Outside of Barker and a few others this recruiting class is vastly overrated. Sure they "invaded" Ohio, but they didn't land any of the top kids in the state and I think we have seen time and again what players from the Midwest look like when playing high end SEC talent. There is a reason Ohio State is cherry picking the top 6 or 7 guys in state and then heading south...

 

The bottom line is that Kentucky has a top 20 class. At this point, Kentucky needs as much talent as possible to build quality depth. As we all know, football is a different animal than basketball. When Calipari arrived in Lexington, he brought Wall & Cousins which immediately made Kentucky a contender. That doesn't happen in football. You need to string together a several talented classes consecutively in order to compete. Stoops appears to be doing that, so it's progress.

I don't think this class is overhyped at all. When you look at the schools they beat out for these recruits it's impressive. Bama, Ohio State, Penn State, FSU, Clemson, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Georgia, and others . Look at the offer sheets of these guys and that tells the stories of their skills. No more beating out MAC schools for guys.

The latter...

 

I think the media is over hyping the class and that is just causing UK fans to follow suit.

 

Am I excited about this class, of course. Do I think this class will lead UK to an SEC Championship in two or three years, of course not. But the class does give me some hope which is something UK has not had much of in the last 30 years. It is my hope that if this class is followed by similar classes, that most teams will no longer be able to assume a game against UK is an automatic W on their schedule, that bowls will be more often than not and every once in a while, UK will be able to pull off a 9 win season.

The problem UK faces when looking toward a nine-win season is the same one they've always faced but were rarely in position to worry about. This was a great class for UK, but it was still relatively low in the league. While fans of SEC teams have been really excited about the league's dominance of college football over the past few years, the hegemony of the American south as regards football talent has a price: all the southern teams are chasing the same players.

 

Georgia will still be good. Florida can't stay like this forever. Tennessee is already starting to make waves under Butch Jones.

 

The program getting better is certainly true. But given the nature of conference play, extra wins for UK must necessarily mean extra losses for other teams... so where are they going to go?

Outside of Barker and a few others this recruiting class is vastly overrated. Sure they "invaded" Ohio, but they didn't land any of the top kids in the state and I think we have seen time and again what players from the Midwest look like when playing high end SEC talent. There is a reason Ohio State is cherry picking the top 6 or 7 guys in state and then heading south...

 

The fact that Ohio State Coach Urban Meyer is not attempting to almost exclusively recruit Ohio, is part of the very reason that Kentucky Coach Mark Stoops has been able to make significant head-way in the Buckeye State.

 

My understanding is Coach Meyer has been nothing to endear himself with Ohio high school coaches.

The class whether overhyped or not, is still the best UK has ever assembled. It's a step in the right direction.

 

The ranking I saw for this year's class is #20. what was last year's class ranked?

 

As to how that will translate to wins, if you recruit a top 20 class every year you should get to 9 wins. If not, I question how good the coaches are.

Kentucky's class ranks 9th in the SEC and only a couple spots ahead of Ole Miss.

 

It's a long road....

 

Nothing in the SEC is easy, but 9th is ahead of five teams and behind eight teams.

 

Do that 4 years in a row, and you're very competitive.

Outside of Barker and a few others this recruiting class is vastly overrated. Sure they "invaded" Ohio' date=' but they didn't land any of the top kids in the state and I think we have seen time and again what players from the Midwest look like when playing high end SEC talent. There is a reason Ohio State is cherry picking the top 6 or 7 guys in state and then heading south...[/quote']

 

Can I get a shout out on this lol? Well, I guess it isn't science exactly.

Outside of Barker and a few others this recruiting class is vastly overrated. Sure they "invaded" Ohio, but they didn't land any of the top kids in the state and I think we have seen time and again what players from the Midwest look like when playing high end SEC talent. There is a reason Ohio State is cherry picking the top 6 or 7 guys in state and then heading south...

 

I believe it's somewhere in between the so called hype and your post. Both extremes. It is a much needed improvement and is a big step in the right direction GT. Give a lil credit.

I believe it's somewhere in between the so called hype and your post. Both extremes. It is a much needed improvement and is a big step in the right direction GT. Give a lil credit.

 

Consider me skeptical at the thought of winning big in the SEC with the emphasis put on slightly above average recruits from the Midwest. If it was that easy the B1G wouldn't be a whipping boy for the SEC...:idunno:

A lot of great comments, here is my take on the facts as I see them:

-in 14 months Stoops and staff have vastly exceeded any and all expectations in recruiting

-for the first time the UK name is being currently tossed around now with a few 5 Star players(may or may not happen, likely not), but we are now in the game and participating

-this type of recruiting is on par/competitive with almost all the best in the country, outside of the most elite programs, OSU, Bama, etc

-facilities are on track for significant upgrades across the board

-perceptions have begun to change

Therefore, provided that recruiting continues at the current pace or improves a bit, provided that the coaches perform at a level equal to their past successes and players given the opportunity to mature in a over a 2-3 year period, I see no reason that 9 wins will not become a very realistic possibility.

Outside of Barker and a few others this recruiting class is vastly overrated. Sure they "invaded" Ohio, but they didn't land any of the top kids in the state and I think we have seen time and again what players from the Midwest look like when playing high end SEC talent. There is a reason Ohio State is cherry picking the top 6 or 7 guys in state and then heading south...

 

I just saying that's off base. And I'm not talking about winning big in the SEC. Just back where they were when Brooks left. That's realistic, right?

I just saying that's off base. And I'm not talking about winning big in the SEC. Just back where they were when Brooks left. That's realistic, right?

 

They landed one top 10 and that was #10 and of the 15 4 star kids in the state they got 2. The top 6 and 7 of top 10 are Buckeyes.

 

Sure. Not sure you get there without a heavy emphasis on speed from the south. We'll see...

They landed one top 10 and that was #10 and of the 15 4 star kids in the state they got 2. The top 6 and 7 of top 10 are Buckeyes.

 

Sure. Not sure you get there without a heavy emphasis on speed from the south. We'll see...

 

How many top 40 Ohio kids did UC land?

How many top 40 Ohio kids did UC land?

 

What does UC have to do with this thread???