Kentucky is looking to make a move with Kellan Hall and other big recruits visiting for Alabama game

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There is a monster of a defensive lineman growing up about an hour and a half down the road in Louisville, and Kentucky is doing everything it can to keep him home.

Kellan Hall, a 2028 defensive lineman out of Christian Academy of Louisville, is one of the most talented young players in the entire country. 247 Sports has him as the No. 1 defensive lineman in the nation and a top-10 overall prospect in his class. Rivals actually lists him second overall in the class of 2028.

At a listed 6-foot-4 and right around 275 pounds, with the frame to keep growing well past 300, he is exactly the kind of trench player programs build their defenses around.

Recently, Hall trimmed his list to 12 schools, and the Cats made the cut. Kentucky is in there alongside Oklahoma, Ohio State, Georgia, Texas, Texas A&M, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oregon and Tennessee. That is about as loaded a group of blue bloods as you will find anywhere, and Big Blue is standing right in the thick of it. 

It’s also worth noting that Louisville, right in his own backyard, is nowhere to be found on his list.

Oklahoma has been viewed as the early leader, but do not sleep on what Will Stein and this new staff are building. Rivals recruiting insider Steve Wiltfong said on Monday that he believes Kentucky is closer to the top of Hall’s list than a lot of people realize, crediting the energy the new coaching staff has poured into the program. 

That matters, because Hall is watching. A strong first season under Stein could go a long way toward convincing a homegrown star that the best place for him is right here in the Bluegrass State. The relationship is already there. Hall made an unofficial visit to Lexington back in February and came back with his family for spring practice in March, and that connection has only grown since.

There is still a long runway here. Hall has said he plans to make his decision either in early December or late next May.

Kentucky will look to make a major move on Hall this week when he visits Lexington for the Alabama game. He’s one of several class of 2028 recruits set to visit this weekend, a list that includes 4-star edge Antonio Thomas Jr. 

Wiltfong reports that Thomas is a candidate to reclassify into 2027, and that Kentucky is right there with Florida at the top of his list for the nation’s 17th-ranked prospect. Safe to say the visit this week could go a long way in determining if Kentucky has him on campus when the 2027 season kicks off.

Wiltfong also reports that two more visitors for this Saturday will be 4-star wideout Antwaun Adams and 4-star cornerback Phoenix Evans, two of the top players in 2028.

The most important visitor this week will be quarterback commit Jake Nawrot, who will be joined by several other 2027 commits looking to get some of these 2028 guys to join them.

Big weekend on deck for the future of Kentucky Football.

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