to replace Coen. Saunders is the only quarterback in Pennsylvania high school history with four 3,000-yard passing seasons.
QUINTIN SIMMONS
Wide receiver
6-foot-1, 170 pounds
Cincinnati, Ohio (Withrow)
247Sports Composite rating: 3 stars
Notes: Simmons’ commitment came at an important moment in the recruiting cycle for Kentucky since he pledged to the Wildcats two days after former offensive coordinator Liam Coen’s return to the NFL was made official. He listed Michigan, Penn State, West Virginia, Syracuse and Cincinnati as his other finalists. Simmons will look to follow former high school teammate Terhyon Nichols in contributing as a freshman at Kentucky. Rivals rank him as a four-star prospect.
MIKKEL SKINNER
Tight end
6-foot-4, 225 pounds
Greer, South Carolina (Riverside)
247Sports Composite rating: 4 stars
Notes: A former Cincinnati commitment, Skinner reopened his recruitment in September amid increased interest from UK then pledged to the Wildcats just more than a month later. He listed South Carolina, Georgia and Ohio State as finalists, though 247Sports reported he did not have committable offers from Georgia or Ohio State at the time. While all of UK’s current tight ends have eligibility remaining, it would not be a surprise to see one or more transfers from that group, potentially opening early snaps for Skinner.
NICHOLAS SMITH
Defensive line
6-foot-5, 290 pounds
Loganville, Georgia (Walnut Grove)
247Sports Composite rating: 3 stars
Notes: When Smith committed to Kentucky in June, Mississippi State was the only other SEC program to have offered a scholarship, but his stock continued to rise to the point where he reported an offer from Alabama in October. Still, Smith is the lowest-rated recruit in the class according to the 247Sports Composite, so he has flown under the radar.
DARRIN STREY
Offensive line
6-foot-7, 310 pounds
Paw Paw, Michigan (Paw Paw)
247Sports Composite rating: 3 stars
Notes: During Eric Wolford’s first stint as Kentucky’s offensive line coach he helped land defensive tackle Deone Walker from Michigan. He returned to that pipeline during his second stint at UK to secure a commitment from Strey. He also took spring official visits to Stanford, Northwestern and Illinois.
BRENNEN WARD
Quarterback
6-foot-3, 205 pounds
Columbus, Ohio (Gahanna Lincoln)
247Sports Composite rating: 3 stars
Notes: UK was Ward’s first Division I scholarship offer in May 2022. Recruiting coordinator Vince Marrow continued to pursue Ward through two offensive coordinator changes, but he was the first quarterback to commit to UK after the hire of Bush Hamdan as coordinator. He is the less heralded of UK’s quarterback commitments in the class but will have a chance to earn a backup role as a freshman.
DYLLON WILLIAMS
Defensive back
6-foot-2, 177 pounds
Demopolis, Alabama (Demopolis)
247Sports Composite rating: 3 stars
Notes: Williams initially committed to Missouri in June but took an official visit to Lexington in September. Just more than a month later, he decommitted from the Tigers. Four days later, he committed to Kentucky. Williams’ commitment marked the second consecutive recruiting cycle UK flipped a defensive back from Missouri, following Cam Dooley in 2024.
CEDRIC WORKS
Defensive line
6-foot-5, 235 pounds
Dayton, Ohio (Frederick Douglass)
247Sports Composite rating: 4 stars
Notes: Works picked UK over Florida and Penn State then seemingly solidified that pledge by moving from Ohio to Lexington for his senior year at Frederick Douglass. He was credited with 54 tackles and four sacks in his lone season of Kentucky high school football. UK needs help at edge rusher next season, but Works will need to prove physically ready to compete against SEC tackles.
This story was originally published December 4, 2024 at 8:19 AM.