Several UK Signees had Big Moments After Signing with Cats

Kentucky signee Javeon Campbell, left, with former UK basketball star Karl-Anthony Towns at a New York Knicks game.

Coming off a 4-8 season and with a mass exodus of players to the transfer portal, Kentucky is going to need help from its 2025 recruiting class.

Twenty-one high school players signed with the Wildcats last week. Coach Mark Stoops said the 21 hopefully will be part of a “great foundation” moving forward for the Wildcats.

Several of the signees had big moments after signing with the Wildcats, too.

— Martels Carter of Paducah Tilghman caught nine passes for 169 yards and one touchdown in a Class 4A state championship game victory over Franklin County. The 6-0, 195-pound Carter also had a team-high seven tackles, including five solo stops.

Carter, a four-star recruit, is ranked as the sixth best safety in the nation by Rivals.com who was heavily pursued by several schools until signing day.

“He’s a guy I believe he can play, and play early,” Stoops said. “I like his instincts, his demeanor. I like his athleticism. He is a guy that I have on my mind that could come in and play.”

“He is a dog. He plays with a motor,” UK recruiting coordinator Vince Marrow said.

Stops said it will be a “fast process” with Carter’s season just ending and him enrolling at UK in January.

— Quarterback Stone Saunders became the most prolific passer in Pennsylvania high school football history during Bishop McDevitt’s overtime win in the state title game.  He needed 15 completions and 131 yards in his football game to become the all-time leader in both categories and went 19 of 26 for 287 yards and two scores.

He finished his prep career with 777 completions for 13,719 yards and 204 touchdowns, all state records, in 58 games. He also ran for eight touchdowns.

His team also won a state title  his sophomore year when he was named the Pennsylvania Gatorade Player of the Year. He’s ranked as the 17th best quarterback in the nation by ESPN

Saunders committed to Kentucky in large part because of his connections with former offensive coordinator Liam Coen but remained committed after Coen left.

— Western Hills defensive lineman Javeon Campbell was the state’s top-rated recruit by ESPN and was rated as the nation’s 18th best defensive lineman even though this was only his second year playing football.  He had 63 tackles, 20 tackles for loss, 16 sacks, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

“Every SEC and Big Ten school offered him. He’s just a great athlete,” Marrow said.

He was named one of four finalists for the Wells Fargo National Player of the Year.

“Obviously his story of going from being a basketball player to playing football two years and being one of the top recruits in the nation just resonates and is kind of unheard of,” Western Hills coach Simon Vanderpool said. “He also had some great stats.

“They flew him to New York for the ceremony and he had courtside seats to watch the New York Knicks and next he will be going to the Army All-American Bowl where he will room with Martels (Carter).”

— Versatile Montavin Quisenberry of Boyle County was named the Paul Hornung Award winner one day before signing with Kentucky and then was named the Gatorade Player of the Year the day after he signed. He ran for 4,459 yards — averaging almost 10 yards per carry — and 61 scores and caught 151 passes for 2,509  yards and 38 more scores. He returned seven punts for scores and six kickoffs for touchdowns.

“I think he’s the best player in the state and he’s going to be even better at Kentucky,” Boyle coach Justin Haddix, a former Western Kentucky University quarterback, said. “He can do so many things. He’s not afraid of the big stage. He loves winning and whatever it takes, including blocking to win he will do that.”

Marrow has compared him to former UK star Wan’Dale Robinson.

“He has great balance and is a tough kid,” Marrow said. “This kid is the real deal. We love him. He has got a chance (to play next year) on special teams, kick returns, punt returns. I am very, very excited about Quisenberry.”

What about a sleeper in the 21-player signing class? Kentucky recruiting coordinator Vince Marrow says his pick is Cincinnati receiver Quintin Simmons. The 6-1, 170-pound Simmons is a four-star recruit who also runs track.

“He is a four-star player but for some reason it would be Quintin Simmons. He is a 10.5 (second) 100 (meter-dah) guy. His junior year he had nine kickoff returns for touchdowns,” Marrow said about a player under valued by most. “He reminds me of (former UK receiver/returner) Barion (Brown). He’s fast and comes from a very good program.

“Keep an eye on him for his return ability. He can make an impact as a freshman like Barion did. This kid is a really good kick returner.”