Flips are inevitable in college football recruiting but this is a two-way street. After losing four-star offensive tackle Jarvis Strickland, Kentucky has gotten out the spatula to flip another target towards them. UK and Auburn have met again on the recruiting trail.
The latest battle belongs to the Cats.
Long-time Auburn commit Denairius Gray flipped to Kentucky on Tuesday. The South Florida wide receiver had been committed to Hugh Freeze‘s program for nearly 18 months. Wide receivers coach L’Damian Washington has logged a fourth recruiting win for the Big Blue.
Gray is considered a four-star recruit ranked No. 302 overall in the 2026 class.
BREAKING
Gray was committed to the Tigers since Jan. 2024.
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— Rivals (@Rivals) July 1, 2025
Despite being committed to Auburn, Gray took official visits to Washington, NC State, Ole Miss, and Kentucky. Auburn also got the prospect on campus for an official. Kentucky pushed very hard in this South Florida recruitment and completed a flip before the Fourth of July.
If Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna sounds familiar to you it should. Kentucky signed five players from that high school in 2017 and 2018 highlighted by multi-year wide receiver starter Josh Ali. The Cats now have four wide receivers in the 2026 class and appear to be done at the position.
Kentucky’s 2026 high school recruiting class
| Player | Position | High School | Ranking |
| Denairius Gray | WR (6-1, 170) | Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna | 4-star (No. 302 overall) |
| Messiah Tilson | S (6-2, 165) | Rockford (Ill.) Guilford | 4-star (No. 343 overall) |
| Jordan Crutchfield | CB (6-2, 195) | Vero Beach (Fla.) High | High 3-star (No. 424 overall) |
| Dallas Dickerson | WR (6-1, 180) | Bogart (Ga.) North Oconee | High 3-star (No. 467 overall) |
| Lincoln Watkins | TE (6-4, 225) | Port Huron (Mich.) Northern | 3-star (No. 605 overall) |
| Tyreek Jemison | iOL (6-5, 330) | Dallas (Ga.) Paulding County | 3-star (No. 684 overall) |
| Prince Jean | WR (6-0, 170) | Valdosta (Ga.) High | 3-star (No. 728 overall) |
| Garrett Witherington | DL (6-4, 290) | Birmingham (Ala.) Briarwood Christian | 3-star (No. 981 overall) |
| Davis McCray | WR (6-2, 190) | San Antonio (Texas) Cornerstone Christian | 3-star (No. 1,084 overall) |
| Max Mohring | LB (6-3, 215) | Malvern (Pa.) Prep | 3-star (No. 1,293 overall) |
| Delvecchio “Deuce” Alston II | RB (6-0, 200) | Trussville (Ala.) Hewitt-Trussville | 3-star (No. 1,327 overall) |
| Cameron Miller | T (6-5, 310) | Hammond (Ind.) Morton | 3-star (No. 1,383 overall) |
| Ben Duncum | DL (6-5, 250) | Austin (Texas) Lake Travis | Unranked |
| Isaiah McMillian | CB (6-0, 170) | Katy (Texas) High | Unranked |
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