Kentucky ended up with eight four-star commitments – just as many as Missouri and South Carolina and those two programs have definitely caught fire over the last season or two.
Four-star defensive back Martels Carter Jr. leads the way and it was an important victory for the Wildcats. The Paducah (Ky.) Tilghman standout pledged to Kentucky in May but down the stretch, Auburn and four-star QB commit Deuce Knight were working really hard to flip him.
Across the defensive line with in-state prospects Cedric Works and Jayveon Campbell and then at receiver led by Quintin Simmons and Dejerrian Miller, the Wildcats added some good weapons. At least one other SEC program was working very hard to get in with four-star tight end Mikkel Skinner down the stretch.
In the ultra-competitive SEC, Kentucky’s No. 24 class ranks No. 13 overall in the conference which means the Wildcats aren’t keeping pace with the league’s upper echelon when it comes to landing even more four-stars and even more elite prospects that can elevate the program.
Kentucky had quarterback issues all season and the Wildcats landed two talented ones in Stone Saunders and Brennen Ward but they’re both three-stars and probably not ready to step in right away and turn Kentucky into an offensive juggernaut.
Is Stone Saunders the best quarterback in the 2025 class? No. But he put up such prolific numbers at Harrisburg (Pa.) Bishop McDevitt that it cannot be ignored and considered in his final ranking which is a mid-level three-star right now.
Saunders finished his high school career with 13,719 passing yards and 204 touchdowns, never having a varsity season with less than 46 TDs. That’s pretty incredible against decent competition in the Harrisburg area and seems to make an argument that there aren’t 37 pro-style quarterbacks better than him in the class.
Getting lost in statistics especially for quarterbacks can be fool’s gold sometimes but Saunders is productive, he can make things happen and since the Wildcats need a spark at quarterback, it could be Saunders who gives it.
