Mark Stoops dropped a bombshell Monday morning when he announced that Marcelys Jones had been dismissed by the Kentucky Wildcats for a violation of team rules. Stoops made this announcement right after naming Patrick Towles the starting QB for 2015.
Jones transferred to Kentucky over the summer after spending one year at Ohio State aa a member of their 2014 recruiting class. 24/7Sports composite had the 6-4, 315-pound Jones ranked as the No. 215 prospect in 2014 and the 13th-best offensive guard.
Rivals also have Jones was a four-star rating while being the No. 17 offensive guard prospect in the country. He held offers from Alabama, Florida State, Wisconsin, Michigan State and UCLA among others before he committed to Ohio State, but transferred to UK over the summer after it originally looked like the Cats might get him in 2014.
When Jones opted to join UK, it was a massive get for the Cats and the future of their offensive line. While Jones would have sat out 2015 under NCAA transfer rules, he would have been a huge boost to the offensive line in 2016 when seniors Zach West and Jordan Swindle graduate.
Still, with Landon Young, Tate Leavitt, and Drake Jackson coming in next year, the future of the offensive line is already in good hands. Having Jones would have been nice, but losing him isn't going to be the kind of major blow it would have been with past UK teams. The Cats are simply recruiting offensive lineman at an unprecedented level in the program's history, so losing Jones is not that big of a loss.