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Not only did Kentucky coach Mark Stoops help right the ship and lead the Wildcats to their first winning record (7-6) since 2009 this past season, but it looks like he’s close to wrapping up what could be the best recruiting class in program history.
After Saturday’s colossal addition of four-star athlete Lynn Bowden — who has drawn lofty comparisons to former UK star playmaker Randall Cobb — Stoops’ 2017 class ranks 17th in the nation, per Rivals.
That has never happened before.
UK's Football Recruiting class is currently ranked 17th in the country by https://t.co/0dJ31hTR9b…would be UK's highest ranked class ever
— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) January 15, 2017
Top 25 finishes were, to say the least, very uncommon prior to the Stoops era. From 2001-12, Kentucky did no better than 38th overall nationally, ranking between 116th and 121st in four different years in the mid-2000s, according to 247Sports.
Stoops has changed that trend in a massive way, posting a top 25 finish in 2014 (No. 22) and drawing close to another this cycle (No. 21, per 247).
Kentucky still has work to do before it can be considered a legitimate contender in the SEC East division, but under Stoops, the ‘Cats may be getting closer to doing so than they’ve been in a long time.
Tyler Waddell is a member of the Saturday Down South news team. He brings over five years of professional journalism experience and is closing in on a Bachelor's in sports management. Follow him on Twitter (@Tyler_Waddell).
