In the world of football recruiting, you can’t win ’em all. Kentucky was one of four finalists for Elijah Satchell, but on Sunday night, he announced that he is committing to N.C. State.
Satchell took official visits to Northwestern, Stanford, Kentucky, and N.C. State. The Wildcats and the Wolfpack have butted heads a few times on the recruiting trail recently. During this cycle, Kentucky got a commitment from IOL Tyreek Jemison, but lost the linebacker to N.C. State, who was recruited by former Kentucky defensive coordinator D.J. Eliot.
A 6-foot-2, 220-pound athlete from Camden, New Jersey, he’s a three-star prospect according to the Rivals Industry Rankings.
A classic tweener, Rivals lists Satchell as an EDGE, while 247 Sports considers him a defensive lineman. His status as a tweener ultimately played a significant role in this recruitment. Instead of rushing the passer, Kentucky foresaw his future as an off-ball linebacker. The Wildcats picked up one player at that position in the 2026 class, Max Mohring.
Kentucky checked a lot of boxes at positions of need over the summer. There are two exceptions at offensive tackle and EDGE. Eric Wolford got one offensive tackle on board, Cameron Miller, but they could use another. The Cats took big swings with Jackson Ford and Asharri Charles, but came away empty-handed. Expect new targets to emerge when the big board resets during the fall recruiting campaign.
UK’s 2026 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. 606 overall) |
| Tyreek Jemison | iOL (6-5, 330) | Dallas (Ga.) Paulding County | 3-star (No. 688 overall) |
| Prince Jean | WR (6-0, 170) | Valdosta (Ga.) High | 3-star (No. 733 overall) |
| Garrett Witherington | DL (6-4, 290) | Birmingham (Ala.) Briarwood Christian | 3-star (No. 989 overall) |
| Davis McCray | WR (6-2, 190) | San Antonio (Texas) Cornerstone Christian | 3-star (No. 1,089 overall) |
| Max Mohring | LB (6-3, 215) | Malvern (Pa.) Prep | 3-star (No. 1,296 overall) |
| Delvecchio “Deuce” Alston II | RB (6-0, 200) | Trussville (Ala.) Hewitt-Trussville | 3-star (No. 1,331 overall) |
| Cameron Miller | T (6-5, 310) | Hammond (Ind.) Morton | 3-star (No. 1,388 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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