ESPN releases latest high school football rankings

Published 7:00 am Saturday, July 24, 2021

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

If you are excited about the upcoming Kentucky football season, this is merely a tease to keep you excited about upcoming seasons.

ESPN recently released its new top 200 rankings for the 2022 recruiting class and three Kentucky commits remain solidly among the nation’s elite players.

The highest-rated commit remains 6-7, 305-pound Kiyaunta Goodwin. The offensive lineman from Charleston, Ind., near Louisville moved up to 74th nationally.

Email newsletter signup

Four-star outside linebacker Keaten Wade of Tennessee dropped slightly but still remains inside the top 200 players at No. 197. Sources say he impressed UK coaches more than even they expected at his summer camp appearance.

His twin brother, Destin, stayed in the top 300 at No. 284. He’s listed as an athlete because of his ability to play a variety of positions in college but intends to play quarterback at Kentucky — and it seems UK coaches are more than okay with him being the only quarterback signee in the 2022 recruiting class.

Two other players who Kentucky seems to have a great chance to sign are also in the top 300. Frederick Douglass receiver Dane Key, the son of former UK linebacker Donte Key, is No. 214, and Ohio offensive tackle Aamil Wagner, who had a brother play at UK, comes in at 119 and would be a huge addition for the Big Blue Wall.

Kentucky has eight other commitments — offensive tackle Grant Bingham, athlete Treyveon Longmire, athlete Jeremiah Caldwell, athlete Alex Afari, cornerback Andre Stewart, offensive tackle Nikolas Hall, tight end Josh Kattus, and kicker Jackson Smith — in its 2022 recruiting class.