Wednesday Headlines: Signing Day Edition

Kentucky’s path to a top 10 recruiting class officially begins today.

By John Morgan Francis@MonJorgan Updated Dec 15, 2021, 11:55am EST

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UPDATE 6:15 pm ET

4-star junior college defensive back Zah Frazier announced his pledge to the Wildcats.

UPDATE 5:10 pm ET

Kiyaunta Goodwin has officially signed with the Kentucky Wildcats over Michigan State.

Kentucky has also announced the signings of Destin Wade, Keaten Wade, Barion Brown and Dane Key, so Kentucky has everyone accounted for in terms of 2022 commitments.

Other Kentucky recruits who’ve yet to sign include offensive lineman Jalen Farmer (Florida commit), JUCO defensive back Zah Frazier, and cornerback Davison Igbinosun.

UPDATE 2:41 pm ET

Florida transfer Khris Bogle has signed with Michigan State over Kentucky.

Meanwhile, Kentucky has announced the addition of Auburn transfer Tashawn Manning.

Here is another live stream for Kiyaunta Goodwin via Travis Graf.

Kiyaunta Goodwin announcement. https://t.co/WxfKc7WZYD
— Travis Graf (@TravisGraf_) December 15, 2021

UPDATE 1:27 pm ET

Kentucky has announced the additions of Ja’Kobi Albert and Tayvion Robinson.

As for Kiyaunta Goodwin, he’s now planning to make his final decision at 5 pm ET at Aspirations Gym in Louisville (KY) where he trains. It will be open to the public.

You can watch the decision on CBS Sports Live.

Toughest decision I’ve ever had to make in my life I’m sorry I need more time. I will be signing at 5pm today at 222 Eiler Avenue live on CBS at @Aspirationsgym
— Kiyaunta Goodwin (@K_Goodwin2022) December 15, 2021

Goodwin is still listed as a Kentucky commitment, and their 2022 class currently ranks No. 10 at 247 Sports.

UPDATE 11:40 am ET

Kentucky has landed 4-star recruit Ja’Kobi Albert, as well as Virginia Tech transfer wideout Tayvion Robinson. Kentucky has also announced the signings of kicker Jackson Smith.

However, not all news is good, as junior college cornerback DeCarlos Nicholson has flipped from Kentucky to Mississippi State.

UPDATE 10:45 am ET

Kentucky has signed highly-touted 4-star recruit Deone Walker.

UPDATE 9:45 am ET

The Kentucky Wildcats have officially signed Tomiwa Durojaiye, Andre Stewart, Brandon White, Grant Bingham, Tyreese Fearbry, Quentel Jones, Alex Afari, Elijah Reed, Jordan Anthony, Josh Kattus, Nik Hall. Afari was strongly considering a flip to Cincinnati, but Kentucky managed to win out in the end.

Also, Kiyaunta Goodwin was set to make his final decision this morning, but that will now come at 3:30 pm ET.

Five-star OT Kiyaunta Goodwin (@K_Goodwin2022) announcing his final college decision this afternoon around 3:30pm EST on @CBSSportsHQ. #Kentucky or #MichiganState. More details here: https://t.co/wFawPZXBtv
— Steve Wiltfong (@SWiltfong247) December 15, 2021

National Signing Day — a day so many college football programs have been looking forward to — has arrived. It’s a day that can quickly change the course of an upcoming season as well as future years of a football program.

It’s also the day that several recruits can “flip” their commitment due to the coach that recruited them leaving for another school or the recruit simply being blown away by another program last minute.

Hopefully, for Kentucky’s sake, the Wildcats will avoid any and all “flips” as the signing period gets underway.

Watch this space and https://t.co/ttvE2jN4hp for #NSD22 coverage all day tomorrow.#BBN x #WhyNot? https://t.co/2BOPbkb8sJ
— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) December 14, 2021

While some players will quickly announce their signing on Wednesday, others may take a handful of weeks or even months to make their decision. As Kentucky heads into signing day with the 13th-ranked recruiting class, here is a list of names to be on the lookout for.

Davison Igbinosun
Deone Walker
Drew Bobo
Ja’Kobi Albert
Jalen Farmer
Khris Bogle
Kiyaunta Goodwin
Marcus Banks
R. Mason Thomas
Tayvion Robinson

Of those 10 recruits, expect Albert, Farmer and Goodwin to remain on “flip watch” until we hear otherwise. Alex Afari and DeCarlos Nicholson aren’t on Kentucky’s top 10 big board but are also on “flip watch.”

Wednesday will be the most chaotic Signing Day of the Mark Stoops era. Learn the latest on almost a dozen players making decisions that could give Kentucky a Top 10 recruiting class. https://t.co/qTrlfpLzpv
— Nick Roush (@RoushKSR) December 13, 2021

While the key to the day is of course to land Goodwin, the world will indeed not end if he flips to another school at the last minute. Though Goodwin would be a historical win for Kentucky recruiting and secure momentum to land other talented recruits, one player doesn’t make or break a football team. Yes, Goodwin could immediately impact Kentucky’s win-now mentality next season. However, Kentucky has proven they can develop their share of 3/4-star recruits and turn them into stars. If Goodwin ends up flipping, Kentucky has at least secured a commitment from Auburn Transfer Tashawn Manning to fill the void at offensive tackle.

One name that could be mentioned as a “flip” candidate in favor of Kentucky is Farmer. The 3-star offensive linemen took to Twitter on Sunday with this tweet that looks like Kentucky is swooping in last minute to win over the talented prospect.

Lane Kiffin and his Ole Miss staff may be the thorn in Kentucky’s side as today gets underway. The Rebels head coach has his eyes on Igbinosun and Nicholson. While Ole Miss has appeared to throw the kitchen sink at winning over these two, Kentucky should still be in the driver seat (for now).

There are so many decisions that can and can’t be predicted. There’s so much madness that will unfold and so much excitement for all football programs to enjoy as Signing Day begins.

Will Kentucky lock up the recruits and transfers they need to win now as well as down the road? What’s your prediction for the top names on Kentucky’s list? Let us know in the comment section below. Every signature counts.

Tweet of the Day

This week’s early signing period could be the last of its kind.

Officials are serious about overhauling the recruiting calendar.

A proposal was presented last week to commissioners to move the early signing date to January.

“The model is broken.”https://t.co/aE8W2422Qc
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) December 15, 2021

Are you for or against a change being made?