Cats Add Five Players In A Week
For longtime followers of the Kentucky Football program, there’s a word used when it comes to recruiting. That of course is “Yahtzee.” First coined by ace recruiter and Associate Head Coach Vince Marrow it’s tweeted when UK has a new commit. Over the last week, those dice have been really hot as the Wildcats gained five commitments in a six day span. Let’s introduce you to them as we go examining Kentucky’s Recent Recruiting Haul.
A New Frontier
The first commit came from a state Kentucky has had little success with, Texas. Ja’kayden Ferguson, a wide receiver out of Houston suburb Missouri City, pledged to the Cats. Playing at Fort Bend Marshall High School Ferguson is the 22nd-best athlete in the nation by 247 Sports and the 76th-best player in the Lone Star State.
He held offers from some of college football’s marquee schools, including Alabama, LSU, and Ole Miss. However, he chose the Cats and is a huge pick up for new wide receivers coach Daikiel Shorts, who came to Lexington from Houston.
Kentucky commit @jakayden_ is special. pic.twitter.com/ZqwpMqxsIV
— Adam Breneman (@AdamBreneman81) June 19, 2024
Robert Ferguson, Ja’kayden’s uncle, played college ball at Texas A&M and spent eight years in the NFL with Green Bay, Minnesota, and Atlanta. In addition, he’s also a track star.
As we continue looking at Kentucky’s Recent Recruiting Haul by looking at one for the other side of the ball.
Help On Defense
Over the last few years, the Wildcats have put several defensive backs in the league. That helps with recruiting and certainly did with cornerback Andrew Purcell. Less than 24 hours after wrapping up a visit to Lexington the Alabama native committed to the Cats.
Playing at Enterprise High School in Enterprise, Alabama Purcell ranks as the 26th-best player in the state and 22nd-rated athlete. So in two pick-ups, the Cats added two of the top 30 athletes in the nation. That’s huge when trying to compete in the new-look SEC.
Purcell held offers from Clemson, Florida, Georgia, and Miami among others. During his commitment ceremony, he said “Everything about Kentucky stood out to me. [I liked] the program, the people, the development, their style of play, everything. I loved everything about them.” Cornerbacks coach and co-defensive coordinator Chris Collins led his recruitment.
Just a few days later UK got some help on the line. Nicholas Smith, a 6′-7″, 255-pound defensive lineman committed. Hailing from Walnut Grove High School in Monroe, Georgia Smith ranks as the 99th-best defensive lineman in the country and 105th best player in Georgia.
During his junior season, he recorded 58 tackles with eight for a loss. In addition, he had four sacks and two forced fumbles. He even caught a touchdown pass. With Deone Walker likely off to the NFL next year and several other players graduating help up front is key.
As we wrap up our look at Kentucky’s Recent Recruiting Haul let’s look at two commits on the same day.
Daily Double
Mark Stoops and his staff wrapped up their recent recruiting flurry with two commits on Sunday, one for each side of the ball. The Kentucky to Ohio pipeline continued when Pickerington, Ohio wide receiver Preston Bowman announced his commitment.
1000% COMMITTED!!!
let’s get it big blue nation #bbn
@pnfootball @RecruitPN @vincemarrow @UKCoachStoops @D_shorts6 @UKFootball @Kstaff07 @CoachPruiett pic.twitter.com/SsfZGE5jhB
— Preston Bowman ¹ (@PrestonBowman9) June 22, 2024
The 6-foot, 190-pounder from Pickerington High School, which is a suburb of Columbus, held offers from Louisville and Michigan among others. However, he has camped three straight summers in Lexington and ultimately chose the Cats. Bowman ranks as the 37th best player in the Buckeye State and 140th wide receiver in the nation. As a junior, he hauled in 43 passes for 713 yards and nine touchdowns.
An interesting note Bowman hadn’t heard from Ohio State until the day AFTER he pledged to Kentucky. That’s something to watch as things play out.
The Wildcats’ last pickup is another for the secondary. Earlier on Sunday Demarcus Gardner decommitted from Central Florida. It wasn’t long before the safety pledged for the Cats. Hailing from Cedartown High School in Cedartown, Georgia Gardner also had offers from Minnesota, South Florida, and SMU.
The 6-foot, 170-pounder ranks as the 77th-best safety in the nation and 91st-best player in Georgia. A season ago Gardner played both ways catching 33 passes for 793 yards and 11 touchdowns. On the other side of the ball, he made 22 tackles and had seven pass breakups and three interceptions.
Not Done Yet?
Currently, Kentucky’s 2025 class ranks 33rd in the nation by 247 Sports. That’s up 20 places from where it was a little over a week ago. They may not be done as national analysts have forecast several Crystal Ball picks for Kentucky.
Thanks for checking out Kentucky’s recent recruiting haul here at Last Word On College Football. Keep checking back for more great content through the summer.
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