When Mark Stoops first arrived at Kentucky, he vowed to recruit the best players in the country and recruit against the best teams in college football.
A year later, he signed what would be his first full recruiting class in 2014. It didn’t matter that the Wildcats went 2-10 the year before or that the program’s facilities were second-rate compared to other schools in the SEC. Stoops still landed a top-20 class that included six ESPN 300 recruits.
Since then, Kentucky has upgraded its facilities. But back-to-back 5-7 seasons in 2014-15 hurt the Wildcats on the recruiting trail. They missed out on top targets. Committed players flipped during or after the season. It was becoming more and more difficult for Stoops to gain that early momentum back.
That all changed this past season when Kentucky rallied after an 0-2 start and capped a 7-5 season with a signature win over in-state rival Louisville. The Wildcats played in a bowl game for the first time in six years, and recruits took notice. From the end of the regular season through signing day, Stoops and his staff added 10 commitments. They even made a late push for ESPN 300 offensive lineman Jedrick Wills, who ultimately signed with Alabama.
The class itself wasn’t ranked as high as the one from 2014, but once the ink dried Wednesday, Stoops called it the best class he’s had at Kentucky.
“I just feel so good about this class top to bottom,” Stoops said. “The biggest thing, and I may be a bit redundant when I talk about this, but it is about their character, about their leadership. You look at these guys and a bunch of these guys are captains on their football team, they’re very, very good students. They’re competitors, they’re winners.”
The Wildcats were able to fill needs, signing three offensive linemen and seven defensive linemen. They got better at wide receiver and in the secondary where they added a pair of ESPN 300 defensive backs in Yusuf Corker and Tyrell Ajian. They signed two quarterbacks, including four-star Danny Clark -- the nation’s No. 13 dual-threat quarterback.
More than anything, though, this class is further proof that Kentucky is headed in the right direction under Stoops.
“I feel very good about what we have in place right now, starting with our coaching staff and the people in our building,” Stoops said Wednesday. “We have quality facilities that we can compete against the very best.
“If you remember, back at my very first press conference, I told everyone that we would recruit the very best players and recruit against the very best schools in the country. I think half of you laughed at me. But that’s not going to stop. And we’re not going to win them all, but we’re going to win our fair share.
"We’re competing and we’re fighting to get the very best players we can, this group included. There are quite a few options that these players could have gone. I’m happy they chose us.”