From the time he arrived at Kentucky, Mark Stoops has emphasized the importance of instate recruiting.
Although there were hits and misses with his first three recruiting classes, Stoops made a splash with his fourth class, inking five instate prospects during national signing day Wednesday.
The top targets included Lafayette offensive lineman Landon Young, Paintsville linebacker Kash Daniel and Woodford County center Drake Jackson, all of whom played in the prestigious U.S. Army All-American game.
“We are blessed to have some great talent in the state this year,” Stoops said. “We are blessed to have some guys very close to home here. I thought those guys were critical.”
Stoops said Young and Jackson played a role in keeping the class intact despite the team’s second-half slide last season and the addition of three new coaches.
“Landon may have been the first guy (to lead the charge),” Stoops said. “Drake really took a leadership role. I think it starts with those guys. What was nice is they were such high-profile guys in the state and they were so solid.”
Kentucky’s offensive boss Eddie Gran said Young has the “size and mindset” to be a successful player.
“It’s now going to be the mental part of it,” he said. “How does he stack of physically? It looks like he does (on paper). Gosh almighty, he’s the real deal.”
Although Young, Daniel, and Jackson are head of the instate class, Stoops also praised the addition of Henry Clay cornerback Devonte Jackson.
“Being right down the road here, he was arguably as important of a guy in this class as anybody we got,” Stoops said. “He didn’t go to the camps, but everybody that sees him play, it’s a no-brainer. He can play with just about anywhere in the country. (He’s a) great player (and we’re) obviously excited about him.”
Kentucky offensive line coach John Schlarman said the chase to land the state’s best recruits began two years ago.
“We’ve been working on this class since 2013,” he said. “This has been a work in progress for the next two to three years. To see it come to fruition today and see these guys become a part of University of Kentucky football is exciting.”
Overall, Schlarman said the abundance of football talent in the Bluegrass helped produce a “special year” on the recruiting trail.
“You’ve got a top echelon class and a big class in terms of numbers,” he said. “I really think it bodes well for the state of Kentucky in moving forward.”
On the national front, Stoops landed Jonesboro (Georgia) defensive back Jordan Griffin, who fended off late overtures from Auburn, Clemson and Stanford and signed with the Wildcats.
“Coming from the heart of the SEC, right in the Atlanta area, having every SEC school banging on him and knocking on his door and to win that so far away from home, in the heart of the SEC, I think is critical,” Stoops said.
Although the class doesn’t fall into the jaw-dropping category, Stoops said the current class ranks among the best he’s assembled at Kentucky.
“I don’t know where the numbers stack up,” he said. “I don’t really care. From my point of view, absolutely top to bottom, I feel like it’s the most solid group. I feel like there’s elite talent in this group and I feel like there is great glue, great players (and) great program guys.
“There’s guys that you can develop, guys you that can play right away, there’s impact guys, there’s guys that can change the scoreboard, guys that can get difficult yards in the run game, the big uglies you want. I think there’s a nice combination of guys in this group, I definitely do.”
Keith Taylor is a columnist and senior sports writer who covers University of Kentucky athletics for KyForward.com