Cats Need To Keep Big Class Intact
It’s not a stretch to say the 2024 football season has been a disappointment for the Kentucky Wildcats. Currently sitting at 3-6 overall and 1-6 in the SEC it’s not what Mark Stoops and the BBN were expecting. Unless the Cats pull a couple of upsets in their last three games it will be the first time since 2015 UK won’t be playing in a bowl game. With this season pretty much a loss it’s time to focus on next season. That includes a very strong recruiting class. Let’s look at where this class stands and highlight a few players with our 2025 Kentucky Recruiting Update.
How They Stack Up
As it stands right now Kentucky’s 2025 class sits 20th in the nation according to 247 Sports. The Wildcats have seven four-star and 14 three-star recruits. In the SEC UK ranks 10th out of 16 teams. That’s a little higher than where the Cats usually sit.
A place that’s been good to them Ohio, leads the way with eight commitments. Behind that are three from Kentucky, and two from Alabama and Georgia. One pledge from the states of Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Let’s go a little more in-depth on some of the players with our 2025 Kentucky Recruiting Update.
Keeping The Best At Home
Over the last few years led by ace recruiter Vince Marrow, the Wildcats have done a masterful job of not letting the top players in the Bluegrass get across state lines. Even when one does get away they seem to return.
A case in point is Montavin Quisenberry from perennial power Boyle County. Originally committing to former Cat Neal Brown and West Virginia. However, he recently had a change of heart and is heading to Kentucky.
After careful consideration and talks with my family, I have decided to decommit from West Virginia University. The decision was not made lightly as I have tremendous respect for the WVU coaching staff and team.
With that being said I am committing to KENTUCKY! Go Cats pic.twitter.com/Obszz3x1ha— Montavin Quisenberry (@MontavinQuisen1) October 16, 2024
The top-ranked athlete in the state, Quisenberry has 42 receptions for 673 yards and 1o touchdowns. In addition, he’s run for 584 yards and 10 more scores. If that wasn’t enough he’s also thrown for two touchdowns.
One look at the list of Kentucky’s top players shows the top three and four of the top nine are coming to Kentucky. Defensive tackle Javeon Campbell of Western Hills High School in Frankfort heads the list. Overall he’s the 169th best player in the country and 20th best tackle. He had offers from Alabama, Auburn, and Miami among others before choosing the Cats.
The top three players in Kentucky are all on the defensive side of the ball. Safety Martels Carter Jr. is the second-best player in the class. Hailing from another traditional power Paducah Tilghman, Carter Jr. also had an offer from Alabama among many others but chose to stay home.
The final player of this defensive trifecta is edge rusher Cedric Works who started his career in Ohio. He chose Kentucky back in June and transferred to Lexington powerhouse Frederick Douglass. Works is the 20th-best edge rusher in the nation and another huge pickup for Marrow.
As we finish up our 2025 Kentucky Recruiting Update let’s look at a big-time player on the other side of the ball.
Quarterback Of The Future?
So far in 2024 Brock Vandagriff has done some things but also struggled. In addition, he suffered a head injury in the loss to Tennessee. Gavin Wimsatt has struggled too. It looks like we’ll get a good look at Cutter Boley next week against Murray State. With some questions could a freshman come in and get playing time in 2025?
The Wildcats are getting a good one in Stone Saunders from Bishop McDevitt High School in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Rated as the 36th best quarterback in the nation Sanders chose Kentucky back in August of 2023. Earlier this season he set the Pennsylvania high school record with his 177th touchdown pass.
So far this season he’s thrown for 2,473 yards with 34 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He had a career-high 434 against State College a couple of weeks ago. Overall he’s thrown for 12,615 yards with 190 touchdowns against only 22 picks. He definitely seems like a guy who’ll come in fighting for playing time.
Final Thoughts
There’s no doubt that Stoops and his staff have one of the best incoming classes in school history. Of course, there are some who wonder if he’ll be here next year. There was the “did he or didn’t he” accept the Texas A&M job last year before coming back. Since going 10-3 in 2021 he’s 17-18 and 7-16 in league play. Stoops has a buyout of somewhere north of 40 million and odds are he’ll be on the sidelines for his 13th year. If he goes elsewhere then you run the risk of many of these players going somewhere else.
Thanks for checking out our 2025 Kentucky Recruiting Update here at Last Word On College Football.
