The Cats Illustrated 3-2-1 Pres. by Safe Floors and Tubs returns and this week's edition is all about football. From contract extensions to the weekend's scrimmage and recruiting, we've got you covered.
The 3-2-1 follows a simple format, as always: Three things we've learned, two things we're asking and one bold prediction.
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1. Add Darin Hinshaw and John Schlarman to the list of coaches who have new/revised contracts. According to a Courier-Journal report today, Darin Hinshaw's new/revised deal runs through 2019 and pays him $500K annually. Offensive line coach John Schlarman's new deal takes him through 2018 and doles out $375K per year.
Hinshaw's is an impressive salary for a position coach, but it's not without justification. Truthfully, quarterback coaches are a little different than other position coaches given the solitary and unique significance of the players lining up behind center. Given Hinshaw's reputation on the staff (which is sterling, as we've long said) and the way Stephen Johnson performed in a pinch, leading Kentucky to an improbable bowl game after an 0-2 start and after starter Drew Barker went down, Hinshaw is worth every penny.
Schlarman's raise and extension are also warranted. Kentucky's offensive line was among the best in the Southeastern Conference, which means it was one of the best in the nation. It was nasty, deep and the product of impressive evaluation and development.
Just more evidence that Kentucky's administration, led by Mitch Barnhart, is doing everything it needs to do to invest in the football program's future success. That's not shilling. It's just beyond dispute.
2. Players stepping up, taking advantage of spring spotlight.
Some of the players who seem to be seizing the opportunity of the spring spotlight include linebacker Eli Brown, running back A.J. Rose, receiver Kayaune Ross and defensive back Davonte Robinson.
We've mentioned a lot of other names over the course of the spring (Justin Rigg, Greg Hart consistently, T.J. Carter and Kordell Looney, etc), but the aforementioned quartet are several players that the coaches have mentioned as standouts recently.
Brown pushed Jordan Jones hard for a starting spot in fall camp before the start of last season, and that's a very good sign given the way Jones' season played out in 2016. While they might ideally play the same position, it might be tough to keep both off the field, and Kentucky would be a lot faster if they could make that happen.
Ross dealt with injuries last season but for a receiving corps in need of standouts in the short-term and long-term, his emergence as a big target for Johnson and others could be pivotal if he sustains it.
Rose's quality play in last Saturday's scrimmage is a welcome development for a running back corps in need of depth.
3. Blue Smith does not want you to think of him as a tight end.
Huber Heights (Ohio) Wayne's star athlete, the No. 1 athlete in the nation and UK's top target in Ohio, is L'Christian 'Blue' Smith. In Smith, Kentucky has a real chance to beat out Ohio State for an elite, top-end player from the Buckeye State.
That's in part due to the work Vince Marrow has done recruiting Smith and making him feel a family-atmosphere vibe in Lexington. It's due in part to his teammate, Alex Reigelsperger, being committed to Kentucky. It's probably not due to his girlfriend or science teacher wanting him at Kentucky, but those things only illustrate the extent to which Kentucky is an everyday topic of conversation in his life.
On Twitter this week Smith responded to a writeup from an Ohio State website. The author, innocently enough, wrote that it wasn't clear whether Smith would ultimately be best-suited for receiver or tight end. Smith responded on Twitter, saying it was disrespectful and making the claim that he's done everything he needs to do to prove he's a receiver at the college level.
While Ohio State's coaches probably haven't told Smith that he's a tight end in the making, if he lands in Columbus, there is that fear, based on what we've heard. Kentucky, on the other hand, is telling Smith that he's their No. 1 receiver target. And that seems to be paying off.
Smith visited Kentucky over the weekend, as did Reigelsperger and Xavier Peters, and he was in Mark Stoops' office with those guys, his girlfriend and Lamar Thomas.
We've known Smith has a high interest level in Kentucky for a while, but it seems like that interest is ticking upwards even still.
What we're asking
1. What impact will Alabama's offers have on 2019 in-state prospects Bryan Hudson and Stephen Herron?
When Alabama offers, it matters. Just like when John Calipari offers a kid, it matters. Always. It doesn't always tip the scales in the Tide's direction, but it's always significant and worthy of a closer look.
There are those who believe that Alabama's offer to Scott County offensive tackle Bryan Hudson could be a game-changer (see here). I haven't heard, definitively, that this means Hudson instantly becomes a heavy Tide lean. But I have heard that it's not just another big offer and is likely to be a substantial consideration over the course of Hudson's recruitment.
As for Herron, it's a tough call. He seems legitimately interested in both Kentucky and Louisville as well as out-of-state schools like Ohio State, Notre Dame and others. It's too early to forecast where either of these two in-state studs from the 2019 class end up, but Nick Saban isn't messing around. Mark Stoops' No. 1 recruiting rival for big-time in-state players is getting started early in the Commonwealth.
2. How will things play out with Kentucky and 2018 in-state recruits?
We've been saying for a while that there's a disconnect between the relatively lofty rankings for so many 2018 in-state recruits and how Kentucky seems to feel about the Commonwealth's crop of talent. There are some talented players, but it seems like the 2019 class is the banner year for talent according to those around the UK program.
That said, Kentucky can still make a splash with 2018 players. Tajh Rice is already committed elsewhere and Kentucky never offered. Linebacker Justice Dingle seems to be bound for another school and Kentucky might not have been as high on him as we initially believed.
But what about Jairus Brents? The Louisville athlete and defensive back told Cats Illustrated this week that he'll be at Kentucky's spring game. He also told KentuckyPreps.com recently that he had a great trip to Florida State and he seems to be hoping the Seminoles offer.
Our take on Brents: If he gets the right offer from a major out-of-state program then he's probably leaving the state. But if the right major out-of-state offer (from Florida State or another comparable program) doesn't come, then Kentucky and Louisville are viable options.
What about Louisville (Ky.) Trinity athlete Rondale Moore? He attended a NIKE football training camp recently and his Sparq score (133) was off the charts. In fact, he was in the 99th-percentile of prospects who were tested on that scale. Moore's size is a knock on him, but he has plus-plus athleticism and UK could use that. Time will tell, but it will be a surprise if UK doesn't continue to pursue him on the basis of his athleticism and the potential benefits of having some in-state representation in the 2018 class.
Still, we're asking about the 2018 class because it's not clear at all how it's going to shake out between UK and Commonwealth recruits.
Bold Prediction
Kentucky will land both L'Christian Smith and Xavier Peters. The big recruiting story of the last week was that both top Ohio prospects visited Kentucky on Saturday. We've been bullish on the Cats' chances for a while, but based on everything we've heard from program sources, sources on the ground in Ohio and from reading the tea leaves, the Cats lead for the elite athlete and the high-ceiling linebacker from Lakota West.
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