Stone Saunders Photo
This could be a big week for Kentucky football starting today with the expected commitment of Florida running back Jason Patterson.
The 5-11, 200-pound Patterson is a three-star recruit but has been a priority for UK even though the Cats already have a commitment from another Florida three-star running back, Tovani MIzell.
Patterson led all Florida high school running backs last year with 2,721 yards and 35 touchdowns. He averaged 13.2 yards per carry and is ranked as a top-25 running back nationally.
One reason you have to like Kentucky’s chances so much is that Patterson’s other official visits have been to Rutgers, Boston College, Cincinnati and Vanderbilt.
Kentucky should get its second commitment Friday when Pennsylvania junior quarterback Stone Saunders announces his college choice. He’s a four-star recruit, top 25 quarterback nationally in his recruiting class and he was on the UK campus last weekend along with family members.
The 6-2, 195-pound Saunders will make his announcement on ABC27 News (WHTM-TV).
His final five schools are Georgia, Miami, Michigan and Nebraska along with UK. Nebraska is the school he’s visited more than any other except for Kentucky.
Saunders threw for 3,500 yards and 54 touchdowns as a sophomore and was named Pennsylvania Gatorade Player of the Year.
Kentucky could get a late steal for this season when four-star linebacker Nigel Glover makes his choice after deciding to transfer from Northwestern without ever playing a game there after the firing of head coach Pat Fitzgerald recently.
Glover has visited UK, Ohio State and Michigan since entering the transfer portal in mid-July. He’s a top-25 linebacker in the 2023 recruiting class and picked Northwestern over Kentucky following his prep career in Clayton, Ohio.
He has not set a decision date but did call off a visit to Michigan State and with teams getting ready to open practice, he’s expected to make his announcement this week.
Three-star edge rusher Steven Soles of Powell, Tenn., is also making his college choice sometime this week. The 6-2, 215-pound Powell had 135 tackles and 17 sacks as a junior and is a top 70 edge rusher nationally in his recruiting class.
He has made unofficial visits to Kentucky, Virginia Tech, Mississippi State and South Florida. He did not take a scheduled visit to South Carolina and even though he has an Alabama offer he did not visit the Crimson Tide. Soles also decided he was ready to make his college choice after his unofficial visit to UK.
Kentucky’s 2024 recruiting class has 14 verbal commitments and is ranked in the top 50 but could jump a few spots by adding Patterson and Soles this week.
3 Responses
With a crowded of RB on the cats roster probably why he chosen Cincy over the cats.
Playing time on a winning team is what most kids are looking for coming out of high school. But once at college, NIL will determine where they continue to play.
I just feel Patterson probably got a big NIL deal from Cincy thanks to Satterfield. UK will lose many more athletes just like this one because of "pay for play." UK better start passing out the bucks like everybody else until something is done to reign this in. Kentucky don’t do NIL like other schools as far as I can see. UK football recruiting is much better under Stoops, but Kentucky football is still not bringing in enough 4* and 5* talent to compete on the same fields year after year with the likes of Alabama, Georgia, LSU, or even Tennessee in a league that is only getting tougher to navigate with the addition of Texas, and Oklahoma soon. This loss of Patterson hurt. Look at his list of offers and ask yourself how did UK lose this young man? I think I know.