The CatsIllustrated.com All-UK summer camp team
CatsIllustrated.com was on the ground in Lexington at every Kentucky camp event for high school football players and prospects this summer. We had the chance to scout a good number of Kentucky's commitments, some of the Cats' other top targets, and some players you'll be reading about for years to come.
Without further ado, here's our final list of top performers from all of Kentucky's camps during the summer of 2017.
Allen has looked like a promising quarterback every time CatsIllustrated.com has scouted him and he was solid at UK's Friday Night Lights Camp, but it was his work on Saturday in the 7v7 action that really made clear he's made huge strides as a quarterback. He was seeing the whole field and spreading the ball around, fitting the ball between defenders with uncanny accuracy and putting a great touch on the ball.
Bazelak picked up an offer from Kentucky after the first round of UK camps in June and he returned for Friday Night Lights in July and looked just as good as he did before. He throws a really nice ball, clearly has good size and can make all the throws. He showed good consistency throughout the events we watched him in.
Purcell was one of the more fun players to watch regardless of position at any of the camps at UK this summer. He's not the biggest guy but, like Allen, he's young and likely still growing. His personality shows when he plays and he exudes confidence. Purcell can flick his wrist and hit a spot 50 yards downfield and he throws a very nice ball. His mechanics look good and he's a star in the making.
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An unconventional quarterback if there ever was one, you might think Jones is a tight end when you first see him (and Florida is considering him as both a QB and TE) but he can throw the ball. Hard. Really hard. Jones puts excellent velocity on the ball and while he could work on his touch he has a great combination of size (not much bad weight if any) and arm strength that make, at least, for an intriguing prospect.
Tyson showed up at one of the first evening camps at Kentucky and turned in a strong performance. He wasn't elite in any one category but he was very solid across the board from his arm strength to his accuracy and developed a good rapport with the receivers at the camp.
Pechac was definitely one of the more impressive running backs to come through Lexington during the summer camp circuit. He's fantastic physically and looks like he's already been in a college weight program for a couple of years.
Hayes showed himself to be a dynamic athlete who can get behind defenders and elevate for the ball, in spite of his size, and an improving route runner with quick feet who should catch plenty of passes underneath. He performed so well Mark Stoops told him he had seen enough and to take the rest of the camp off.
Mayo picked up a verbal offer from Kentucky on the strength of a very good night camp in June. He was similar to Hayes in terms of showing great tenacity and toughness as a smaller receiver and he made some highlight-reel catches down the field in the end zone against defensive backs his size or bigger.
Traynor represented the state well back in June at Kentucky as he had the opportunity to line up for one-on-ones against some of the better defensive backs from Florida. He held his own and won his share. He's got a long if wiry build and should be able to use it to make some plays in the vertical game at the next level.
Along with Mayo, Thompson was one of the more pleasant surprises from the June round of camps in Lexington, proving himself to be a lot more than Jarren Williams' teammate. He was relentless and left everything on the field, adjusting to the ball very well and aggressively going to catch balls against good coverage. He did have a couple of drops but more than made up for it.
Robinson is similar to fellow in-staters like Jairus Brents and Rondale Moore in that he's undeniably a very good athlete, he just lacks top-end size. His speed, elusiveness and athleticism were on display at the July camp he attended at Kentucky, when he was one of the better skill position players in attendance.
McCoy has committed to Purdue since his camp experience in Lexington. He was one of the smaller skill players from his bus tour with Deerfield Beach, Fla., teammates, but some observers felt he was one of the top handful of players regardless of rank.
Henle earned a verbal offer from Kentucky after his camp in Lexington the strength of a very good camp. He showed up looking like a front of the bus kind of guy and moved well for his size.
At the June night camp Upshaw attended he only participated in a limited way because of a minor injury, but probably also because he didn't have a lot to prove. Just in going through the drills he went through, Upshaw proved he's got an outstanding build, is light enough on his feet and can catch the ball well enough to be a hybrid threat. He will need to gain weight but he doesn't have much if any bad weight to shed and should pack on pounds pretty easily.
Barker was another of the top tight end prospects to visit Kentucky for a camp over the summer, definitely in the hybrid/athlete role as a player who could be a mismatch in a best-case scenario. He's since become one of several South Florida commitments for Illinois.
We didn't know much about Williams going into the camp and our understanding is he was a late addition to the Team Tate bus tour, but he showed himself to be one of the best athletes from that group, with length, and even if somewhat raw he has a bright future at one of multiple possible positions.
Bowles had a very solid camp appearance at Kentucky recently. He was a little bit limited in terms of his range of motion and athletic capacity because of a hip flexor, but he looks the part and it's easy to understand why the Cats want him.
Hudson gets bigger and bigger every time he shows up at Kentucky and he's carrying his current weight very well. He matched up well with some speed guys at camp and there are no questions about his strength. His status as a potentially elite recruit is not in jeopardy, and his focus and work ethic are impressive.
Kinnard is one of the most impressive Kentucky commitments we've seen yet, and we've seen most of them. He has an absolutely fantastic build and not only moves well, but can bend and slide his feet. He could be the most undervalued player in the class and it wouldn't be a shock if he contends for All-SEC honors one day.
Correll wasn't as big as some of the other linemen there, which means he's probably bound for guard at the college level, but he's got very good weight, is quick, shows good technique, plays hard and is a good athlete.
One of the most impressive parts of Wilson and what he brings to the table is an outstanding base. He has the look of an interior offensive lineman, even though he's still in the process of transforming his body and is new to heavy duty weight training. What's also impressive is how nimble he is, and how quick on his feet he is, even though he's still only scratching the surface physically.
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Jackson doesn't have elite size but his brother, Drake, battled that and the stigma that comes with it as a recruit. What he does have is excellent technique and will to fight, which seems to run in the family, and he has clearly been well coached. He has gotten bigger since we saw him last summer so his future growth will determine the level of football he ultimately plays in college.
Kight could often be spotted near Darian Kinnard at Kentucky's camp, and while he's a year younger than Kinnard their builds are similar in some respects. It's easy to see why he's a high four-star prospect and Kentucky offered him after the camp. Kight has really good height and even though he's 300 pounds he's got room to get bigger. He can be very good in pass protection.
The most impressive thing about Rogers is how good he is in spite of his youth. He's going to get a lot bigger but right now he looks like a big-time college guard who can grow into a tackle. He's not much smaller than Marquan McCall, who he traveled down to Kentucky with, and he looked like one of the better linemen at UK in spite of still being one of the younger guys there.
In terms of his build and passing the look test Hawkins, along with Kinnard, was right up there in terms of the most impressive players we saw all summer in Lexington. He looks like a manchild and carries his weight pretty well. He should be a candidate to make an early impact because he's so physically developed.
McCall could be listed as an offensive or defensive lineman and he worked out as both at Kentucky. He has room to improve his technique and become more polished but his raw explosive power and size are impressive to behold.
Bogle has a similar build to someone like Cameron Williams (mentioned above) and was one of the top defensive prospects to come through Lexington this summer, at least among the underclassmen present. He needs to continue to fill out but his length is impressive.
Although Knight-Goff is listed as a weakside defensive end he played some safety for the Doss team that participated in the 7v7 tournament at Kroger Field on Saturday morning. He handled that role well, showing impressive fluidity, range and change of direction, which tells us he can project as a big-time outside linebacker at the Power Five level. He has a good wing span but doesn't quite look big enough to be a defensive end.
We've been watching Johnson for a long time whether at Rivals camps or at camps in Lexington and he never ceases to impress. If Johnson's toughness and won't-back-down attitude in coverage were his only attributes he would be impressive, but he has gotten bigger and appears stronger. He's working on his speed and his hips and seems to have made strides in both areas.
Louis is a heralded linebacker from Deerfield Beach and he didn't disappoint when he came through Kentucky for a June night camp. He's got impressive size, one of the best-looking linebackers at UK all summer, and he's a solid athlete for someone of that stature.
Matt House loved the way Square closed on the ball so quickly and his speed is quite impressive for an outside linebacker. He can high point the ball in coverage and has very good hips and range of motion. He will need to add 15-20 pounds but college will help with that. He's going to be very good in coverage and attacking the ball in space as a WILL at Kentucky.
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There will never be any questions about Garner's size but his hips and ability to move that well at that size was really impressive. He is very thin, there's no doubt about that, but he manned up with receivers and wasn't afraid to get physical close to the line or when he was breaking on the ball.
Edwards wasn't only one of the biggest talents at a Kentucky camp, though he was that, but he was also a fierce competitor who was never far from the front of the line in drills or 1-on-1's at the end of camp. It's clear Oklahoma got a big-time player in the Deerfield Beach defensive back. He plays bigger than he is and has plus-level athleticism.
Troutman's ranking has dipped a bit at Rivals.com but he was still one of the better defensive backs at any Kentucky camp during the first part of the summer. He has okay height, a strong build and runs well. He could probably play free or strong safety.
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Shortly after showing off as a truly dynamic athlete at Kentucky, Couch went to Tennessee, landed an offer and committed to the Vols. He seemed bigger than his listed measurables -- seemed, at least -- but maybe because he played big.
Davis traveled with Stanley Garner and the two couldn't be much more different as corners. Garner looks like a boundary guy with his long arms and legs, almost like Chris Westry, while Davis is built much lower to the ground, a bit more compact and an elite athlete with quickness who has good feet.
Kirk has very good size in the secondary and he worked his butt off in camp. To be as young as he is he showed good technique, from his stance to the way he used his hands (he's Mike Doss' younger brother), and that level of play from someone so young was indeed impressive.
Griffin wasn't one of the bigger defensive backs to work out for the UK staff but he has been coached well and has been at this for a long time, having camped or worked out with Mark Stoops dating back to what seems like his early childhood. He matched up with some bigger, older guys from Florida well.
Monday was part of a nice group of talented defensive backs (including JUCO Domonique Williams, who later committed to UK) who attended a one-day Kentucky camp. He was regarded as an elite recruit going into the camp and he left as one, too. Not much more to say. Mark Stoops was watching that group of players work out closely.
Similar to the aforementioned Jaden Davis only a year older, Jones is put together pretty well and is the kind of player who would seem to excel in testing and drill work at camps such as these. He did look good in drills although he got banged up a little bit later in the event and had to sit out the tail end.
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Of the bigger skill guys from Deerfield Beach to come through UK this summer Pierre was clearly one of the more physically and athletically impressive. In fact he might have been bigger than some of the linebackers who worked out at UK this summer.
Smith isn't as big as someone like Pierre, mentioned just above, but he's put together extremely well and is an imposing presence who looks like a custom-built free safety or an every-down running back. He's got an explosive running style and plays hard.
Williams has a skill set that could suit him well at the nickel spot and with Kendall Randolph (a senior) the only player listed at the position on the preseason UK depth chart it seems he'll have an opportunity to slide right in. He's physical but can also cover fairly well.