Should the Two SEC Programs with Only One Commitment Be Concerned?

By Mark Pszonak

The annual timeline for high school recruiting has sped up incredibly over the last five years. With the introduction of spring official visits, the days of players waiting until the fall to make their commitment are mostly long over. Instead, a substantial number of players don’t even wait for spring official visits to begin. This is why it is eye-opening when a program only has one commitment on May 14^th.

That is the situation with Kentucky and Florida. For the Wildcats it comes as a little less of a surprise. They are coming off a disastrous 4-8 season in 2024 which ended with head coach Mark Stoops feeling his seat get warmer. In Gainesville, this is a bit odder considering there is excitement during the off-season after finishing 8-5 in 2024 and returning one of the more exciting young players in the SEC, quarterback DJ Lagway.

Sep 7, 2024; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Stoops walks off the field after the game against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Kroger Field.

*© Jordan Prather-Imagn Images*

Kentucky’s one commitment to this point has come from offensive lineman Jarvis Strickland Jr., who plays at Tilghman High School in Paducah, Kentucky. Strickland, 6-foot-7 and 285-pounds, committed on March 30^th and chose the Wildcats over offers from Tennessee, Ole Miss, Louisville, North Carolina, Michigan State and Georgia Tech. For the Gators, their Class of 2026 began quickly with a four-star in-state commitment from quarterback Will Griffin, which occurred way back in June of 2024. Florida then picked up three additional in-state commitments (LB Izayia Williams, CB Jaelen Waters, S Devan Jackson) with all of them later decommitting.

Should either of these programs be concerned over their lack of high school recruiting success on May 14^th? In Lexington, there is overall concern regarding the current state of the program and its direction. Because of this, having recruiting difficulties just adds gasoline into the fire. At Florida, it is more disappointment regarding the slow start. However, the Gators have a consistent flow of impressive talent scheduled for official visits over the next six weeks which could quickly ease any concerns.

Any concern in Lexington is more warranted. And if recruiting continues to flounder during the next two months, it very well could turn into a panic. In Gainesville, while any disappointment is understandable, it is more likely that all of this will be forgotten by early July. However, if this is still a news story by then, you can be sure that often criticized head coach Billy Napier will once again be a target.