2020 Kentucky prospect state of affairs

Last year's crop of Kentucky prospects were the highest ranked group to come out of the commonwealth during the rivals.com era. The University of Kentucky won the state recruiting title, signing five of the state's top 15 prospects while Louisville only managed one of the top-15. Nebraska landed the state's top offensive prospect in 4-star athlete Wandale Robinson while Stanford pulled the state's top defensive player in Stephen Herron. Kentucky and Louisville let four-star CAL receiver Milton Wright escape to West Lafayette, while Notre Dame snagged four-star defensive tackle Jacob Lacey and Virginia Tech lured the state's top offensive lineman Bryan Hudson to Blacksburg.

The 2020 class isn't far behind 2019 in terms of top talent. The top seven players in the class have garnered national recruit status, new prospects have been emerged as Group-of-Five of targets who could push to the Power-Five level with a solid camp season in conjunction with big senior seasons.

Parks is on the verge of a huge ratings bump inside the Rivals100 after he followed up a strong Junior season by taking home offensive-line MVP honors at the Cincinnati Three-Stripe Camp as well as earning an invite to the Five-Star challenge.

He's the first prospect to commit to Clemson in Kentucky history and he made that splash at the peak of the Tigers' existence. Walker's father, David Parks, is a former Kentucky offensive lineman who has worked with his son and many other prospects from the Lexington area so the younger Parks has been schooled on the nuances of the position. His frame, athleticism, and willingness to choke slam an opponent in a camp setting show he has the physical and mental make up to be a top flight lineman for one of the best programs in recent NCAA history. I will even go as far to say that Parks may have the most upside of any prospect in this class.

Mayer is committed to Notre Dame and this one is a done deal. The first time I saw him in action I thought he already looked the part of a major Power-Five player, that was during the beginning of his junior year of high school. I saw him at The Opening in Nashville and thought the same thing. He is also a fluid route runner who can change direction, and accelerate and decelerate in and out of his routes smoothly.

It can forcefully be argued that Mayer is the top prospect in the state and should be ranked in top-100 nationally. Notre Dame has done well in Kentucky over the past two recruiting cycles adding Jacob Lacey last season and Michael Mayer from this class.

Oxendine has earned a tremendous rise in his stock this offseason going from a low three-star to a four star before he won the DL MVP at the Cincinnati camp and punched his ticket to the Five-Star challenge. Kentucky, Louisville, Oklahoma, Purdue, and Tennessee are all heavily involved with Oxendine and appear to stand out most on his list. Personally I believe Tennessee leads right now and I have entered a futurecast for the Vols. If "Ox" continues his dominant ways at the Five-Star challenge he could see his stock explode.

Tisdale has been a bit of a mystery this camp season considering no one has seen him or interviewed him since February. Here is a timeline of his recruitment in early 2018. First there were rumors that Tisdale committed to UofL but quickly changed his mind and never made a public announcement. Then after a visit to Oklahoma it appeared the Sooners were the team to beat. Recently it's been said that Alabama was really applying pressure to get Tisdale to commit but it appears that relationship has deintensified. At the moment everything I'm hearing says this is a battle between Tennessee and Kentucky. Tisdale has frequented Kentucky this offseason and also given rave reviews on the scene in Knoxville. Right now his future destination is unclear.

Young is 100% committed to Kentucky and will be a bell cow for the 'Cats.

Allen had been rumored to Kentucky but took official visits to Washington State and West Virginia before choosing Kentucky. He is my pick to win Mr. Football this year as he has been the most prolific passer in the state over the last two seasons. Allen is the type of quarterback that could change UK's offense to more of a spread air-raid attack in the future.

Watkins has caught fire on the camp circuit this off-season with dominant performances at the Cincinnati Rivals camp as well as The Opening in Nashville where he posted a 4.38 laser-timed 40-yard-dash. He earned an offer from Kentucky after running two sub-4.5 40's at the Best of the Midwest and has only improved his testing numbers in the past few months. He also holds a Power-Five offer from Rutgers with Group-of-Five offers from Central Michigan, Kent State, and Western Michigan. Louisville is close to offering him as well as a number of other Power-Five schools he is scheduled to camp with this summer. If he replicated 2019 Kentucky commit Tae Crumes' production from last year in Butler's offense this year I expect him to blow up.

Cummings is a large receiver who poses a threat as a chain mover and a red zone weapon. He's a blue collar yeoman who has no problem running over the middle of the field to catch a ball in traffic or taking on linebackers and safeties as a run blocker. While he may not be the type of receiver who's going to take the top off the defense, he is the guy you want to toss it up to when the game is on the line and you need someone to go up and fight for the ball.

Cummings destroys the stereotype of the "diva wide receiver" with is willingness for contact in the run game when he isn't getting the ball and his quiet demeanor. He fought back from a knee injury last year during Males' state title season, returning for the playoffs to be Males' leading receiver despite missing the first game of the postseason.

Kentucky and Louisville are the teams leading the charge for Cummings at the moment.

Neal Jr. just keeps impressing at every off season camp he attends and the fact his offer sheet doesn't reflect his size and speed is baffling. He posted a 4.48 40-yard-dash time at The Opening in Nashville and his film shows a strong safety who flies around the field and has no problem slamming his body into people with force and ill intent. Cincinnati has done well to land a Power-Five talent in Neal but will they be able to hold offer Power-Five teams who will eventually offer later in the cycle.

Reese Smith is one the top contenders for the coveted Kentucky Mr. Football award in 2020. He committed to West Virginia on the fourth of March but that hasn't stopped schools like Kentucky, Duke, and Louisville from pursuing the dynamic playmaker from Boyle County.

Last season he caught 53 passes for 1,173 yards and 20 touchdowns and is also an extremely productive playmaker from the safety position.

Minkins has seen his stock rise this camp season after winning the defensive back MVP at The Opening in Nashville. As of now, Kentucky, Rutgers, Temple, Toledo, and Western Kentucky are pulling away from the pack for Minkins but if he can score a Louisville offer with a solid camp performance I expect them to jump into the top group.

While he is very instinctual and reactive at corner, he probably translates better as a safety at the next level. His length and cover skills will tantalize some staffs to recruit him as a corner but those same attributes translate better to the safety position. If he can put together some film during his Senior season that shows him running the alley and making some big tackles I expect his stock to soar.

Bartelson has been a ghost this off-season so I can't report much here regarding his development. I haven't heard from him in a while but the Kentucky high school grapevine has him going to Notre Dame as a corner and I agree that the Irish land the 6-foot-1, 190-pounds.

Collins holds offer from Louisville, Miami of Ohio, Toledo, Western Michigan, and a few other Group of Five schools. Rivals has him as a defensive end but everyone is recruiting him as a center. I think he commits to Louisville soon.

Knifeley has emerged as one of the state's top prospects this offseason. He's been offered by FBS schools Western Michigan and Kent State recently and turned in a very solid performance at the Cincinnati Three-Stripe Camp where he camped at defensive end which earned him a bump to three star status. He plays inside linebacker for Butler but projects as an edge in college. If he can put together a solid season at

Corley is an underrated recruit as far as his offer list goes. He has the route running, size, and work ethic to contribute at the Group-of-Five level. He looked very good at the Cincinnati Three-Stripe Camp going one on one with better talent that will ever be at a G5 camp. He will pick up some more offers before signing day.

Roberson translates as a defensive lineman at the MAC level. He's a tireless worker who has produced for Trinity since his Sophomore season. His senior film will determine where he ends up but right now I can see him as a solid contributor at the MAC level.

Thomas took off early and pulled a few Power-Five offers but his moment has seen a sharp down curve. At this moment it is unknown what schools still have him on his radar. He was invited to numerous off season camps but didn't show.

Dane is the younger brother of Drake Jackson, Kentucky's center and his upside is high. North Texas did well to land this talented prospect with a lot of upside and growth potential.

Tre Goodin is a fast defensive back (11.01 100-meter time) who has no problem coming up in run support. He's a MAC level player who will add weight to his frame and be a contributor at the nickel or strong safety position. His grit will get him on the field early as a special teams gunner and under the correct tutelage he could really thrive in the secondary.

Jones has the size of a Power-Five three-tech. His only offer comes from W.Michigan but he will have to camp to commit. Jones had an invite to the Rivals Three-Stripe Camp in Cincinnati but couldn't make it due to a family health scare. That being said, a dominant Senior season could help him tremendously and he remains one of Kentucky's most intriguing prospects going forward.

Hensley is under the radar because he plays for Pikeville but he ran a 4.48 at The Opening in Nashville and he lead his team to the 1A state championship where he caught 4 passes for 155-yards and 2 touchdowns. He also made seven tackles as a safety. He translates as a decent sized safety who can run and I think he can play MAC level ball. Right now his best offer is Cornell but I can see him playing G5 ball in the future with his size and speed.

Kaelin Drakeford is the one prospect in the state of Kentucky who is severely underrated and has Power-Five potential with no FBS offers.

I've seen him play live at Mercer County during his sophomore season plus I have seen him work against top level competition at Aspirations Gym.

I will let Chris Vaughn tell the coaches out there what type of player Drakeford is.

"6-4 190 pound athlete who also excels on the basketball court. Has natural ball skills and is a long rangy safety that runs well and is disruptive with his length in the passing game. Tough kid who is a competitor who lines up all over the field for Mercer County High School. Huge upside and has enough talent to play at the power 5 level would be a steal for any schools below P5." - Chris Vaughn.

Bednarczyk just picked up his first offer from William & Mary this month and schools such as Cornell, Murray State, and Yale have already reached out to his family.

Last season Bednarcyzk hauled in 28 passes for 665 yards (24 YPC) and scored 8 times. South oldham on completed 48 passes last year and Bednarcyzk caught 58% of them.

He's been clutch on the 7on7 circuit this offseason, playing alongside Jordan Watkins, Izayah Cummings, and Josh Minkins, Bednarcyzk led the team in receptions at the Blazing 7on7 National Championship in South Carolina.

He boasts a 4.0 GPA as well as a 26 ACT.

"Ethan Bednarczyk is a sure handed slot receiver who is the best route runner in the 2020 Kentucky class. He has a natural feel for how and when to separate. Heady player who finds holes in zone coverage and has an arsenal of releases and stems that make him a nightmare matchup in the slot. His game is modeled after Julian Edelman and he is physically built similar, Ethan is already a 300-pound bencher. Would be a great get at the MAC level and is a steal for FCS programs." - Chris Vaughn