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Tight ends coach and
recruiting coordinator Vince Marrow has
landed commitments from Ohio in bulk over the years. The Big
Dog has one lone commitment from Christian Academy of Louisville (Ky.)
offensive tackle John Young in the 2020 recruiting class but
the table is set for arguably his best haul since joining Mark Stoops' coaching staff.
In addition to his duties
recruiting the state of Ohio, the coach was deemed the lead recruiter in the
Bluegrass State last year as well. The combination of the two states could bear
lots of fruit for the Youngstown native.
Within
the Commonwealth, the program is among the conversation for Louisville (Ky.)
Male wide receiver Izayah Cummings, Radcliff (Ky.) North
Hardin defensive tackle Octavious Oxendine and
Bowling Green (Ky.) safety Vito Tisdale. The
Wildcats are the heavy favorite for Tisdale according to the 247Sports Crystal
Ball. Louisville and Oklahoma have also received predictions.
The bulk of Marrow's efforts are still in Ohio, however. The
program has gone toe-to-toe with Ohio State in a few recruitments over the
years. The next could come with Cincinnati (Ohio) Princeton strong-side
defensive end Darrion Henry. The 247Sports Crystal
Ball is unanimous in favor of the Buckeyes but UK was noted among his finalists
as well. His teammate, outside linebacker Jaheim Thomas, also
listed Kentucky among his favorites. He did not list Ohio State. The Buckeyes
do hold a commitment from another of Henry's teammates, offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr., who transferred into Princeton this
year.
Kentucky is also the 247Sports Crystal Ball favorite for
Fairfield (Ohio) running back Jutahn McClain,
Cleveland (Ohio) Glenville running back Torrance Davis and
Columbus (Ohio) Northland wide receiver Kalil Branham; all of
whom are regarded as Top-450 recruits nationally.
Recent 247Sports Crystal Ball
movement suggests that Ohio State may not be quite the favorite for Dublin
(Ohio) Coffman running back Michael Drennen II as originally thought.
Predictions in favor of the Buckeyes have flipped to either Undecided or
Stanford. Fans would not
be wise to overlook the Wildcats and Marrow though. A common theme in UK's
stance with recruits has been their ability to identify talent early.
Kentucky was the first to offer Drennen after he camped with them in July of
2016.
Pickerington (Ohio) North wide receiver Chris Scott is another name to monitor.
Kentucky currently ranks No. 34
in the team rankings but there 90.12 average rating translates to No. 15 in the
country. The success of
Marrow will almost single-handedly determine just how high this class can rise.
On a national level, his abilities are
relatively undervalued. He never finds himself among the top echelon of recruiter
rankings because of the success of coaches at traditional powers like Alabama,
Georgia, Clemson, etc...It is easy landing Top-100 recruits at programs like
those in the south because they recruit themselves. Plus, there is a higher
concentration of talent in southern states like Georgia and Florida. Meanwhile,
Marrow has convinced
recruits to join a Kentucky program that has lacked traditional notoriety. The
result of his efforts was a 10-win season capped with a Citrus Bowl victory
over Penn State and five Wildcats being taken in the 2019 NFL Draft.
