The end of the July Fourth holiday weekend also marks the de facto end of summer recruiting for the Kentucky football program.
The Wildcats finished with fireworks by securing a commitment from quarterback Matt Ponatoski. There is still plenty of work to do before signing day. Kentucky hosted dozens of official visitors in June. A few will be announcing decisions later this month, but you should not be surprised if they all end up pledging their allegiance elsewhere. It gives us time to evaluate where Kentucky is so far in the 2026 recruiting class.
Growth in June
It’s hard to envision a much bleaker start to the summer. Kentucky only had one commitment and they lost their biggest recruiter to a rival school. That’s as bad as it gets.
Slowly but surely, official visits turned into commitments. The Wildcats officially have 15 verbals, but the class ranks just inside the Top 50 nationally and 14th in the SEC.
“In spite of the class rankings lacking, I think they’ve got quality players at every position,” Justin Rowland said on this week’s edition of 11 Personnel. “I don’t look at any of these guys like, ‘Whoa, that was a definite reach.’ There have been some definite reaches in recent years with in-state guys. They were patient, they didn’t panic, and it paid off in June.”
High-Floor Kentucky Football Commits
Beating Iowa for Defensive Backs
On the surface, you might wonder why Kentucky went to Texas to get unranked cornerback Isaiah McMillan. That doesn’t tell the full story. He plays for an exceptional program and was recruited by Iowa, a defensive back factory. Kentucky also landed Messiah Tilson, another Iowa target who was bumped up to a four-star shortly after committing.
Solid Trench Players
Kentucky did not land a bunch of no-doubt stars on the offensive and defensive line, but they all look like guys who could be multi-year contributors. The Wildcats have a track record of turning road-grading offensive tackles into starters at offensive guard, and Tyreek Jemison fits that mold. Cameron Miller doesn’t have the body type of a four-star offensive tackle, but he has the size and tools to be an SEC starter.
Ben Duncum is a versatile player from an exceptional prep school in Texas. How much weight he adds will determine where he plays. At worst, he looks like a player who can be in the DL rotation for 2-3 years. Garrett Witherington is a bigger version of that, most likely creating havoc in the interior.
Proven Pass-Catchers
The final two wide receivers added to Kentucky’s 2026 recruiting class have skills that directly correlate to production in the SEC. Dallas Dickerson has 4.4 speed in the 40-yard dash, and former Auburn commit Denairius Gray has shown an enormous catch radius while playing through traffic at one of the highest levels in the state of Florida.
“That’s the story of this class,” said Rowland. “When’s the last time you felt as good about the floor of a Kentucky receiver class as you feel about the floor of this one? There have been a ton of talented receivers to dream on, just raw ability. You think Javonte Richardson, some of the guys they brought in from Ohio that didn’t amount to much. Dallas Dickerson and Denairius Gray, you’d be surprised if they don’t turn into good SEC football players. I haven’t seen that floor among Kentucky wide receivers in a while.”
A Potential Star Quarterback
Matt Ponatoski is only scratching the surface of his potential. If he dedicates himself full-time to the gridiron and becomes a multi-year starting quarterback at Kentucky, this entire recruiting class will be a home run.
Recruiting rankings are based on potential. Kentucky fans have seen too many players fall short of that potential in recent years. Over the summer, the Wildcats added players with bankable attributes that can create consistent production on Saturdays in Lexington.
2026 Kentucky Football Recruiting Class
| Player | Position | High School | Ranking |
| Matt Ponatoski | QB (6-2, 190) | Cincinnati (Oh.) Moeller | 4-star (No. 257 overall) |
| 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 |
The post The Floor is High for Kentucky 2026 Recruiting Class appeared first on On3.