How Kentucky's new staff is making waves on the recruiting trail
· Yahoo Sports
Will Stein and his Kentucky Wildcats staff have been making waves on the recruiting trail for the 2027 cycle. They have done so by following the blueprint Coach Stein laid out and have used it to their advantage. Coach Stein pointed out in a sit down interview with Coach Dan Casey on "The Play Caller's Club" that he believes Kentucky has an advantage geographically to recruit multiple areas. They can recruit in the south, the midwest and the DMV area as they are all close in proximity, and early on in this cycle has already proved that to be true.
Kentucky already has multiple commits from each region. The previous regime heavily relied upon keeping the in-state talent and making Ohio a priority. The new staff will do so as well but it also seems they will recruit a lot more of the midwest, dmv and some southern states like Texas and Louisiana that previously haven't been a consistent pipeline for Kentucky. Defensive coordinator Jay Bateman has connections in the DMV area, offensive coordinator Joe Sloan has connections in the Louisiana area and Coach Stein has plenty of connections in Texas along with wide receivers coach Joe Price.
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Commitments
- 4-star QB Jake Nawrot (Arlington Heights, IL)
- 4-star S Marquis Bryant (Rolesville, NC)
- 4-star DL Elijah Brown (Prattville, AL)
- 4-star WR Iveon Lewis (Richmond, VA)
- 4-star S Tristin Hughes (Rocky River, OH)
- 4-star OT/iOL Ian Walker (Pennington, NJ)
- 4-star CB Miles Brown (Martin, TN)
- 3-star S Larron Westemoreland (Louisville, KY)
- 3-star LB Antoine Higgins (Cincinnati, OH)
- 3-star TE Trae Proctor (Plantation, FL)
- 3-star DL Griff Galloway (Charlotte, NC)
- 3-star LB Ty Ashley (Owensboro, KY)
- 3-star HB Bryian Duncan Jr. (Cairo, GA)
- 3-star HB Kelsey Gerald (Lantana, FL)
- 3-star iOL Brady Hull (Somerset, KY)
- 3-star HB Mason Ball (Jacksonville, AR)
- 3-star iOL Matthias Burrell (Columbus, OH)
- 3-star CB Miguel Wilson (Mobile, AL)
- 3-star TE Conrad Hart (Lexington, KY)
Kentucky sits at 19 total commitments, which is tied third most with UCLA, only trailing Oklahoma and Penn State. According to 247Sports, Kentucky has the 10th overall recruiting class which ranks fourth in the SEC behind Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Florida. In the 247Sports composite ratings, Kentucky is listed with seven four-star and 12 three-star commitments. After a small class in 2026, I would expect the total commitments to be around 25 when all said and done.
The class is led by quarterback Jake Nawrot, who is currently competing in the Elite 11 and fighting for the MVP. This is noteworthy because Nawrot could be added a fifth star if he wins the competition, which would be massive for Kentucky's position in the rankings. Nawrot is easily the most sought-after quarterback recruit to commit to the Wildcats since Tim Couch. Previous winners of the Elite 11 competition include Caleb Williams, CJ Stroud and current Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin.
Kentucky has four in-state commits, four from the midwest, one from the DMV, one from the northeast and the rest are all from the south. Kentucky has some ground to make up in the state, and there are still some big fish out there. None bigger than defensive lineman Malachi Brown from Corbin, who is a four-star prospect and 30th in his position according to 247Sports composite ratings. Kentucky will be battling their rivals Tennessee and Louisville to land Brown; Brown will have have his official visit on June 5.
The new staff has built up a ton of momentum to this point on the recruiting trail. They will try to stay hot in what will be a massive June with a lot of recruiting battles. It is obvious these recruits are buying in to the Will Stein era, and it is important that momentum translates to the field this fall. Stay tuned to see what the month of June brings for the Wildcats.
This article originally appeared on UK Wildcats Wire: Kentucky football new staff making an impact on the recruiting trail