Lackford's radar scan: Kentucky's top-15 football prospects for 2021
Jager Burton is the top prospect in the state right now and for good reason. His top schools are Alabama, Clemson, Kentucky, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Penn State. So far this season he's visited Oregon and Penn State. He plans on visiting Alabama when they play LSU and then Ohio State when they take on the Nittany Lions. His value is in his versatility. Burton has the frame, athleticism, and wits to play any position on the offensive line. Woody Womack and I were on hand to watch him play against Lexington Catholic as were Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops, UK offensive coordinator Eddie Gran, and Clemson offensive line coach Robbie Caldwell. Well those coaches were probably there to see Walker Parks and Beau Allen as well but make no mistake Burton caught their eyes with at least eight pancake blocks according to Woody's very unofficial count.
In-State Chances: LOW
He doesn't appear to be considering Louisville and while Kentucky fans think they have a good shot at him I don't see him staying in state. Right now I would say Clemson, Ohio State, Oregon, and Penn State lead the pack but he is visiting Alabama for the LSU game and he also plans to visit LSU soon as well.
Jordan is the younger brother of former Bowling Green 4-star linebacker Justice Dingle who now plays defensive end for Georgia Tech. Of the two brothers, the younger has the more impressive offer sheet. Kentucky, Louisville, Missouri, Ohio State, Purdue, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, and Virginia Tech have all offered from the Power-Five ranks and he should add to that list on the Summer camp circuit. He's already visited out of state schools Ohio State, Purdue, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, and Virginia Tech. His brother plays for Georgia Tech so of course he's visited there as well.
In-State Chances: Moderate
Dingle is a major target for both Louisville and Kentucky. Both schools have a need at his position and they have both done a good job of offering him early. That being said he has a ton of out of state options and Ohio State will be too tough to beat if they make a strong push for him.
Dunn, who hails from Georgia, is emerging as one of the top in-state prospects in the 2021 class. The 6-foot-2 South Warren corner has all the local offers sans Tennessee and WVU, meaning he's got Cincinnati, Kentucky, Louisville, Purdue, and Western Kentucky. I don't consider Indiana a local offer because they rarely dip into Kentucky. Anyway, six-foot-plus corners who can run are extremely valuable and his game has improved a lot since I saw him week one against Butler, when I saw him live for the first time. Off the hoof he looked like a P5 prospect and moved like one to boot. While he is unranked at the moment that won't last long. In fact he looks like four-star material to me based on his frame and fluidity.
In-State Chances: LOW
Dunn is on schedule to become a national recruit and when he hits the college camp circuit this offseason he will blow up and probably wind up signing with national power.
Lavell Wright is a power back who I know for a fact Kentucky is very high on at the moment. When he is given a heavy work load he has been very productive this season and he has the frame to easily add another 20-pounds. He's not a break away back but he has good burst and wears defenses down with his physicality.
In-State Chances: Moderarte
He's best suited for the Big-Ten or SEC and I think this race will probably come down to Kentucky v. Purdue with Tennessee and West Virginia lurking around for a while.
Dingle received offers from Louisville and Western Michigan on October 26th during a Louisville visit. Louisville saw him in person and when his height and weight checked out the Cards offered on the spot. Dingle has had a great junior season and comes from an NFL pedigree. His older brother Jacob plays for Cincinnati and the Bearcats were the first to offer the younger Dingle. If he gets out to camps this Summer his offer list will expand and he has looked like a high three-star prospect to me in the two games I saw him play this season.
In-State Chances: Elevated
Louisville did a good job of becoming the first P5 program to extend an offer to the Trinity linebacker and they did it in-person. The last staff did not offer his younger brother and that didn't sit well with his family. Cincinnati is always going to be a real threat because his father played there, so does his brother, and he has a tight bond with the coaching staff and even if Fickell leaves the family ties to the school will always remain. ASll of this being said Dingle is a very good looking prospect with impressive film against very tough out-of-state film. That being said, I think Louisville has a good chance at landing him. Kentucky is yet to offer but I believe that will come very soon followed by Purdue.
Cox received his first offer in the Summer of 2018 when Kentucky offered him goin into his Sophomore season. In the first seven months of 2019 he picked up offers from Cincinnati, Louisville, Marshall, Purdue, Vanderbilt, and West Virginia. As the new batch of 2021 offers are being distributed however things have been quiet. Cox is a big framed prospect who moves well and even has a little twitch to him. I've heard different positions thrown around for him from 3-tech to H-Back so he should probably be listed as an athlete but I could also see him at inside linebacker but 3-tech makes a lot of sense to me and he could be an effective H-Back for Louisville. He seems to want the bigger offers as he's been down to visit Alabama recently.
In-State Chances: High
Everything I've heard is point to Cox signing with Kentucky but I wouldn't count out Purdue.
Jesse has received power five offers from Missouri, Kentucky, Purdue, Washington State, and WVU. I can pinpoint Kentucky roots to each of those offers except Missouri so I wouldn't quite call him a national recruit. I know he has interest in Louisville but the Cards are yet to offer. On film he dominates against not so tough competition but he just doesn't look very fast to me. What's attractive about him is his big frame, physicality, catch radius, how he high points jump balls, and his reliable hands. To me he looks like a prototypical Big Ten receiver. Louisville has put a marked emphasis on speed from their receivers and the fact they have five committed this year makes me think that Jesse will really have to wow them in a camp setting to get a committable offer.
In-State Chances: Moderate
As stated above, Jesse looks like a Big Ten receiver to me so I like Purdue's chances but I wouldn't rule out Kentucky or Missouri either.
I got to see Lovett in action against undefeated C. Hardin this season and he was the player of the game. The long rangy safety made two interceptions in addition to flying around and making things happen in the secondary all night. He was never out of position and showed he could use his length instinctively. Cincinnati offered Lovett on October 21st and if he has a good camp showing this Summer more will follow. The knock on him is that he's not fast but he's instinctive and takes good angles plus he does a good job running the alleys and filling his run fits.
In-State Chances: N/A
He lacks an instate offer at the moment so this will have to be revisited.
Sheron is the top QB prospect in the state for the 2021 class and holds offers from Kentucky and Marshall. He camped at Louisville over the Summer and didn't receive an offer. I spoke with him that day and he told me he felt he missed some throws and didn't have his best day. I respect his introspection and he will probably camp at UL again in 2020 hoping to improve on his performance.
In-State Chances: N/A
Kentucky tends to offer in-state prospects like Sheron early then they swing around during their senior seasons to reassess their spots on the board. I think Sheron fits this category. He hasn't put up gaudy numbers this season but that's because his team tends to engineer blow outs where his services aren't required after the first half. I like Sheron and think he could be an option for Kentucky or Louisville but he will need to have a solid camp season. At this point however it's too early to tell if his UK offer is committable and what other teams have him on their radar.
Weedman has Kentucky and Western Kentucky right now but I'm not sure his Kentucky offer is committable. He has a large frame and he's long but he doesn't look explosive on film and I'm not sure what other schools are interested or if he's being targeted as a tight end or a defensive end. He's camped at Louisville and also visited for a few games this year without an offer materializing.
In-State Chances: Good
I could see Weedman at Western Kentucky right now but I think some other MAC schools will jump in the mix before this one is over. I'm not sold on him as a P5 guy based off his camp performances or his game film but his frame is definitely in that mold and someone could think he is worth a scholarship as an offensive tackle project.
Dearinger holds offers from Bowling Green State University and Marshall. His calling card is an explosive burst off the line of scrimmage and he has a great motor. The knocks on him are he isn't very long despite his height and he isn't a naturally fluid athlete. His toughness and get-off however offset those negatives to the extent that he will play FBS ball somewhere but right now the question is whether or not he is P5.
In-State Chances: N/A
Pittman jumped on the radar when Cincinnati offered him during the Spring but the Bearcats remain the only school to extend a scholarship. The lack of interest lately may be due to the fact that he has failed to beat out Blake Hester who has 18 touchdowns and over 1,400 yards in nine games this year. That being said, Pittman's game translates to FBS ball because he's bigger and faster. What level of FBS ball will hinge upon camp performances this off season.
In-State Chances: N/A
Blakey is listed as a receiver but he should be listed as an athlete and safety is most likely where he will play in college. Blakey jumped on my radar this past Summer after I got reports that he was dominant at an Indiana camp and almost came away with his first offer. Shortly thereafter Western Michigan came calling and Ball State offered in October. Once more coaches get eyes on him his offers will increase. He's a rangy safety who will get interceptions if you test him and he has no qualms with running the alley and making big hits against the run. With a strong camp performance this Summer I wouldn't be surprised to see some P5 teams offer if he can run somewhere in the high 4.5 to 4.6 range on the watch.
In-State Chances: N/A
Charlie Ely has started for Trinity since his Sophomore season and continues to improve. It's baffling to me that he hasn't received an offer yet but they will come. He does a good job filling holes, blowing up pulling guards, making open field tackles, and is one of the best cover linebackers in the state. He's put together solid film this season and if he doesn't have any offers heading into camp season I'll continue scratching my head.
In-State Chances: N/A
Literally everything I said about Ely applies to Lunz with the addition that Lunz is twitchier and probably and inch taller and ten pounds heavier. I know Kentucky has their eye on him for a fact and they could end up being his first offer. Much like the case of Charlie Ely, it amazes me that Lunz doesn't have any offers even more so to be honest.
In-State Chances: N/A