High school football coaches complain that Northern Kentucky has been overlooked when it comes to comparing prospects. And a quick look at national recruiting centers makes that clear.
But it’s not just Northern Kentucky, it’s the entire state. Not that the complaint is entirely general. Northern Kentucky’s two SEC signees last year (Simon Kenton’s Aba Selm and Covington Catholic’s Willie Rodriguez) make that clear. If you are special enough on the most sensitive part of the ladder, they will locate you.
Only other customers risk going unnoticed. For example, take the prestigious high school football 247. In its state rankings for the class of 202five, the site features 101 Alabama customers from a state with a population of just over five million, adding only 39 from Kentucky, which has a of more than 4. 5 million.
But No. 3 in Kentucky’s 247 ratings is Cooper’s senior Austin Alexander, a 6-foot-3, 243-pound running back/tight end/linebacker (and basketball player) who has committed to North Carolina for next season, where he’s third. -Qualified prospect for the Tar Heels and 39th in his position in the United States. Alexander is Kentucky’s second senior prospect in the Rivals. com rankings, the northern Kentuckian in his 15-man class.
The On3 has Austin No. 3 overall in Kentucky and Edge Rusher No. 44th nationally and No. 312 in all positions. The four-star overall prospect is ranked 289th nationally on ESPN’s Top Three Hundred list, one of only two Kentucky players to do so.
Ryle’s Dillon Smith also leads the Kentucky 2025 Class 247 rankings, a 6-4, 250-pound defensive lineman ranked 12th among the state’s seniors and a “steadfast commitment” to Louisville after attracting interest from eastern Kentucky and western Kentucky.
The other Northern Kentuckian on the list of 247 senior clients is Dylan Stewart of Conner, a 6-4, 280-pound inside offensive lineman who has attracted recruiting interest from West Michigan, the Air Force, the Army and Colgate.
That’s it for this year’s seniors. But what about juniors?
The style is practically the same. Alabama has 20 juniors on the prospect list, Kentucky seven.
No. 32 at Kentucky is Cooper quarterback Cam O’Hara, 6-foot-2, 190 pounds, the No. 32 prospect nationally and the No. 35 quarterback. O’Hara, who led the Jaguars to the state championship game last fall, earning interest from Kentucky, Miami of Ohio, Akron, Austin Peay and Tennessee State before his junior season.
Rivals. com has O’Hara, with another offer from Western Kentucky, as a three-star prospect and No. 1 prospect in junior elegance – and from Northern Kentucky – with recruiting interest also from Notre Dame, where the alumnus of Highlands Gino Guidugli is the quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator.
TMU RATES BERLEKAMP AS ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH
Spencer Berlekamp has been promoted to assistant head coach of men’s basketball, head coach Justin Ray announced. Berlekamp, who joined the Saints in 2019, will enter his sixth season.
As a savvy top assistor, Berlekamp has helped the Saints through two major transitions: from NCAA Division III to the NAIA in 2019 and from the NAIA to NCAA Division II in 2023. TMU (a winning percentage of Array741) has had the most success in school. history from this time. Those numbers come with a 31-5 season in 2022 that led the Saints to the NAIA Final Four, leading to the program’s first No. 1 national ranking in 2023.
In Berlekamp’s first 4 seasons, the Saints finished in the Top 25 each year and won 4 consecutive national tournaments. TMU finished fourth in the 13-team NCAA Division II Midwest Grand Conference in 2023-24 with a 19-win season. and helped expand 3 All-Americans, two Conference Player of the Year options, two freshman of the year options, two Bevo Francis Top 50 nominees and 14 all-conference options.
Contact Dan Weber at dweber3440@aol. com. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @dweber3440.