What's next for Kentucky football after Harris' commitment to Alabama?
A few minutes after Damien Harris announced his commitment to Alabama on Friday, there was a tweet from University of Kentucky Coach Mark Stoops.
"Reassess — Reaffirm — Reattack," it read.
Will the reassessment include going after another running back in 2015? It might.
Darrin Hall and Jamarius Henderson are two names that have popped up in recent weeks as possible alternatives to Harris. There could be others added to that list between now and signing day.
Hall is a four-star prospect and considered the No. 22 running back in the class of 2015 by Rivals.com. He committed to Pittsburgh in August but that program has since gone through a head coaching change, and he did have a relationship with UK's coaches before his pledge to the Panthers.
The 5-foot-11 prospect is from Youngstown, Ohio, the hometown of Stoops and recruiting coordinator Vince Marrow and a city that has produced several UK recruits since they arrived in Lexington. Expect those coaches to be in contact with Hall over the next few days to gauge his interest in the Wildcats' program.
Henderson — a three-star player from Alabama — isn't as highly touted as Hall, but he did run for nearly 3,500 yards and a whopping 48 touchdowns this past season. Rivals.com ranks the 5-11 recruit as the No. 30 athlete in the class of 2015.
Florida has recently expressed interest in Henderson, who as of this week was still considering taking an official visit to UK and probably won't make a final decision until signing day. New Troy head coach Neal Brown is also pursuing Henderson.
There's also the possibility that UK does not add a running back in this recruiting cycle.
The Wildcats are expected to return seniors Braylon Heard and Josh Clemons, junior Jojo Kemp and sophomores Stanley "Boom" Williams and Mikel Horton. Williams led the team in rushing last season with 486 yards.
One last scenario: UK continues to recruit Harris up until national signing day on Feb. 4. The UK coaches have been pursuing him ever since they got to Lexington more than two years ago, so what's another three weeks?
This story was originally published January 9, 2015 at 6:57 PM with the headline "What's next for Kentucky football after Harris' commitment to Alabama?."