Cats Illustrated is recognizing the outgoing class of Kentucky seniors who have played their last game for the Wildcats.

Today we look back at defensive back Jordan Griffin, from his recruitment to his play on the field, and we look ahead to how Kentucky turns the page.

Recruiting History

Jordan Griffin was recognized as one of the top defensive backs in the South coming out of the Class of 2016. He would ultimately turn out to be one of the highest-rated commitments in Kentucky's '16 class, which was one of the better hauls of the Mark Stoops era, both by ranking and actual college production.

Although Griffin was a Class of 2016 prospect, he verbally committed to Kentucky all the way back in October of 2014, in the first semester of his sophomore season of high school.

He visited Kentucky for the Wildcats' "Blackout" game against South Carolina, the first of five consecutive wins against the Gamecocks. His mother approved of UK and a commitment followed.

Derrick Ansley was the coach who recruited Griffin to Kentucky but he left for Alabama after National Signing Day. At the time, Griffin called it "tragic" and didn't hide his disappointment. But he would go on to make the most of his time in Lexington.

Griffin saw his ranking improve after his commitment to Kentucky and he finished the process at No. 191 in the Rivals250.

Michigan State, Stanford, South Carolina, Ole Miss, and Auburn were among the schools that tried to flip Griffin from Kentucky over the many months that followed his verbal commitment.

PFF Grades

Griffin's play was scored 62.8 in 2019, 67.0 in 2018, 55.6 in 2017, and 46.6 in a very limited sample size in 2016 as a true freshman. So over the course of his college career his grades showed marked improvement particularly from his sophomore to his junior and senior seasons.

As a senior, Griffin scored a 67.7 coverage grade. Opposing quarterbacks completed 17 of 26 passes for 236 yards on balls that went his way, but only passed for one touchdown. He had two picks and three pass breakups.

Griffin was only flagged for one penalty on the season.

How He'll Be Remembered

Griffin should be remembered as a significant contributor for three Kentucky teams during a time of significant improvement for the program.

His greatest contributions came in 2019, when he played roughly twice as many snaps as he did in any other season. He was an integral part of a secondary that did not suffer the decline in performance that many anticipated following the departure of so many defensive backs from the previous season.

Griffin only played 53 snaps in his true freshman season but that was enough to burn his redshirt. For that reason he only had four years instead of five to be in the program.

You would be hard pressed to find anyone around UK who could find something negative to say about Griffin beyond football.

How He'll Be Replaced

Griffin is the lone major departure in the secondary but he was a versatile, experienced rotation player whose absence will have to be accounted for.

Kentucky returns Davonte Robinson following his season-ending injury and that will help.

UK also has significant experience in the secondary since there are so many returners besides Griffin.