Louisville Blogs

Recruiting for the 2015 class is now getting fired up with Kentucky head coach John Calipari handing out some offers from Kentucky. Stephen Zimmerman, a 7-footer from Las Vegas, Nevada, and Charles Matthews, a point guard from Chicago. Zimmerman attends the same high school (Bishop Gorman) and plays for the same AAU squad (Dream Vision) as former Kentucky recruit Shabazz Muhammad. Kentucky missed on Muhammad, and the headache that followed. If you think of Chicago, you have to think of Calipari’s relationship with Derrick Rose and Anthony Davis. Matthews currently plays on Davis’ former AAU team.

Right after midnight on Friday, college coaches were able to send unlimited messages to 2015 recruits. Kentucky, along with Michigan, UNLV, and UCLA contacted Stephen Zimmerman immediately. Zimmerman is currently ranked the #2 junior in the nation by Rivals. With most west-coast kids, Calipari and other eastern schools have a harder time trying to get these guys so far away from home. Sometimes, the recruit falls in love with the idea of Kentucky and commits (Kyle Wiltjer). In other instances, recruits may really like the ‘Cats, but don’t want to move so far away from home (Aaron Gordon). Zimmerman now holds offers from Kentucky, Arizona, UCLA, UNLV, Auburn, Baylor, Connecticut, Florida State, Kansas, Memphis, Notre Dame, Oregon, Oregon State, and UTEP.

YouTube Credit: Ballislife

As for Charles Matthews, the story is somewhat the same. Matthews was contacted right after midnight on Friday, and then the offer from Kentucky came a few days later. Matthews likes and has always respected Calipari and his ability to mature point guards and get them ready for the next level. Matthews now holds offers from Kentucky, Arizona, DePaul, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, Providence, SMU, and Wisconsin. Matthews is ranked #9 in the 2015 class.

YouTube Credit: Ballislife

Comments Off

Kentucky’s 2014 class continues to grow with the addition of Kentucky native Adrian Middleton. This recent string of recruiting commitments can only be described as historic for the Kentucky program. Middleton is listed as a 6’4”, 275 lb. defensive tackle. He is ranked a 3-star recruit, and 5th best prospect in the state of Kentucky. He visited campus Monday, and camped on Tuesday. Middleton becomes the 7th UK commit in 7 days.

Middleton chose the ‘Cats over Louisville, Missouri, Indiana, Western Kentucky, and Middle Tennessee State. The ‘Cats now have a total of 17 commitments for the 2014 class. This pledge from Middleton moves Kentucky’s class up to #2 in the nation behind Texas A&M according to Rivals.

I also want to clarify something I posted on yesterday. I wrote a story about Tyre Brady joining Kentucky and committing on his visit yesterday. The reason why I wrote the story, was because his high school teammate sent out a tweet congratulating him on his commitment. Brady’s commitment to the ‘Cats has not been confirmed, nor has it been announced since yesterday. Without Brady’s commitment, the 2014 class was still ranked at #3 before Middleton committed today. The UK coaching staff has not yet shouted their customary “Yahtzee!” for another commitment. As news becomes available on Brady’s status with UK Football, I will pass that information along. My apologies for “jumping the gun”.

Comments Off

He may have just finished his freshman season at Kentucky’s Lafayette High School, but Landon Young has made a very big commitment to his future. The 2016 recruit plans to play offensive lineman for the ‘Cats when his high school career is over. The Big Blue Nation will have to wait about 2 1/2 years before we see Young on the field, but his potential for growth is through the roof.

After attending Mark Stoops’ camp on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, he was given his very first scholarship offer from the ‘Cats. On Friday, he was back in Stoops’ office to let him know he was committing to join Stoops’ Troops.

“I didn’t think this would ever happen to me this young, but it gets my hopes high and pushes me to work harder to get that much better,” he said. “… Growing up here, I’ve always been a pretty big UK fan and liked the program. I knew with UK, if I verbally committed it would give them a reassurance and give me a reassurance and push me to become that much better of a football player.”

As a freshman in high school, Young is already 6’7”, 250 lbs. and is expected to be around 300 lbs. when he gets to college. Young is the only high school recruit in the 2016 class to commit to a school. Kentucky has yet to receive a commitment for the 2015 class, but already has a nice start for the following year. Young is impressed and excited with Mark Stoops and how he is recruiting some of the best players in the country to Lexington. For Young, knowing Kentucky will continue to get better before 2016 gives him high hopes on playing and competing with the best in the country.

The high school freshman also noted he would not shut out other schools trying to recruit him, even though he has given a commitment to UK. Young says he is firm on his commitment and will look to sign those papers come February of 2016. More often than not, players who commit to a school really young often back out of their commitments. I’m not saying this will definitely happen to Young. In the fluctuating world of college football recruiting, commits can decommit and flip schools in a heartbeat. A lot can happen with Young as more schools notice his ability, and his commitment to Kentucky can waver. For now, he’s blazed his own trail to the Big Blue and becoming a Wildcat in 2016.

Photo & Quote credit to the Courier-Journal & Landon Young

Comments Off

The #1 ranked all-purpose back in the class of 2014 has committed to Kentucky football. Stanley “Boom” Williams visited UK’s campus this afternoon and decided to join the ‘Cats. Williams becomes UK’s highest ranking commit since Micah Johnson in 2006. Williams is ranked the 96th best player overall in the class. Before Williams, the ‘Cats had never been able to land any player ranked #1 at their position.

Williams’ commitment to Kentucky further escalates an already impressive class. For a school who has never finished above 29th in recruiting class rankings, the ‘Cats currently sit at #3 according to Rivals. Texas A&M, Tennessee, and Kentucky are the top three. Williams is only the 2nd Top-100 guy to commit to Kentucky since Rivals started their rankings in 2002. Since the rankings began, Kentucky has only landed 2 players in the Rivals Top-250. Since Stoops has arrived in Lexington, he has reeled in 7 players of that variety in only six months. A major talent upgrade could be an understatement.

Stanley “Boom” Williams is ranked as a 4-star recruit and 9th best prospect in the state of Georgia. Williams stands at 5’8”, 186 lbs, and he is lightning quick. Not can he run a 4.39 40-yard dash, he’s also the 100m champion in the state of Georgia. He chose the ‘Cats over the likes of Auburn, LSU, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and others. Williams rushed for 1,958 yards and 24 TD’s as a high school senior.

Check out the video below and imagine a guy with this kind of speed wrecking havoc on the SEC. Watch a preview of how he will bring the “boom” to Kentucky:

YouTube Credit to: CoachStover1980

Comments Off

Another day, another 2014 commitment for Mark Stoops and the Kentucky Wildcats. It may come as a surprise that Kentucky’s newest edition doesn’t come from the state of Ohio. Nico Firios is a 6’1”, 200 pound, inside linebacker from Longwood, Florida. The 18th ranked linebacker in the class of 2014 picked Kentucky over Louisville, Wisconsin, and Cincinnati among others. Firios’ commitment to the ‘Cats is likely to move Kentucky’s class ranking into a consensus Top-5 recruiting class.

Mark Stoops’ plans to build an SEC defense got another huge boost with Firios’ commitment. While Neal Brown is already establishing and building on a high powered offense, Stoops continues to make the defensive side of the ball a big priority. If Stoops can continue to build a defense along with the offense they are installing, the ‘Cats could become a factor in the SEC.

Firios’ commitment really came down to Kentucky vs. Louisville for his services. Here are his thoughts:

“Kentucky and Louisville were really the final two for me,” he told the newspaper. “When I was at Louisville last week it was great and I like everything about Coach Charlie Strong and what they are doing there, especially with the defense, but then I went to Lexington and visited UK and I was so impressed. That just made me feel like it was the place I needed to be.”

Kentucky is now ranked as the 4th best class on Rivals, only trailing Texas A&M, Tennessee, and Texas.

Comments Off

More good news just rolls into Lexington from the Buckeye State as another Ohio native has joined Stoops Troops. As earlier reported when Mike Edwards committed to Kentucky, Darius West was rumored to follow. Edwards revealed last night that he and West would have a joint announcement, and now West has joined his buddy in Lexington for the 2014 season.

The Kentucky Wildcats are absolutely on fire in football recruiting. Never thought I would say that, but it’s definitely true. Hopefully I’ll be saying more things that I’ve never been able to say before with this class getting stronger and stronger as the days go by. West is a 4-star safety from Lima, OH. He stands at 5’11”, 196 lbs. and is ranked as the 15th best safety and 5th best overall in the state of Ohio.

Vince Marrow racks up another Ohio kid and has secured two of the nation’s top-25 safeties in one day. Marrow now accounts for the #4, #5, #8, #19, #29, #32, #34th best players in Ohio leaving their home state and coming to Kentucky. Marrow and the ‘Cats beat out some huge competition for West. He had around 25 offers, including Louisville, Penn State, Notre Dame, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and others. Both Edwards and West were huge Louisville targets, but they are ‘Cats instead. The fact that Kentucky is beating these powerhouse schools is a true reflection on the effect that Stoops and his staff are having in Lexington. Kentucky now has their 14th commitment in the class, and 8th from Ohio.

Comments Off

I guess I should insert the mandatory line about Mark Stoops and Vince Marrow’s continued recruiting dominance in Ohio, but I’ll skip it this time. During UK’s camp, Mike Edwards and his parents made an official visit to Lexington. On Monday evening, the news broke that Mike Edwards has decided to come and play for Mark Stoops in 2014. Edwards becomes the ‘Cats 13th commitment and the 7th commit from Ohio. Edwards chose the ‘Cats over offers from Louisville, West Virginia, Missouri, Wisconsin, and others.

Edwards is listed as a 5’11” 182 lb. safety from Cincinnati, Ohio. TE coach Vince Marrow is his primary recruiter, and has brought the #4, #8, #19, #29, #32, and #34 ranked recruits out of the state of Ohio. Edwards is ranked #19, and a 3-star recruit by Rivals.

Edwards’ surprise commitment comes in the wake of a rumor that he and Darius West would have a joint announcement. West is a 5’11” 196 lb. safety from Lima, OH. Rivals ranks West as a 4-star recruit and 5th best overall prospect in the state of Ohio. This class is developing into one of the best recruiting classes I have ever seen come into Lexington, especially on the defensive side. Edwards’ commitment gives the ‘Cats the 7th best recruiting class in the nation according to Rivals. Kentucky’s class is currently 3rd best in the SEC behind Texas A&M and Tennessee, and one spot ahead of 2-time defending champion Alabama.

Drew Barker continues to be Kentucky’s biggest recruiter that is not being paid by the university. He’s constantly using his Twitter account and personally getting to know the guys he wants at Kentucky with him. After Mike Edwards committed, Barker took to Twitter to celebrate. Then, he posted a picture of huge in-state target Matt Elam and asked the BBN who wants to see him in a UK uniform. This kind of recruiting prowess is unbelievable for Kentucky football. How much better can this get? Is 4-star Darius West next?

Comments Off

Matt Elam is a 6’5” 340 lb. defensive tackle from Elizabethtown, KY, and his high on Mark Stoops’ wish list. Unfortunately for Stoops, a lot of top flight programs are also taking notice. Louisville, Florida, Ohio State, and 2-time defending champion Alabama has offered for Elam’s services. While he is still a very raw athlete, the way he can move for a big guy is remarkable. The Crimson Tide look to be Kentucky’s biggest competition in taking Elam away from the Bluegrass.

Recruiting site 247sports.com recently posted an article naming Elam the #1 “riser”. Elam is likely to rise into 247′s Top 50 before he decides where he will go to school. 7 out of 12 “experts” on the issue have Elam going to Kentucky, with the other 5 choosing Alabama. I find it interesting that 247′s director of recruiting, national scouting director, and an Alabama beat writer all choose Kentucky as Elam’s choice. Elam is ranked as the #2 player in the state, behind Kentucky commit Drew Barker. For Mark Stoops to snag one away from Alabama would be huge. He has taken an unofficial visit to UK, and attended the camp. He also has recently visited Louisville and is reported to be “the most comfortable” with Charlie Strong’s staff.

Elam may already have one big thing in common with the Big Blue Nation. He’s not a fan of Joker Phillips. Since Joker got his new gig in Florida, he’s made some headlines for sending awkward photoshopped pictures to recruits via his Twitter page. According to Elam’s Twitter, his feelings of being disrespected by Phillips may have to do with something deeper than a couple of tweets. Since Florida has named Joker Phillips as the primary recruiter for Elam, things do not look good for him to be making a new home in Gainesville.

Comments Off