Kentucky 2012 Recruiting

Kentucky Wildcats 2012 ... Head Coach: Joker Phillips

Kentucky Wildcats

2011 Record: 5-7 

Sep. 3 WKU (in Nash.) W 14-3
Sep. 10 Central Mich W 27-13
Sep. 17 Louisville L 24-17
Sep. 24 Florida L 48-10
Oct. 1 at LSU L 35-7
Oct. 8 at South Carolina L 54-3
Oct. 15 OPEN DATE
Oct. 22 Jacksonville State W 38-14
Oct. 29 Mississippi St L 28-16
Nov. 5 Ole Miss W 30-13
Nov. 12 at Vanderbilt L 38-8
Nov. 19 at Georgia L 19-10
Nov. 26 Tennessee W 10-7

2010 CFN Prediction: 6-6
2010 Record: 6-7

Sept. 4 at Louisville W 23-16
Sept. 11 WKU W 63-28
Sept. 18 Akron W 47-10
Sept. 25 at Florida L 48-14
Oct. 2 at Ole Miss L 42-35
Oct. 9 Auburn L 37-34
Oct. 16 South Carolina W 31-28
Oct. 23 Georgia L 44-31
Oct. 30 at Miss State L 24-17
Nov. 6 Char. Southern W 49-21
Nov. 13 Vanderbilt W 38-20
Nov. 20 OPEN DATE
Nov. 27 at Tennessee L 24-14
BBVA Compass Bowl
Jan. 8 Pitt L 27-10
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The Entire 2012 Recruiting Class

Top 5 Kentucky Recruits To Care About
Player writeups by Scout.com

1. DT Thomas Chapman
6-4, 286, Scout.com 32nd ranked, three-star defensive tackle.

2. QB Patrick Towles
6-5, 232, Scout.com 33rd ranked, three-star quarterback.

3. PK Landon Foster
6-2, 190, Scout.com 8th ranked, three-star kicker.

4. OG Jordan Watson
6-4, 289, Scout.com 39th ranked, three-star offensive guard.

5. QB Jalen Whitlow
6-3, 200, Scout.com 57th ranked, three-star quarterback.

The 2012 Class Was Heavy On... Defensive playmakers. The last three recruiting classes have mostly focused on upgrading the offense, but that didn’t exactly payoff in a dismal 2011. It was a young crew of talented skill players that needed time, but now it’s time to produce. The defense has to stronger and more productive, and this class is focusing on getting more options for an already decent-looking secondary.

Team Concerns For 2012: Offensive line. Three starters are gone from an offensive front that didn’t do nearly enough to a pathetic attack. The skill players are in place for the next few seasons, but the line has to be reloaded. However, O line doesn’t’ appear to be the strength of this recruiting class.

Looking Ahead To The 2012 Season: The SEC was miserable offensively last year, and Kentucky was the worst of the bad lot. With three starters gone off the offensive line, the pass protection that was so woeful should have problems improving right away, but junior right guard Larry Warford is a decent one to work around. The quarterback play has to be better, with Morgan Newton needing to get healthy and Maxwell Smith needing to use his experience to be better. All the top running backs return, and the team’s best receiver, La’Rod King, is back. The defense has the impossible task of replacing safety Winston Guy and linebacker Danny Trevathan, and four of the five top defensive backs are gone, but all four starters on the line are back.

2011 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 45. That Class Was Heavy On ... Receiver. The secondary gets a huge boost with safety Glen Faulkner a find and corners Eric Dixon and Daylen Hall, and the offensive line got help with tackle Darrian Miller a future All-SEC factor, but the bulk is at receiver. Rich Brooks focused on skill players a few years ago, and Joker Phillips loaded up with this class with six good receivers and tight end Alvin Dupree to boost the depth right away, but speedsters like Demarco Robinson and Daryl Collins should be stars in the future.

2010 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 38. That Class Was Heavy On ... The running game. Last year Rich Brooks made sure the future of the passing game was set by bringing in three quarterbacks, five wide receivers and two tight ends. The future became the present with so many issues at quarterback last season. this year, new head man Joker Phillips made sure the running game was secure with four very good prospects led by Brandon Gainer out of Miami and Raymond Sanders out of Georgia. In an interesting move, Phillips also loaded up on tight ends bringing in four with Alex Smith a big blocker and Tyler Brause like a big receiver. Don't dismiss the big signing of Joe Mansour, one of the nation's top punting prospects.

2009 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 32. That Class Was Heavy On ... the passing game. Three quarterbacks, five wide receivers and two tight ends … head coach Rich Brooks is looking for more out of a passing attack that was supposed to feature Curtis Pulley, before he was booted off the team. There aren’t any stars at receiver, but Anthony Kendrick, Ridge Wilson, LaRod King and Chris Matthews are big. Really big. 6-3 and up big. The quarterback battle will be tremendous with Morgan Newton, Ryan Mossakowski and Brian Adams all starting-quality prospects.

Nov. 26 at Kentucky 10 … Tennessee 7
CFN Analysis: The offense still didn’t work, but it didn’t matter considering the performance from the defense. The D had to come up with something special considering the passing game wasn’t going anywhere, and it did. … Wide receiver Matt Roark ended up being used at quarterback, and while he only completed 4-of-6 passes for 15 yards, he ran for 124 yards and helped the Wildcats keep the ball for 36 minutes. … Winston Guy was special making 14 tackles with a half a sack, while Danny Trevathan made eight tackles with 1.5 tackles for loss and two broken up passes. … This was a bad team that managed to finish with five wins and screw up Tennessee’s season. For all the problems, this was a great way to end the season for a young team that spent the year cutting its teeth. 

(AP) LEXINGTON, Ky. -- CoShik Williams ran for a touchdown and senior wide receiver Matt Roark filled in at quarterback with 124 yards on 24 carries as Kentucky snapped a 26-game losing streak to Tennessee with a 10-7 victory on Saturday.

The win capped a disappointing season for the Wildcats (5-7, 2-6 Southeastern Conference) and kept Tennessee (5-7, 1-7) from reaching bowl eligibility with representatives from the Liberty Bowl on hand.

Kentucky's game plan was clear from the start to win for the first time in the series since 1984.

The Wildcats weren't going to be able to throw much with Roark, but instead tried to run misdirection plays and catch Tennessee off-guard while relying on their improving defense.

It worked.

Roark led two scoring drives and Kentucky forced three turnovers, including a key one in a goal-line stand in the third quarter.

Roark had talked earlier in the week about needing to find a job after he graduated in May, but he left a strong impression in his final appearance at Commonwealth Stadium with injured quarterbacks Maxwell Smith (right shoulder) and Morgan Newton (right ankle, right shoulder) watching from the sideline.

Kentucky wore its black jerseys for the second time this season at the request of its 21 seniors and, on the first possession, Roark led Kentucky on a 15-play drive that lasted nearly eight minutes before it stalled at the Tennessee 7 and forced Craig McIntosh's 24-yard field goal. That would stay the only score until the fourth quarter, when Williams scored from the 6 to give Kentucky a 10-0 lead.

Tennessee had plenty of chances late, but committed three turnovers in the second half.

First, Ronnie Sneed intercepted Tyler Bray's pass at the Tennessee 34. But, with Kentucky seemingly stalled, it appeared to be only a matter of time before Tennessee's offense engaged. It happened when Bray found Rajion Neal behind cornerback Randall Burden for a 44-yard gain that set up first-and-goal on the 8.

But Neal failed to handle the snap out of a wildcat formation two plays later, and Collins Ukwu recovered the fumble for Kentucky before Roark restarted the offense.

First, he got linebacker A.J. Johnson to turn his back for a 24-yard gain into Tennessee territory. Roark made another key play a few minutes later, splitting the defense and breaking two tackles on a third-and-12 to gain 26 yards down to the Tennessee 7. Williams, who finished with 68 yards, scored two plays later on a 6-yard run that made it 10-0 with 14:12 left.

Tennessee struck right back when Bray found Neal on the post again against Burden for a 53-yard score that cut it to 10-7 with 12:52 left. Tennessee had three chances late, but Bray failed to move the offense beyond one first down and on fourth-and-17. Taiedo Smith intercepted Bray's pass to seal it.

Roark finished 4 of 6 for 15 yards passing.

Volunteers wide receiver Da'Rick Rogers caught two passes for 38 yards to boost his SEC-leading totals to 67 receptions for 1,040 yards, but Bray looked rusty in his second game back after missing five with a broken right thumb. He finished 15 of 38 for 215 yards.

The Vols last lost on the road to Kentucky in 1981 and, coupled with their 6-7 finish last year, have ended seasons with consecutive losing records for the first time since 1910-11.

They'll have a long offseason to think about this one by failing to topple a Wildcats team that had been in turmoil all week with rumors that coach Joker Phillips might not return for a third season.

Kentucky athletics director Mitch Barnhart said on the school's pregame show that nothing changed from when he publicly supported Phillips in October.

Phillips is 11-14 and 4-12 in SEC play over his first two seasons while the program won't go to a bowl for the first time in five years. Instead, the coach got a victory bath from a sideline water cooler all the same and fans rushed the field.

Nov. 19 at Georgia 19 … Kentucky 10
CFN Analysis: Danny Trevathan was a one man gang. The Wildcats got a great performance out of the defense as a whole, but it was Trevathan’s 17 tackles, two forced fumbles, a sack, and three tackles for loss. It wasn’t enough to make up for the awful offense. ... The O line couldn’t handle the Georgia pass rush. Maxwell Smith couldn’t get the offense moving, throwing for 133 yards and getting sacked time and again. … Punter Ryan Tydlacka did his part, averaging 46.4 yards per kick with three put inside the 20. … The O line has to be night-and-day better next year to have any shot of turning things around. The skill players haven’t had any room to move against the better SEC defenses. 

Nov. 12 at Vanderbilt 38 … Kentucky 8
CFN Analysis: Just when it seemed like Kentucky was about to turn a corner with three straight decent games and two wins, the offensive line broke down and it was blowout time. The offense was a mess because it didn’t have time to work. … La’Rod King came up with a 48-yard catch, and that was about it for any of the fireworks for an attack that went 0-for-12 in third downs. The ten penalties for 105 yards didn’t exactly help. … The defense isn’t blameless, having major problems holding up against the Commodore running game. There were several plays made behind the line, but there weren’t enough. … As bad as things looked against Vandy, can the Cats find something special and shock Georgia to shake up the SEC East? No. The offense that’s averaging just 274 yards per game is going to get stuffed cold by the surging Dawg D. 

Nov. 5 at Kentucky 30 … Ole Miss 13
CFN Analysis: Kentucky has … and offense? The Wildcats got a great game out of Maxwell Smith, who took control in the fourth quarter with two touchdown passes before CoShik Williams put the game way with a ten-yard run. Smith might not have been ultra-accurate, but he made the throws he had to late, while Williams balanced things out with 111 yards and two scores. It was hardly a perfect performance, but UK didn’t make the mistakes Ole Miss did, with no turnovers and just five penalties, and after all the problems putting up points in SEC play, this was a breath of fresh air. A bowl game is still in play needing to win two of the final three games against Vanderbilt, Georgia, and Tennessee, and while it’s probably not going to happen, Smith and Williams provided hope this week. 

Oct. 29 Mississippi State 28 … at Kentucky 16
CFN Analysis: The Wildcats weren’t totally miserable, and that’s a start. The defense that hasn’t even been close in SEC play kept MSU to 28 points, while Maxwell Smith hit on a slew of short throws completing 26-of-33 passes for 174 yards. Danny Trevathan made 17 tackles and forced a fumble, and the defense held MSU to 134 yards on the ground, but it got behind early and the offense couldn’t pick up the slack late. The passing offense still can’t push the ball down the field and come up with any deep balls, and no one is taking the running game on his back. However, this was an improvement, even with a 12-point loss. With Ole Miss and Vanderbilt up next, there’s still time to rally. The offense needs to figure out how to score after only putting up 36 points in four SEC games. 

Oct. 22 at Kentucky 38 …Jacksonville State 14
CFN Analysis: For one week, the passing game wasn’t totally miserable. Morgan Newton only threw for 105 yards and two scores, but he didn’t make any major mistakes and didn’t turn the ball over. He ran for 75 yards and a score, and CoShik Williams tore of 148 yards helping the Wildcats roll for 340 yards and two scores, but the offense can’t rely on this on a regular basis. Winston Guy continues to be a tackling machine, making 12 stops, but the run defense was soft against former Georgia runner Washaun Ealey, who ran for 120 yards on 16 carries. It wasn’t pretty, but it was a nice stopper to the four game losing streak before hosting Mississippi State and Ole Miss. Those two games are winnable before going to Vanderbilt, but the offense has to prove it can do something through the air. 

Oct. 8 at South Carolina 54 … Kentucky 3
CFN Analysis: Kentucky’s O is a mess. The offense is bad enough without turning the ball over six times, and worse yet, the defense that was so strong at times in bad situations broke down way too much against the swarming Gamecock defense. Nothing worked. The Wildcats only completed 4-of-26 passes for 17 yards with Morgan Newton accounting for all the positive production. He ran for 54 yards on 14 carries, but there wasn’t any hope with the offensive line getting destroyed by the Gamecock front four. The Jacksonville State game will be a breath of fresh air; there’s still time to salvage the season. With Mississippi State and Ole Miss up next at home in SEC play, and with Vandy still on the slate, getting to six wins is still possible, but the offense has to find something it can rely on and the line has to be night-and-day better – fast. 

Oct. 1 at LSU 35 … Kentucky 7
CFN Analysis: It’s hard to judge how good an offense is when it goes against LSU, but Kentucky’s attack was truly awful. Morgan Newton just can’t find his passing touch, completing just 6-of-20 throws for 57 yards and a score, but his receivers aren’t doing anything to help the cause. There’s no running game, no playmakers, and little to take away from a rough day in Death Valley. The defense wasn’t awful, keeping the Tiger ground game in check, but it couldn’t come up with any big stops or takeaways to turn the game around. With a trip to South Carolina up next, the offense has to find points from somewhere, and it has to start with more coming from the passing game.

Sept. 24 Florida 48 … at Kentucky 10
CFN Analysis: Kentucky’s offensive line has been awful, and against a team like Florida, that’s a deathblow. The line allowed four sacks and too many plays behind the line, and while the offense put up decent numbers, the game wasn’t remotely close. The defense couldn’t prevent the home run, Morgan Newton and the passing game had to try to bomb away to keep up, and nothing happened. Doing all the little things right is a must, and right now, UK isn’t doing any one thing particularly well except for defending the pass, and that’s because everyone’s spending so much time running the ball. 

Sept. 17 Louisville 24 ... at Kentucky 17
CFN Analysis: Kentucky finally got a good day out of Morgan Newton, but it wasn’t enough as he couldn’t come through in crunch time. The offensive line still can’t pass protect and Newton is always under pressure, but his 255 yards and two touchdown passes were a big plus compared to the first few games. The running attack is non-existent, with Josh Clemons and CoShik Williams combining for just 57 yards on 18 carries, and the lack of balance was a problem for the inconsistent attack. The team needs to find an identity, but more than anything else, it needs to get better offensive line play in a hurry or Newton will get destroyed by Florida, LSU, and South Carolina over the next here weeks. 

Sept. 10 at Kentucky 27 … Central Michigan 13
CFN Analysis: The Wildcats might be 2-0, but it’s a very, very shaky 2-0. The passing game has been abysmal with Morgan Newton doing nothing on his deep passes and struggling wildly just to do the basics to keep the chains moving. Josh Clemons saved the day on the ground with his 87-yard play and 126 yards and a touchdown, but the team can’t rely on the home run. Fortunately, the defense is doing its job with Winston Guy coming up with his second straight game with 13 tackles, and Danny Trevathan being Danny Trevathan with 13 tackles, three tackles for loss, and a pick. Fortunately, Louisville is up next, but the offense has to be far more effective through the air to have any prayer of staying with Florida, LSU, or South Carolina in the coming weeks.  

Sept. 1 Kentucky 14 … WKU 3
CFN Analysis: This couldn’t have been what Kentucky had in mind to open up the season, and while the WKU defense played extremely well, the UK offense helped the cause in the ugly win. Morgan Newton simply can’t take anything off his fastball. All the work done on his touch this offseason didn’t seem to pay off, and while he has the gun to push the ball down the field, and he has just enough mobility to get by – including a key late 58-yard to all but put the game away, his 7-of-18, 97-yard, one score, three-pick day was a disaster. On the plus side, the defense didn’t allow the Hilltopper offense to move, and Danny Trevathan was brilliant with 13 tackles and Winston Guy made ten stops with two picks, there’s a LOT of work to be done against Central Michigan and Louisville to have any prayer of being competitive in SEC play.  

The 2011 Recruiting Class Is Heavy On … Receiver. The secondary gets a huge boost with safety Glen Faulkner a find and corners Eric Dixon and Daylen Hall, and the offensive line got help with tackle Darrian Miller a future All-SEC factor, but the bulk is at receiver. Rich Brooks focused on skill players a few years ago, and Joker Phillips loaded up with this class with six good receivers and tight end Alvin Dupree to boost the depth right away, but speedsters like Demarco Robinson and Daryl Collins should be stars in the future.

Five Kentucky Recruits You Should Care About
Player writeups by Scout.com

1. OT Darrian Miller
6-6, 265, Scout.com’s 17th ranked offensive tackle. Miller has two coveted assets from his left tackle position, quick feet and long arms. He drops back into his sets quickly, and has the agility to be involved in pull blocking. Has good flexibility and comes out of his stance low. Pass Blocks well, stays low to absorb bull rushers, and has the reach to extend a speed rusher around the edge. Simply needs to grow into his frame and add muscle weight to keep getting stronger

2. RB Josh Clemons
5-10, 205, Scout.com’s 31st ranked running back. Clemons says he can bench 325-pounds, squat 465 and claims a 36-inch vertical jump. His personal best 100m time is 10.89. Clemons will on play football in college.

3. S Glen Faulkner
6-2, 185, Scout.com’s 24th ranked safety.

4. QB Theltus Cobbins
6-0, 175, Scout.com’s 60th ranked quarterback. Collins is on the small side for a quarterback but he does a good job of getting outside the pocket where he can see the field better and throwing on the run. He can make plays with his feet and has good speed when he gets in the open field. If he plays behind center he will have to sharpen up on his technique and footwork but he is a good enough athlete where receiver is also an option.

5. RB Marcus Caffey
6-0, 188, Scout.com’s 48th ranked running back. Runs with good power despite a lack of size for a traditional power back. Does a good job of keeping his balance and lowering his pads on contact. A good receiver out of the backfield, Caffey relies on his vision to hit the open spot as he doesn't possess great top end speed or change of direction

2011 Entire Recruiting Class

Marcus Caffey RB 5-11 177 Fr.-HS Atlanta, Ga. (Grady)
Josh Clemons RB 5-10 205 Fr.-HS Fayetteville, Ga. (Whitewater)
Theltus “Bookie” Cobbins QB 6-0 188 Fr.-HS New Orleans, La. (McDonogh 35)
Christian Coleman DE 6-3 279 Fr.-HS Milan, Tenn. (Milan)
Daryl Collins WR 5-11 203 Fr.-HS Gadsden, Ala. (Gadsden City)
Rashad Cunningham WR 6-4 200 Fr.-HS Mobile, Ala. (Davidson)
Nile Daniel WR 6-1 185 Fr.-HS Griffin, Ga. (Griffin)
Eric Dixon DB 5-11 175 Fr.-HS Mobile, Ala. (Vigor)
Alvin Dupree ATH 6-4 230 Fr.-HS Irwinton, Ga. (Wilkinson County)
James Elliott OL 6-3 305 Fr.-HS Pensacola, Fla. (Catholic)
Josh Forrest ATH 6-3 213 Fr.-HS Paducah, Ky. (Tilghman)
Glenn Faulkner DB 6-2 194 Fr.-HS East St. Louis, Ill. (East St. Louis)
Daylen Hall DB 5-10 180 Fr.-HS Louisville, Ky. (St. Xavier)
Farrington Huguenin DL 6-4 238 Fr.-HS Columbia, S.C. (Dreher)
Jabari Johnson2 DL 6-1 269 Fr.-HS Stone Mountain, Ga. (Stephenson)
Shaquille Love DL 6-4 281 Fr.-HS Harriman, Tenn. (Harriman)
Ashely Lowery DB 6-1 180 Fr.-HS Cleveland, Ga. (White County)
Darrian Miller OL 6-5 286 Fr.-HS Lexington, Ky. (Bryan Station)
Tim Patterson2 LB 6-4 225 Fr.-HS Louisville, Ky. (Central)
Demarius Rancifer LB 6-2 210 Fr.-HS Pensacola, Fla. (Catholic)
Demarco Robinson WR 5-10 160 Fr.-HS Ellenwood, Ga. (Martin Luther King)
Maxwell Smith2 QB 6-4 220 Fr.-HS Granada Hills, Calif. (Birmingham)
Marcoreyon “Bubba” Tandy ATH 5-11 181 Fr.-HS Hopkinsville, Ky. (Christian County)
Darrell “D.J.” Warren ATH 6-0 215 Fr.-HS Alcoa, Tenn. (Alcoa)
David Washington DL 6-3 285 Fr.-HS Locust Grove, GA (Lovejoy)
Zach West OL 6-4 275 Fr.-HS Lexington, Ky. (Lexington Christian Academy)