UK Football Announces Four Mid-Year Enrollees
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The University of Kentucky
welcomes four new Wildcats who have joined the Wildcat football program, Coach
Mark Stoops announced Wednesday.
The mid-year enrollees are all high school standouts who
graduated in December – inside linebacker Kash Daniel, quarterback Gunnar Hoak,
wide receiver Dakota Holtzclaw and center Drake Jackson.
All four players will count toward the 2016 signing class.
They will go through the off-season workouts and participate in spring
practice. They will join junior college transfer Tate Leavitt, a 6-foot-6,
310-pound offensive lineman who signed a national letter of intent in December.
Kash Daniel, Linebacker, 6-1, 235, Fr.-HS, Paintsville,
Ky. (Paintsville) – U.S. Army All-American, named a team captain for the
West squad … Helped the West win the game, 37-9 … Named
Kentucky’s Mr. Football and Kentucky Gatorade Player of the Year … Named
first-team all-state by the Courier-Journal and The Associated Press …
A 2015 Herald-Leader “Class of Commonwealth” honoree … Winner of the Paul
Hornung Award, honoring the top player in the state … A two-way star as a
quarterback and linebacker at Paintsville, helping the Tigers compile a 13-1
record and advance to the Class 1A semifinals … Rushed and passed for 2,245
combined yards (1,319 passing) and a 36 combined touchdowns as a senior (22
rushing TDs) … Defensively in 2015, he had 158 tackles, four fumble recoveries
and four interceptions, returning a pair for touchdowns … Coach by Joe Chirico … Rated as a three-star
recruit by 247sports.com, as the No. 13 inside linebacker and the third-best
prospect in the state of Kentucky … A three-star prospect by Rivals.com, is
tabbed as the 15th best inside linebacker and third best prospect in the state
… Ranks as a three-star recruit by ESPN.com, No. 8 in the state of Kentucky and
the 42nd best inside linebacker … Three-star prospect by Scout.com, ranks as
the 23rd best inside linebacker in the nation … 247sports.com says, “Tremendous
athleticism, great work ethic. He’s strong and he’s good laterally. He’s
certainly elite laterally. The guy can go to Kentucky and be the leading
tackler for the Wildcats three years. Just tough as nails, knows the game, is
extremely talented and has a good upside. When you’re trying to play football
in the SEC, you can never have too many guys like this.” … Also lettered in
baseball and basketball at Paintsville … Picked UK over Michigan, Louisville,
Marshall, Ohio, Purdue, South Carolina and Illinois.
Personal: Born in Pikeville, Ky., … Son of Scott Daniel and Lela Layne … Major is
communications.
Coach Stoops on Daniel: “We couldn’t be more thrilled
to welcome Kash, Kentucky’s Mr. Football, to our team. He exemplifies the
definition of a blue collar player. He’s an extremely hard worker and he
is very driven. Kash is what you’re looking for in a middle linebacker. He has
the size, instincts and leadership you want in the middle of the defense.
Gunnar Hoak, Quarterback, 6-4,
190, Fr.-HS, Dublin, Ohio (Dublin Coffman) – Tabbed by ESPN.com as a
four-star prospect, ranking No. 14 among quarterbacks nationally and No. 12 among
prospects in Ohio … All-Central District Division I special mention as a senior
… A three-star prospect by Rivals.com … Ranked by 247sports.com as a
three-star prospect, as the No. 37 pro-style quarterback in the nation and as
the 36th best prospect in Ohio … Had 1,798
yards through the air and 14 touchdowns with only six interceptions during his
senior season … Was named Central District Player of the Year as a junior … Threw for 2,584 yards with 30
touchdowns and just three interceptions as a junior, leading the Shamrocks to
an 11-1 record … Coached by Mark Crabtree at Dublin Coffman, which has produced
seven Division I quarterbacks since 2003 … Crabtree says, “He’s very
intelligent about the game of football. He’s got a very good arm, has a lot of nice
touch and can throw all the various throws. The exciting thing is he’s only
going to get better, too.” … Choose UK over Bowling Green, Buffalo, Cincinnati,
Kent State, Syracuse and Toledo.
Personal: Born in Columbus, Ohio … Son of Frank and Holly Hoak … Major is
undecided.
Coach Stoops on Hoak: “We’ve very excited to have
Gunnar in our program. He has the mental ability and the technique a
quarterback needs. He has a great throwing motion, great feet and he throws the
ball on target. He has been a leader on a very good high school football
program and it’s great to have him in here mid-year to begin learning the
offense.”
Dakota Holtzclaw, Wide Receiver, 6-7, 215, Fr.-HS,
Columbus, Ohio (Worthington Kilbourne) – A three-star prospect by all four
major recruiting services … Totaled 28 catches for 421 yards and a touchdown as
a senior for Worthington Kilbourne … Had five catches for 141 yards and a TD in
a week-four win … All-Central District Division II special mention as a senior,
helping lead his team to an 11-2 overall record … Coached by Vince Trombetti
… Three-star prospect by 247sports.com, which ranks him as the 39th best
tight end in the nation and the 31st best prospect in Ohio … Ranked by Rivals
as a three-star prospect and the 37th best player in the state … A three-star
prospect by ESPN.com, ranking No. 20 among tight ends and 22nd in the state of
Ohio … Tabbed by Scout.com as the 29th best tight end and the fifth-best tight
end in Ohio … Scout.com says, “He has the ability to run by people, or go up
and over defensive backs to get the football at its highest point. He should
eventually be a first-down machine, and of course an excellent red zone
target.” … Chose UK over Indiana, Louisville, Virginia Tech, Cincinnati, Duke
and Ohio.
Personal: Born in Columbus, Ohio … Son of Ray and Sharmin Holtzclaw … Major is
undecided.
Coach Stoops on Holtzclaw: “Dakota has great size and
speed. We saw him run track last spring and he ran sub-11.0 in the 100 meters
several times. He’s a 6-7 receiver who gives us another big target on the
outside. He has great hands and a large catch radius. We think he has the
ability to develop into a really good receiver in our system.”
Drake Jackson, Center, 6-2, 302, Fr.-HS, Versailles, Ky.
(Woodford County) – U.S. Army All-American, named a team captain for the
West squad … Helped the West win the game, 37-9 … Two-time first-team
all-state selection by the Courier-Journal and The Associated Press
… A 2015 Herald-Leader “Class of Commonwealth” honoree … A four-star
prospect by all four major recruiting services who is tabbed by Scout.com as
the nation’s top center recruit … Invited to Nike’s The Opening – the most
prestigious football recruiting camp of the 2015 summer – and the Rivals 100
Five-Star Challenge … The nation’s second-best center, according to
247sports.com, which also ranks him as the second-best prospect in the state
and the 140th best in the nation … Ranked as the second-best center and the
second-best prospect in the state by Rivals.com after recording 163 pancake
blocks as a senior … ESPN.com ranks him the third-best center and No. 2 overall
in the state … Rated by Scout.com as the 83rd best prospect in the nation …
Coached by former UK All-SEC defensive end Dennis Johnson … Johnson says, “Good
footwork, works hard in the weight room, is super-duper smart and asks a lot of
questions about what to do, which is great because not many high school linemen
do that. His mental capacity is way above most high school kids.” … The
four-year letterwinner picked UK over Alabama, Florida, Mississippi State, Ohio
State, Penn State, South Carolina, Tennessee and LSU.
Personal: Born in Lexington, Ky. … Son of Brian and Candy Jackson … Major is
business.
Coach Stoops on Jackson: “Drake is an outstanding lineman
with polished technique for a player coming out of high school. He has the will
to succeed and he thrives in a competition setting. Being elected captain of
the West squad by his peers for the Army All-American Game just proves what
type of person he is. He is a great leader and competitor.”
