Kentucky has finished with the highest recruiting rankings in modern program history on a regular basis during the Mark Stoops era in Lexington, but the Class of 2015 was not one of the most ballyhooed during these past few seasons.

However, that recruiting class for the Wildcats has turned out to make a major impact on the program.

Josh Allen, who needs no introduction, was the No. 7 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft and is one of the AFC's sack leaders as a rookie.

Calvin Taylor arrived at Kentucky after only being added to the commitment list after Signing Day. The rangy, 6'9 lineman was viewed as a major project but developed into one of Kentucky's most consistent defensive linemen over the last two years and is one of the SEC's sack masters as a senior.

Logan Stenberg has been widely recognized as one of the most gifted, powerful offensive guards in college football and has been a major reason for Kentucky's overwhelming success as a rushing program dating back to the 2016 season. He could be one of the top NFL guards selected in the next draft. Mason Wolfe has also been a regular offensive line contributor for the Wildcats from this class.

C.J. Conrad is currently a free agent working towards an NFL career and was one of the most consistent contributors for Kentucky football over the last several years, leaving the program after his senior season in 2018.

George Asafo-Adjei was a seventh-round selection of the New York Giants after contributing for Kentucky's offensive line in every year of career, playing at a high level, earning multiple SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week awards, and developing into one of the SEC's better tackles as a senior.

Chris Westry was a four-year contributor at cornerback and often a starter for Kentucky's defense.

Derrick Baity was also a four-year contributor at cornerback and was one of the SEC's better defensive backs as a senior.

Jordan Jones is one of the top tacklers in the modern era for Kentucky's defense from 2015-2019.

There were plenty of players who did not pan out from the 2015 class, but that will true of any recruiting haul. The story of the 2015 class is not so much the percentage of players who panned out, but the fact that a number of players rated lower than four-stars (all but Conrad above) went on to have very successful college careers and could potentially continue playing for a long time.

Kentucky's 2015 recruiting class ranked 35th in the country, which would have been great before Stoops but is not one of the higher-ranked classes UK had during the Stoops era. And its 2.95 stars per recruit average is on the lower end of what Stoops has brought in.

The Class of 2014, or the one which preceded the above group, was the highest-ranked of the Mark Stoops era.

That class did produce plenty of major contributors, including running back Boom Williams, wide receivers Garrett "Juice" Johnson and Dorian Baker, offensive lineman Bunchy Stallings, defensive tackle CJ Johnson, linebacker Ryan Flannigan, defensive backs Mike Edwards and Darius West, among others, but in terms of results and expectations, the 2015 class almost definitively exceeded the bar, measured by hype before arrival, whereas the 2014 class legacy is more mixed.