Mark Stoops took the Kentucky football program to new heights by recruiting at a level the program had never seen, with one big exception. The Wildcats struggled to secure commitments from high-level quarterbacks, forcing the program to find transfers to start under center. When Cutter Boley started in the 2024 season finale against Louisville, he […]
Mark Stoops took the Kentucky football program to new heights by recruiting at a level the program had never seen, with one big exception. The Wildcats struggled to secure commitments from high-level quarterbacks, forcing the program to find transfers to start under center.
When Cutter Boley started in the 2024 season finale against Louisville, he became the first high school recruit to start under center (barring injuries and opt-outs) since Drew Barker in 2016. With Bush Hamdan leading the charge, Kentucky may not have to rely on transfer quarterbacks in the future.
Kentucky secured a blockbuster commitment over the summer when Matt Ponatoski pledged his allegiance to Big Blue Nation. Not only do they have a building block for the 2026 recruiting class, but they already have one quarterback committed in 2027, DJ Hunter. He’s not the only quarterback they’re recruiting in that class.
Israel Abrams is one of the top uncommitted quarterbacks in the rising junior class. The 6-foot-4 Illinois athlete is a four-star talent, ranked by Rivals as the sixth-best passer and No. 95 overall player in the 2027 class. As a sophomore, he led his team to a state title and threw for 2,033 yards, 29 touchdowns, and only three interceptions.
After an exceptional summer on the camp circuit, Abrams is eyeing visits for the fall. Northwestern is pushing its chips in to make him a building block for the future.
Iowa State and Tennessee have also locked up gameday visits this fall. Rivals’ Greg Smith reports that three other schools are expected to host Abrams for visits this fall: Kentucky, Purdue, and Wisconsin.
In order to successfully recruit quarterbacks, you gotta get in early. Hamdan appears to have put the Wildcats in the right place at the right time. We’ll see if they can build more momentum this fall with the talented quarterback from Illinois.
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Category: General Sports
