The Kentucky Wildcats have been doing great keeping the 2016 recruiting class together, despite another uninspiring 5-7 season.
Just as was the case last year though, the Cats' poor finish to their season will likely cost them several key recruits who decide greener pastures lie with other schools. It looks like three-star defensive tackle Kobe Smith will be among them,
I'm told 3-star Archer (Ga.) DT Kobe Smith has decommitted from Kentucky. https://t.co/Cnj4gkQexa pic.twitter.com/PT3uo98hOy
— Woody Wommack (@RivalsWoody) December 27, 2015
Kobe Smith was expected to enroll early as UK and had signed papers with Cats. Will be interesting to see how things play out.
— Woody Wommack (@RivalsWoody) December 28, 2015
To get Smith's original pledge, Mark Stoops and his staff had to beat out the likes of the Miami Hurricanes, Arkansas Razorbacks, Kansas State Wildcats, Missouri tigers, Louisville Cardinals, Virginia Tech Hokies, Tennessee Volunteers, and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets among a host of other BCS schools.
If we're going off just offers, Smith was easily one of the Cats' biggest commitments in the 2016 class, and he also would have filled a massive need on the interior defensive line. A 6-4, 295-pound defensive tackle out of Archer High School (GA), Smith committed to NC State back in December, but decommitted after visiting Kentucky for their Friday Night Lights recruiting event. The three-star prospect is ranked as 24/7 sports Composite's No. 45 defensive tackle in 2016.
As of now, UK is set to lose senior defensive linemen Jabari Johnson, Melvin Lewis, C.J. Johnson and Farrington Huguenin for next season before losing Courtney Miggins, Zane Williams and Jason Hatcher for 2017. That's a lot of attrition on the defensive line in the next two years, which makes losing guys like Smith hurt even more.