2019 KY Recruiting Scoop

The '19 class has been the topic of much discussion and debate for a few years locally, but now the word has gotten out and plenty of prospects have emerged on the national scene.

Times are changing here in Kentucky and the talent pool is starting to approach new water marks.

Christian Academy of Louisville athlete Milton Wright is one of the most off-the-grid high profile recruits in the country. He is as elusive to recruiting journalists as he is to defensive backs, but I was able to get get an update from him and he told me that Miami (FL) and Georgia offered him in January and Minnesota and Tennessee offered him in February.

Of all the schools that have offered, he said Ohio State, Georgia, Minnesota, Purdue, and UofL have been pushing the hardest, and mentioned Urban Meyer has contacted him a few times.

He visited Purdue over the weekend and said it went "fantastic."

"I think I can speak for Milton in that we like Purdue and they are definitely an option worth considering," said his father.

Wright doesn’t have a commitment date set, partly because he is still taking visits and also due to newly received interest from Alabama, LSU, Texas, Texas A&M, and UCLA.

Currently, it appears that Ohio State is heavily on Wright's mind with Minnesota, Georgia, and Purdue also hanging in there. This one is too early to call and new offers are to be expected.

It appears that the number one player in the state, Stephen Herron, and Michigan are on shaky grounds. The Rivals100 defensive end form Trinity committed to Michigan back in the summer of 2017 but since then the Wolverines have offered a large number of 2019 recruits at his position. It appears Herron isn't feeling the love anymore.

Stanford and Florida appear to be the main candidates to flip Herron, with Stanford the favorite as things stand.

Stanford has the academic prowess that Herron seeks plus the Pac-12 style off play is much more suited for a crafty, finessee type of edge rusher than the Big-Ten's power style. Florida is also a legitimate threat because of Herron's tight bond with new Gators' defensive coordinator Todd Grantham, who was the first coach to offer Herron when he was at Louisville.

Relationships are not irreparable at this point between Herron and Michigan, but the honeymoon is definitely over. I think the smart money is on a decommitment in the near future if Harbaugh and company don't clear the air and make the number one prospect in the state a priority.

Notre Dame's defensive coordinator left for Texas A&M in the off-season to join Jimbo Fisher's staff and some thought that would shake things. Recent reports however, indicate the Irish have stabilized things and Jacob Lacey verbal commitment remains firm. Clemson is still the biggest threat to Brian Kelly and Notre Dame so if relations go sour and Clemson continues to push this one may get interesting, but at the moment it seems Lacy is locked in with the Fighting Irish.

Tanner Bowles, the sixth ranked player in the state has become one of the hottest recruits in the country with offers from Alabama, UGA, Stanford, OSU, FSU, Penn State, and USC, in February. You can read the latest scoop on Bowles here.

Wandale Robinson is the most electric player in the state regardless of class and could have won Kentucky Mr. Football last season if they considered juniors for the award. In the month of February he was offered by Toledo, Northwestern, and Nebraska as well as Minnesota and Indiana in January. You can read the latest scoop on Robinson here.

JJ Weaver lives in Louisville but he's originally from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. On February, 7th the Miami Hurricanes offered the talented defensive end and speculation ran rampant that the would be the team to beat. Then on the 15th of February the national runner-up Georgia Bulldogs offered and all bets are off as to who may land the 8th ranked prospect in the state of Kentucky. I spoke to Weaver on the 27th of February and he told me he is still in the process of speaking with schools to set up visits and gauging interest from schools who may offer in the future. One interesting piece of information Weaver gave me was that Purdue is recruiting him the hardest at the moment. For a while it seemed that Louisville was in the drivers seat but a flurry of new offers from Miami, UGA, Minnesota, and Kentucky have definitely obfuscated the picture.

Another piece of information Weaver divulged was that he plans to enroll early at the school he signs with. He will announce his decision on November 30th, his birthday, but who he will pick is anyone's guess at the moment.

Justin Rowland of CatsIllustrated.com wrote an excellent article about Weaver's recruitment and you can read it here.

Butler WR Demontae Crumes came out of nowhere in 2018 picking up an offer from Memphis. Then in February Louisville reached out and offered and Crumes quickly committed. Since committing to Louisville he has been offered by Kentucky and I got word today from a source that Pittsburgh has offered but he hasn't announced that offer at the time of publication. You can read the latest scoop on Crumes here.

Bryan Hudson, the third ranked recruit in Kentucky and a Rivals250 national recruit has stayed hot in 2018 picking up offers from Arkansas, Georgia Tech, Notre Dame, Mizzou to go along with his already impressive offer list.

Hudson confirmed reports that Virginia Tech is still his leader as he was on his way to visit Duke.

"Virginia Tech is still my favorite so I would call them my leader right now," admitted Hudson.

I'm on may way to Duke right now though. I want to see their campus, observe the student life, and meet the coaching staff and what they base their program around. I'm also going to talk to the track coaches and then watch the Duke/UNC game," said Hudson about his trip to Durham."

While VT is his leader at the moment, Hudson has wisely stated on the record he isn't about to narrow down his list because he’s still receiving offers.

"I'm looking for a good academic school with a good football culture and a stable coaching staff. A stable coaching staff is key," advised Hudson.

Last weekend Hudson and his family visited Duke for the Duke v UNC game.

“(The visit) went great! I got to talk to coach Cutcliffe and the OL coach (Jeff Bridge) some. I got to see campus and the facility. The game was crazy. I really enjoyed it,” said Hudson.

He also added that Duke has “definitely moved up” his list of top schools.

"I want to take an in-depth visit to Florida and Notre Dame in the future. I'll be in Florida at the end of March for a track and field competition so I'll visit Florida then. After that I want to swing by LSU then hit Ole Miss and Mississippi State and hit Georgia Tech on my way back to Kentucky," detailed the Rivals250 offensive tackle.

Hudson also said that ideally he wants to make a commitment before his senior football season starts, but if he's not comfortable making a decision at that time he won't rush it.

Doss defenisve lineman Ricky Barber has offers from Purdue, Indiana, Cincinnati, Yale, and Eastern Kentucky. He says that Purdue is recruiting him the hardest right now but wants to check out Yale as well.

"My plan is to get to Purdue on March 31st and take a trip to Purdue and I’ll probably go back for a summer spring ball and I want to check out Yale in the summer," said Barber.

Barber did very well last year at the Rivals Three Stripe Camp in Columbus last year and looks to boost his ranking this year in Nashville.

Aidan Robbins has seen a major uptick in his recruitment picking up Ivy League offers from Pennsylvania, Dartmouth, Yale, and Princeton in February. He also picked up an offer from academic ACC juggernaut Duke on February as well. Indiana, Marshall, and EKU have also come calling this year.

Why are these academic schools offering Robbins? His 3.8 GPA at duPont Manual, one of the toughest academic programs in the country, coupled with a 26 ACT is the answer.

"I just walked in and took the ACT and got a 26," admitted Robbins. "I didn't take any prep courses or anything. I plan to take it again this month and prep for it this time."

Robbins is being recruited primarily at linebacker and says that a handful of schools have his attention.

"Duke shows a lot of love. They're a great program with a prestigious academic reputation. They are and will always be high on my list. I spoke with coach (Gerard) Parker today and I have been hearing from them very often. Louisville does a tremendous job of not only recruiting me but my family as well, same with Vanderbilt, both schools have sent hand written letters to me and my parents on numerous occasions, said Robbins.

"I plan on visiting Duke, Louisville, Vanderbilt, South Carolina, and Ole Miss this offseason," detailed the 3-star Manual standout. "Obviously I'm very interested in the Ivy Schools, how could I not be, and I want to get out to IU (Indiana University) for a visit soon too. I'll probably visit the local schools in the spring and then get out to Ole Miss and South Carolina for a game."

In addition to the schools who have already offered, Robbins says that Stanford and California have shown a lot of interest lately and if they offered he would take them very seriously. He also mentioned Tennessee has shown a lot if interest and he has a lot of respect for the program and hopes to get on campus and meet the staff.

His recruitment is wide open right now but it appears that Duke, Vanderbilt, and Louisville have done a great job establishing early relationships with Robbins and his family. Robbins said he plans to make his commitment this summer in order to focus on his senior season.

The Rest of the Best:

Adam Derry, a 6-foot-3, 275-pound lineman from Beechwood High School has been gaining some steam since mid-February, securing offers from Ball State, Eastern Kentucky, and Western Kentucky this weekend. I spoke with Derry recently and from our conversation he seems to have Western Kentucky at the top of his list.

Ben Jackson committed to Miami of Ohio as the Red Hawks continue to identify Kentucky talent early and secure commitments from the blue grass. I saw Jackson at the Best of the Midwest and he held his own against smaller, quicker edge rushers while showing good strength and anchor against bigger guys who used power techniques. He didn't win all his reps, of course, and he had two knee braces on, but he definitely looked like a guy who can excel in the MAC.

Speaking of Miami of Ohio, they were the first to offer Covington Catholic WR Jack Coldiron, a 6-foot-4, 215-pound TE at the next level. They secured his commitment Sunday. Covington Catholic is becoming a pipeline for Miami of Ohio.

Ballard wide receiver Elijah Downing picked up an offer from Eastern Michigan last week. He's a 6-foot-3 red zone threat with good hips and the ability to get physical and bring down contested catches. Downing plans to visit Austin Peay on March, 3rd followed by Eastern Michigan the next weekend and UVA the weekend after that. He is just emerging on the scene and should land a few more offers heading into his senior season.

Downing's Ballard teammate, linebacker Jared Casey, also picked up an offer from E. Michigan over the weekend.