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The Army All-American Bowl game will be played on Saturday, the 4th at noon CST in the San Antonio Alamo Dome and will be televised by NBC.
On January 3rd from 7:30am-4:30pm, the 500 invited underclassmen participants in the Army Combine will be measured on speed, strength and quickness. They will also attend seminars concerning recruiting, speed and strength improvement. The four major recruiting services in addition to the Army Bowl selection committee will be there to evaluate players in the first national combine before their upcoming seasons.
Here's the complete agenda for all events, including the Football National University national championships for 6th, 7th and 8th grade players and teams.
There is a buzz going on about Drew Barker, Matt Elam and the Glenville trio (Marcelys Jones, Erick Smith and Marshon Lattimore). Jones has made the comment that he plans to enroll early on January 6th at Ohio State while Smith and Lattimore are expected to commitment to OSU during the Army game. There are those who dispute that with some saying that there will be announcements that will shock the world of college football. Elam is expected to commit to Kentucky during the game. He and Jones are roomies. Barker is said to be the 10th best player on the west team. The rumors are hot and heavy...There are a couple of OSU fans posting over at Scout saying that the Glenville Three will be committing to UK. The UK fans don't believe them because we just can't allow ourselves to believe it. Read the thread and you'll see what I mean.
There is a LOT of intrigue going on. Here's a couple of quotes from OSU fans:
Without going into too much detail, let's just say a certain insider (FYI I'm not an insider on scout) who has the best possible source, told him that Lattimore, Smith and Jones called Urban a couple of days ago and told him they are committing to Kentucky. Apparently, the kids weren't planning on giving Urban a phone call, but Ginn Sr encouraged them to do so. Again, there is a whole lot more to this story that Im sure will come out in the next couple of weeks, but this is the first time ever that a school has stolen a Glenville superstar from Ohio State (let alone 3 superstars)
The Glenville players have the same song and dance every year. They take visits and wait till the all star games because that is what coach Ginn wants. Since 2001 only two Glenville players with Ohio State offers end up somewhere other than Ohio State. They all say the right things in interviews and because everyone suspects they will be choosing Ohio State they try to throw off the scent. I believe all three will be Ohio State Buckeyes.
If the rumors are true, the implications for Kentucky football are enormous. If Elam is the icing on the cake, the Glenville boys will be three cherries on top of the icing. Just for what it's worth, Glenville's coach Ginn is a friend of Stoops and Marrow.
If the three go to OSU, it should not be a surprise to anyone since they will be going to their home state school. OSU has no real competition in the state of Ohio. If they do plan to sign with OSU, Kentucky fans should be very proud of our coaching staff, and especially Vince Marrow, for making OSU sweat a little.
Just to refresh your memory, let's take a look at these five players who are keeping UK in the recruiting news.
Matt Elam
Elam has played the recruiting game masterfully and his strategy has been impeccable by keeping everyone on the edge of their seats just like Drew Barker did. Kentucky, without question, needed Barker's early commitment and that allowed Elam to play the game to the hilt. Elam has kept Kentucky in the news throughout the 2014 recruiting cycle. Elam was offered by 13 schools, including Alabama, Notre Dame, Louisville, Ohio State and Tennessee. He eliminated Notre Dame a few weeks ago. Elam is ranked as #5 in Bleacher Report's top 10 uncommitted players in the Army Bowl. Maybe Rivals will finally get their "opportunity to evaluate" Matt Elam.
247 Sports - (99.0) 5* - Elam is ranked at # 9 by 247 Sports (# 166 in their composite rankings) and he's expected and predicted to commit to UK over Alabama.
Rivals - (5.7) 3*
Scout - 4* - # 128 in the Scout 300
ESPN - (81.0) 4* - #292 in the ESPN 300
Marcelys Jones
Jones is an Ohio St. commitment and has signed financial aid papers. He will be an early enrollee for the spring semester. OSU's drop dead date for enrollment is January 6th. 247 Sports is now predicting he will flip to Kentucky. Even if he enrolls at OSU, he has been a major player who has helped Kentucky in keeping our name in the recruiting news. We owe him thanks for that no matter what happens.
Ratings and Rankings:
247 Sports - (94.0) 4*- Ranked # 141 (# 328 composite) by 247 Sports
Rivals - (5.8) 4* - #240 in the Rivals 250
Scout - 3*
ESPN - (78.0) 3*
Marshon Lattimore
Lattimore is sitting on 20 offers, including Alabama, Oregon, USC, Louisville, Michigan, Michigan State, UCLA and Penn St. He's predicted to announce his commitment to Ohio State at the Army game. There's not been much written about Lattimore and Smith because it has been assumed all along they would commit to Ohio State. Both have kept their thoughts to themselves. If Jones flips, he may be the only one of the three to sign with Kentucky. Lattimore is the # 3 ranked player in Bleacher Report's top 10 uncommitted player in the Army Bowl.
247 Sports - (97) 4*- Ranked # 34 (# 36 composite) in the 247 Sports top 247
Rivals - (6.0) 4* - Ranked # 56 in the Rivals 250
Scout - 4* - #45 in the Scout 300
ESPN - (84.0) 4* - #50 in the ESPN 300
Erick Smith
Smith has been quoted as saying that the Glenville Three all want to go to the same school. He's predicted to announce his commitment to Ohio State at the Army game. He has offers from 11 schools including Michigan, Michigan State, Alabama and Louisville. He's listed as one of the top 11 players on the Army east team.
247 Sports - (90.0) 4* - Ranked # 287 (# 146 composite) by 247 Sports
Rivals - (5.9) 4* - Ranked # 122 in the Rivals 250
Scout - 4* - # 67 in the Scout 300
ESPN - (82) 4* - ranked #228 in the ESPN 300
Drew Barker
Barker is Kentucky's top commitment in terms of leadership and he's been instrumental in UK's recruiting efforts. He was ranked # 7 in the Elite 11 competition by Trent Dilfer. He's kept a running diary over at Kentucky Sports Radio (KSR). Barker is already enrolled for the spring semester at UK. Mark Stoops says he has no problem making Barker UK's starting QB for 2014 if he beats out his competition at QB which we all know is less than stellar. He's become fast friends with Matt Elam and will stand behind Elam when he commits. He has also been a major factor in keeping the 2014 class together. As you can see here, he's one of the top players on the Army west team.
Ratings and Rankings:
247 Sports - (94.69) 4* - Ranked # 113 (# 114 composite) by 247 Sports who predicted he would sign with South Carolina
Rivals - (5.9) 4* - Ranked #131 in the Rivals 250
Scout - 4* - # 161 in the Scout 300
ESPN - (83.0) 4* - #161 in the ESPN 300
We already have Barker and most expect Elam commits to the Cats. The Glenville Three are most likely to go with Ohio State, with an outside shot of UK getting Jones. Kentucky is pretty much assured of a top 20 recruiting class that will probably come in at 15th or 16th. Since Elam is a Rivals 3 star, his announcement isn't likely to improve UK status in the team rankings. It doesn't matter because this will be UK best class during the recruiting service era (2002 forward).
It Ain't Over until It's Over (Update)
According to KSR, Scout is reporting the following from Jones:
Jones, a four-star offensive lineman with interest in the Cats, told Scout.com he is still committed to the Buckeyes but hasn't made up his mind whether or not he will enroll early. Jones said,"I'm supposed to report to Ohio State next week, but I'm not sure if I am or not. I have to see what happens, and I'm not sure about going there next week just yet."
There is also a gif of Elam in the Tug of War contest.
You just have to wonder just how bright the Sun is going to shine on our old Kentucky home.