Hello Kentucky fans, here’s an update on both Basketball and Football recruiting.
Kentucky Basketball Recruiting
We’ve gotten two commitments within the last week.
We got 2022 Combo Guard Skyy Clark on Thursday, October 22. He chose us over schools like Arizona, Kansas, Memphis, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee, and UCLA, and these are just a few out of the many offers he had. I believe he is the best guard in the class. He will bring his shooting ability and his good defending to Lexington, whenever that will be. We probably will not know if he will reclassify to the class of 2021 for a while.
Then, we got 2021 Power Forward Bryce Hopkins on Monday, October 26. He chose us over schools like California, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa State, Louisville, Michigan, Oregon, Providence and Texas. Again, these are just a few out of the many offers he had. Bryce will bring a PJ Washington type of game when he comes to Lexington next year. He is a good shooter and an active rebounder. I think he will be in Lexington for two years – let us know what you think in the replies to this post.
Who is next?
They are many people rumored to be committing to Kentucky soon. I believe one of these people will be committing to us within the next few months. Those are 2021 Combo Guard Jaden Hardy, 2021 Power Forward Daimion Collins, or 2021 Combo Guard Hunter Sallis. They all would be amazing pieces for our team next fall.
And now to the other side of recruiting – football.
Kentucky Football Recruiting
We got a commitment from 2021 Defensive End Jamarius Dinkins on Thursday, October 22. Jamarius is the first football commit since Jager Burton committed on August 30th. He is our 17th commit for the class of 2021.
Who is next?
It seems up in the air when we’ll get our next football commitment. Here are some potential names to keep an eye on:
First is Massillon, OH Running Back Kyree Young. Kyree has offers from Alabama, Iowa St, LSU and Tennessee. He is a 3 star, but he plays much better. We always have a lot of running backs so he will fit in really well.
Next is Bowing Green, KY Tight End Jordan Dingle. Jordan has offers from Purdue, Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Ohio St, Missouri and Virginia Tech. Why do I say Jordan? We will need Tight Ends soon. Justin Rigg is a senior this season, so we will have to replace him. We do have other Tight Ends like Keaton Upshaw and Brenden Bates, but it won’t hurt to get another to help our depth.
Next is Oak Park, MI Defensive Tackle Rayshaun Benny. We are in a tight race for him with Michigan and Arkansas. He would be a great pickup for us because we are losing Kordell Looney, Phil Hoskins, and Quinton Bohanna most likely. He would be a key piece on the Defensive Line next fall.
Next is Port Saint Lucie, FL Outside Linebacker Deshauwn Alleyne. We are fighting for him with Auburn, Nebraska and Penn State. We will need someone to replace Jamar “Boogie” Watson down the road. And I believe he could be a good guy for us if we can get him. For now, at that position, a replacement could be JJ Weaver, Jordan Wright, or Jared Casey. Either way, we could use Boogie for depth and potentially use him to play in games.
To finish this off, we got the teammate of Kyree Young from Massillon, OH. That is Athlete Martavien Johnson. I believe he fits best at WR. He has offers from Harvard, Maryland, Liberty and Navy. It is obvious we could use him. Josh Ali, Brett Slusher, Rayshad Lewis and Wesley Johnson will probably be gone after this season. I believe we have 4 Wide Receivers in this class already, but it would be a plus if we can bring five to replace four.
That’s all for this Kentucky recruiting update. Let us know who you think Kentucky gets in the comments and in our forums, here!
I know it’s been a while. School, work, and other events have taken into my time that unfortunately I’ve had to put this series on the shelf. But this week I have plenty of time to sit down, watch some college football, and get my history fix for the first time in weeks. To make it up to you, I’ve included more facts than the usual four as an apology for taking so long. So what did we see from this week of College Football? Well, here are some of my favorite slices of history made this week.
Did You Know? Auburn vs South Carolina
South Carolina’s win over #15 Auburn was the Gamecocks’ first win over the Tigers since 1933
Photo from Getty Images
More than likely you’ve heard this fact said on Twitter, ESPN, or another website, but it’s such a mind boggling piece of knowledge no matter how many times you see it. The key component for the Gamecocks today was the defense, as well as the struggles of Auburn QB Bo Nix. Key players on the defensive side of the ball for South Carolina were Jaycee Horn, who had 3 tackles and 2 INT’s, and Keir Thomas who had 8 tackles and 2 sacks. Looking at only the box score, Auburn outgained South Carolina by over 175 yards and had 7 more first downs, so what happened? Well, turnovers and penalties became the achilles heel for the Tigers. Bo Nix had 3 INT’s on the day which each led to a Gamecock Touchdown. Even a halftime lead wasn’t enough to keep Auburn in the game. The players of the game for Auburn were RB Tank Bigsby, who had 111 yards and 1 touchdown, and WR Eli Stove, who had 60 yards and 1 touchdown. A lot of skepticism was raised about this Tigers team after their win (what should have been a loss) to Arkansas last week, and a beat down loss against the Georgia Bulldogs. The Tigers will go back in action looking to rebound against Ole Miss next week. As for South Carolina, they look to extend their winning streak to three games next week as they travel down to Death Valley to take on a struggling LSU team.
Did You Know? Coastal Carolina vs Louisiana
Coastal Carolina’s win over #21 Louisiana propelled them to a 4-0 record, their best start in history as an FBS team (Since 2017), and was their first win over a ranked school in their history.
Picture taken from GoCCUSports
I’ve been saying this since the first time this Chanticleers team was featured in these Recaps. Something special is brewing in Conway, South Carolina. QB Grayson McCall was as dominant as ever in this matchup vs. the Ragin Cajuns, throwing 202 yards and 2 TD’s, as well as running for another 45 and scoring 1 on the ground. The other TD was scored by RB CJ Marable, who also ran for 73 yards. The defense for Coastal Carolina was also strong, holding Louisiana to no more than 7 points a quarter. As for Louisiana, QB Levi Lewis threw 174 yards and 1 touchdown, as well as 84 yards on the ground and 1 touchdown. RB Elijah Mitchell also helped contribute to the scoring for UL, having 39 yards rushing and 2 TD’s. This was an interesting game at halftime, with both teams going in tied at 13, with both kickers missing a PAT each late in the 2nd quarter. Going into the 4th, it was once again tied at 20, but a Massimo Biscardi 40 yard FG with 0:04 seconds left in the game clinched the game for the Chanticleers. Coastal Carolina is definitely having their best year since joining the FBS, being undefeated, having a win over a P5 opponent, and having a win over a Top 25 ranked team. They look to continue their great run against Georgia Southern next week, while Louisiana looks to rebound next week against UAB.
Did You Know? Kentucky vs Tennessee
Kentucky’s 34-7 win over Tennessee was their first win on the road against the Vols since 1984, snapping a 17 game road-losing streak.
Picture taken from UK Athletics
Well, I guess the question of “Was Tennessee overhyped?” was answered this week. The Wildcats went into Knoxville today and curb stomped this Vols team. It all had to do with turnovers. Tennessee had 4 turnovers in the first half alone. All on consecutive drives. The first was a fumble, which Kentucky could not capitalize on. The following two drives were both Pick 6’s thrown by Tennessee QB Jarret Guarantano, which gave Kentucky a 14-0 lead. Afterwards, Guarantano was benched for backup QB J.T. Shrout, who proceeded to throw an interception of his own on his first pass attempt. Guarantano was put back into the game in the second half but by then it was too late. Kentucky’s offense finally got going after it was held to just 3 points in the first half, and went on to rout the Vols 34-7 in Knoxville for their first win since 1984. Jamin Davis and Kelvin Joseph were the Wildcats who returned the first two interceptions for touchdowns, while Tyrell Ajian was the Wildcat who picked off the next one. Kentucky’s offense as a whole today was pretty slow, but the MVP of the offense was the running game, where not 1…not 2…but 6 players rushed for over 15 yards, with Christopher Rodriguez Jr. leading the rushers with 73 yards and a touchdown. The lone score for the Vols came from RB Ty Chandler in the 4th quarter. Tennessee has quite the challenge next week when they host Alabama, while Kentucky will be hoping to continue their two game winning streak when they travel to play Mizzou.
Did You Know? Memphis vs UCF
Memphis QB Brady White set the Memphis Tigers Single Game passing yard record, throwing 486 yards and 6 TDs in the Memphis Tigers’ 50-49 victory over UCF, which is their first win against the Knights since 1990. UCF QB Dillion Gabriel also set a single game record for his school, throwing the most ever yards in a single game with 601.
Photo taken from Twitter
The history behind these two teams is a very interesting one. Memphis won the very first meeting back in 1990, and since then UCF was 13-0 against the Tigers. In the 2018 AAC championship, the last time these two teams played, the Knights and Tigers gave us a shootout with UCF winning the game 56-41. This year, for the 1st time since 1990, the Memphis Tigers came out on top. The MVP of the game was Memphis QB Brady White, who had an absolutely outstanding game. He completed 34 passes for 486 yards and 6 TDs, which is the most passing yards ever by a Memphis quarterback for a single game, and tied 3rd for the most passing touchdowns in a single game by a Memphis quarterback. On top of that, he also had 30 rushing yards and a touchdown. White accounted for every single touchdown scored today by the Tigers, which most definitely helped in their win today. UCF QB Dillion Gabriel cannot be overlooked though, as he too also had an amazing day. He threw 5 touchdowns and 601 yards, which is the most yards thrown in a single game by a UCF quarterback. He also rushed for 49 yards and a touchdown on the ground. On to the actual game, UCF took a 27-14 lead going into halftime, but a strong 2nd half performance by Memphis put them back ahead late in the 4th. UCF tried to take the lead with less than a minute to go, however UCF kicker Daniel Obarski missed a 40 yard FG. Memphis took over, lined up in victory formation and sealed the game for the Tigers. Seriously, if you have time, try and find the full game or an extended highlight reel of this matchup, it is definitely a game worth rewatching. UCF looks to regroup next week against Tulane, while Memphis looks to carry their momentum next week vs. Temple.
Did You Know? SMU vs Tulane
#17 SMU’s win over Tulane improved the Mustangs’ record to 5-0, which marks the first time they started the season 5-0 in back to back years since 1982-1983
So the NCAA cancelled SMU way back in the 80s, and I think it’s not a controversial statement to say that in these past two years, they have come back into the spotlight. SMU’s key to victory was through the air, as Shane Buechele threw for 384 yards in the air and 2 TDs. This game was very close, with the game being tied at both halftime and the end of regulation. A lone field goal in OT was the deciding factor. Tulane was able to keep close to SMU through both the air and the ground, with QB Micheal Pratt throwing 192 yards and 1 TD, with an INT. Pratt also had 26 yards on the ground and 2 TDs. Stephon Huderson rushed for 132 yards and 1 TD on the ground. This is an historic moment for SMU, as this is their 2nd year in a row where they started the season 5-0. The last time they did this was a few years before the Death Penalty given by the NCAA to SMU for violating the rules by paying its players. This scandal, and the punishment to follow, essentially left the Mustang Football program barely alive, and wasn’t able to fully recover until just last year, where they went 10-3. They are starting the year out perfect again, and look to carry that moment next week in a massive game against the Top 10 ranked Cincinnati Bearcats. Tulane looks to recover after this close loss next week against another tough opponent at UCF.
So, what do you think of this week’s facts? Learn anything new this week, or have even more facts? Talk about it in our forums or share the article with your friends! The more people know about college football history, the better. Until next week!
