Recruiting success is validating why Kenny Brooks came to Kentucky
Fast-break points from the mint-julep stand:
21. Kenny Brooks. One of the reasons the women’s basketball coach cited for leaving Virginia Tech to come to Kentucky was the belief that being at UK would allow him to recruit at a higher level. “When we talk Kentucky basketball ... it’s a brand, and I’m looking forward to capitalizing on it,” Brooks said the day he was introduced as the Cats’ coach.
20. Me’Arah O’Neal. I thought about Brooks’ comments when word broke Monday that the Florida standout, the daughter of Shaquille O’Neal and his ex-wife Shaunie Henderson, had committed to play for Kentucky.
19. Seven McDonald’s All-Americans. With the addition of Me’Arah O’Neal, Brooks has now signed seven McDonald’s All-Americans — four directly from high school, three as transfers — since becoming UK coach.
18. Can you name all the McDonald’s All-Americans Brooks has signed? The seven are Teonni Key (2021 McDonald’s All-American), Ayanna Patterson (2022) and O’Neal (2024) from the transfer portal and Kaelyn Carroll (2025), Maddyn Greenway (2026), Emily McDonald (2026) and Savvy Swords (2026) from high school.
17. Me’Arah O’Neal vs. good teams. In 11 games last season for Florida against teams ranked in the AP Top 25, the 6-foot-4 O’Neal played relatively well, averaging 11.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and making 36.1% of her 3-point attempts (13 of 36).
16. Zennia Thomas. A sparingly-used UK forward during the Kyra Elzy head coaching era, the 6-2 Thomas was named Mid-Eastern Atlantic Conference Player of the Year after averaging 15.2 points and 7.9 rebounds for Howard in 2025-26.
15. Back to power-conference basketball. After leading Howard to a 26-8 mark and a berth in the NCAA Tournament, Thomas has given new Rutgers women’s hoops head man Gary Redus II a commitment as a graduate transfer.
14. A familiar name. Yes, Redus, an ex-LSU assistant, is the son of the former MLB outfielder Gary Redus, who played for the Reds, Phillies, White Sox, Pirates and Rangers in a 13-year career.
13. Shaelyn Steele. The former Russell High School girls basketball star is transferring from Penn State to Tennessee. A 5-6 guard, Steele has two seasons of eligibility remaining.
12. Tyran Stokes. The top-ranked prospect men’s basketball prospect in the 2026 high school recruiting class finally ended his long and winding recruiting saga by committing to Kansas over Kentucky Tuesday.
11. Not born to be a Wildcat. I was never optimistic about UK’s chances in the recruitment of the Louisville native after Keaira Stokes, Tyran’s mother, told On3 Sports last summer “You know we’re from Louisville, right? Louisvillians don’t really watch a lot of Kentucky basketball.”
10. Grover Justice. Earlier this month, I told you about the former UK golfer, 52, who had qualified to play in the Senior PGA Championship at The Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Florida.
9. Good news, bad news for Justice. The bad news for Justice is that he missed the cut after shooting 77-72—149 and finishing plus-5 for two rounds. The good news is he finished ahead of 52 players in a senior major event (which was won by former PGA Tour star Stewart Cink).
8. Kentucky football’s NFL draft. The four ex-Wildcats who heard their names called in the 2026 NFL draft gave UK the most players selected among the commonwealth’s three FBS programs for the first time since 2022.
7. Louisville. The Cardinals had only one player drafted: wide receiver Chris Bell, who went in the third round, No. 94 overall, to Miami. It was the fewest players drafted out of U of L since 2022 — when the Cardinals had no players taken.
6. Western Kentucky. The Hilltoppers had no players selected in the 2026 draft, the first time WKU had been shut out since 2021.
5. Jalen Farmer. When Indianapolis selected the former UK guard, a transfer from Florida, in the fourth round, No. 113 overall, Farmer became the first Kentucky offensive lineman selected since 2022.
4. Jager Burton. The ex-Frederick Douglass standout went in the fifth round, No. 153 overall, to Green Bay. Kentucky’s starting center last season became the seventh UK offensive lineman chosen since 2019.
3. Kendrick Law. A transfer from Alabama, Law became only the third Kentucky wide receiver from the Mark Stoops coaching era (2013 through 2025) to be drafted when Detroit selected him in the fifth round, No. 168 overall.
2. Seth McGowan. Chosen in the seventh round, No. 237 overall, the ex-Oklahoma and New Mexico State standout became the fourth UK running back of the Stoops era to hear his name called in the NFL draft.
1. The epitome of mixed feelings for the Cats. Only 11 programs had more players selected in the 2026 NFL draft than did Kentucky. For a team that had its second-straight losing season and fired its coach, that likely generates some mixed feelings.
