Mark Stoops has never been short on confidence.From the moment he arrived in Lexington, Stoops has declared in no uncertain terms his belief in his vision, his belief in Kentucky football.But to reel in the best class in school history barely a year into his tenure? To piece together a group that fits perfectly in terms of both personnel and character? “If I’m honest, we maybe had a little bit better success than I thought this quick,” Stoops said.All 28 members of UK’s 2014 signing class — 16 of which are rated four-star prospects by at least one major outlet — sent in valid National Letters of Intent before 11 a.m. ET, short-circuiting some of the drama typical of Signing Day. None of the coaches or support staff at the Nutter Training Facility for an unprecedented live webcast of the event seemed to mind. At last check, the Kentucky class ranks 15th nationally according to Rivals.com, 20th according to both ESPN.com and Scout.com and 22nd according to 247sports.com.”I knew we’d recruit good players,” Stoops said. “Where it was rated and all that and the publicity, I like it, and it helps our program and all that, but, again, that’s not what I’m out for. I’m out to get great players to help build this program day in and day out.”On extremely short notice, Stoops and his staff did that with their first class. With just two months to work, they brought in a group that contributed immediately, which was vital to UK’s future in both the short and long term. This class, however, was even more important.”I thought this was going to lay the foundation to turn this program, and it was a very critical year, and I felt like we really had to hit the pavement and recruit extremely hard,” Stoops said. “Could not be more proud of this staff and the way they went about their business.”The staff made waves with the 2014 class immediately, scoring verbal commitments from a variety of prospects early in the process. UK shot up recruiting rankings accordingly, drawing national attention. Pundits were impressed, but wondered whether the class would remain intact.A year and just one de-commitment later, the answer is an emphatic yes.”This is one of the most unique recruiting experiences I’ve ever been a part of,” Stoops said. “This group was so solid for so long.”Of course, there were nervous moments and the occasional rumbling about a recruit falling off the wagon. In those cases, there was no substitute for the hard work that has come to define Stoops and his staff.”We don’t take anything for granted,” Stoops said. “We recruited every bit as hard last night and today as we did last year or the day after Signing Day or the whole year. We recruited from start to finish extremely hard, don’t take anything for granted, and go about our business the right way.”In the end, not only did UK hold on to its verbal commitments on Signing Day, but a new one also came on board.Lloyd Tubman, a Louisville, Ky., native rated a four-star prospect by 247sports.com, announced his UK pledge late Wednesday morning and sent in his NLI not long after.”We liked Lloyd a lot,” Stoops said. “Recruited him for a full year. Again, I think he’s one of the top players in the state, a great football player. And he’s a great student and a fine young man.”Originally a Vanderbilt commitment and later a Penn State pledge, the 6-foot-5, 225-pound defensive end was finally swayed by defensive coordinator and lead recruiter D.J. Eliot.”I think it just took time for him to see what we had to offer and what was the best future for him,” Eliot said. “When he sat down and looked at everything, I think it was the right thing for him to do and he made that leap.”Tubman is the third-ranked player in Kentucky according to Rivals.com, meaning UK signed four of the top five prospects in the state. Quarterback Drew Barker and defensive tackles Adrian Middleton and Matt Elam will join Tubman in staying home to play their college ball.”Really feel good about what we did in Kentucky,” Stoops said. “I said that a year ago. I said that in my opening press conference about how important it was to recruit this state.”When a quarterback like Barker is in your backyard, that becomes even more important.Asked to pick out a turning point when UK’s momentum on the trail went from encouraging to unstoppable, Stoops mentioned Barker’s commitment last May. Though his new coaches never encouraged him to do it, Barker took on a reputation as Kentucky’s unofficial recruiting coordinator. Stoops doesn’t discount Barker’s role making a big Signing Day a reality.”He just has that ability to be a leader, and he wanted other great players around him,” Stoops said. “You know, I said that a year ago as well. Players want to be around other great players.”Barker is only the most prominent example of a group of players who have already built a bond even though just seven are on campus. From the 10 Ohio signees to the two from Texas and four from Florida, UK’s signees have developed a sort of collective personality.”They’ve been very solid that way,” Stoops said. “They’ve got to have a–this group is very confident in their ability, but you know what — and I know they have some fun with the media, which is great. They have the personality, and it’s good. It’s good for everybody. I want them to be themselves.  But as a group, they’re also very humble, and I think humility is very important.”Humility will be necessary as the recruits arrive on campus and compete for playing time. Because for both players and coaches, it’s time to grind after a short celebration of a memorable day for Kentucky football.”I’ve read a lot of quotes from these guys that caught my eye that they know and understand that this is just the beginning of a lot of work,” Stoops said. “We’ve got some good players that’s going to help this program, but we’ve got to go to work now and keep on building and put another great class together and do all the work, whether it be right now in winter if they’re here, or the guys that are going to show up in the summer. I think they’re very special that way.”