Kentucky 2016 Football Recruiting Class
Recruiting in any college sport is essential to team's’ success on the field. Recruiting goes through many twists and turns, and is sometimes frustrating to follow. Kentucky, under head coach, Mark Stoops, has shot up the team recruiting rankings like never before. They have enjoyed success off the field in recruiting, but will need it to translate onto the field to earn respect from other teams. National Signing Day is February 3, and it is important to keep this class together.
Centerpieces of the Recruiting Class
A major key to establishing a solid recruiting class is to have a good foundation of recruits to keep the class together. This recruiting class has just that. It all starts with center, Drake Jackson, linebacker, Kash Daniel, and offensive tackle, Landon Young. All three hail from the state of Kentucky and are all highly rated. Landon Young is the most highly ranked, being the 19th ranked player overall according to one major recruiting service. Drake Jackson is the “class leader” and is instrumental in engaging with other commits to help them stick together. Kash Daniel was an under-the-radar player who burst onto the scene and has quickly risen to the top 100 players of the class. These three will shape Kentucky football’s future in their skill and leadership.
Most Skilled Players in the Class
Other than the “big three,” there are bunches of talent in this class. My favorite recruit in the class is Georgia defensive back, Jordan Griffin. He was heavily pursued by Auburn and Stanford, which should tell you his skill. He was one of the first commitments in the class in October 2014, and has stayed loyal the whole year and a half. A big part of recruiting is de-commitments. UK’s recruiting class was bit by the de-commitment “bug” as many players did not hold their pledge in the last month leading up to signing day. Another really skilled player in the 2016 class is junior college transfer, offensive tackle, Tate Leavitt. Leavitt is originally from Ohio but went to junior college in Kansas before signing with the Wildcats and enrolling early. He will be expected to contribute day one (and most likely start), and he is likely to make a tremendous impact for Kentucky, bolstering their below average offensive line this past year. The other “most skilled player” in this class is underrated Ohio defensive back, Tobias Gilliam. Gilliam could also be in the centerpiece category, but I saved him for here. He has been heavily pursued since committing last February, but has always preached that he was going to keep this class together and show why he is going to play in the Southeastern Conference.
Most Underrated Players in the Class
Gilliam could easily fit here, but here are a few other players who are often overlooked. The first one is six foot seven wide receiver, Dakota Holtzclaw, who also is from Ohio (seeing a pattern here?). He holds offers from some big time programs but is not talked about as often as he should be. He runs the 100 meter in the 10.7 range, which is insane , especially at six foot seven. I don’t think he will make a big impact his freshman year as he needs to bulk up, but he should be a solid contributor his four years. Another underrated player is Ohio tight end, Justin Rigg. Tight end is a position that is very underused on many teams, but can be a big help if utilized correctly. Rigg is a great blocking tight end and is underrated as a pass catcher but is in high regards with the coaching staff.
The Class Overall
This class is arguably UK’s best class overall with the exception of maybe 2014. They should make a huge impact on the field in a couple of years to get Kentucky back on the map as a solid football program. Kentucky has enjoyed much improved recruiting under Mark Stoops as the 2016 class is ranked as high as 19th, according to major recruiting website Rivals. If the Wildcats can translate it onto the field, it can be a program-changer.
