Mark Pope and his staff are starting to fill up their big board for the class of 2025 as the season quickly approaches.

With Malachi Moreno and Jasper Johnson already on board, the Cats are heading into the fall signing period with a class that On3 has ranked No. 1 overall, and it should add more firepower in the coming months.

Now, another player the Cats staff is high on has announced a new list.

According to Joe Tipton of On3, 5-star forward Tounde Yessoufou has cut his list to six, and Kentucky made the cut. Arizona State, Baylor, Kansas, UConn, and USC also made the list.

Tennessee, once viewed as a serious threat, did not make the cut, so that’s good news for the Cats.

Yessoufou will officially visit Lexington on October 11-12th for Big Blue Madness. He is coming off visits to USC and Baylor. He will see Arizona State this week while also visiting UConn (September 21-22) and Kansas (October 4-5).

When talking about Kentucky with Tipton, here is what Yessoufou had to say about Coach Pope and the program:

“My relationship has been really good with Kentucky. Mark Pope, every time he comes to my practice, he is a funny guy,” he said. “He tells me to keep going and to play hard. His energy is unique, he is the type of coach that can push you hard to develop yourself both on and off the court. His message to me is that he wants me to play for him because I am a great person and how hard I play. He says he enjoys watching me play every time. He always gives me advice to stay mentally strong out there, even if things don’t go my way, to stick to the plan and move on to the next play. It really matters to me that a coach can tell me what I need to hear, the truth.”

Things seem to be trending in the right direction for the Cats in this one, but Baylor has been picking up steam since his recent visit to Waco.

This would be another huge recruiting win for this staff. Let’s see if they can pull it off in the coming months.

A Sea of Blue comes loaded with the best Kentucky Wildcats links, news, analysis, and some other fun stuff, so go like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter. Go CATS!

The 2024 college football season is officially underway for the Kentucky Wildcats, who came away with a 31-0 victory over Southern Miss in Week 1. Up next is the SEC opener vs. South Carolina on Saturday.

Ahead of the game, Vinny Hardy and Aaron Gershon dropped a new episode of Bleav in Kentucky.

On the show, the guys discussed:

• Getting win No. 1 amid multiple lightning delays.
• How Brock Vandagriff looked in his Kentucky debut.
• The versatility of JQ Hardaway and Alex Afari on defense.
• Kentucky beat writer Kyle Tucker calls it a career.
• Previewing Game 2 vs. the Gamecocks.
• And more!

Be sure to listen to the full episode below, then subscribe to the Bleav Podcast Network, Stitcher, iTunes, Audible, and Spotify!

Want more A Sea Of Blue coverage? Then follow our Twitter page and like us on Facebook to get all the latest Kentucky Wildcats news and views. And Go CATS!

Defending state champion Trinity is No. 1 in Class 6A in the first Kentucky High School Football Media Poll of the season.

The Shamrocks are 2-0 after a pair of road victories in Lexington over Bryan Station and Frederick Douglass. Trinity will host Indiana’s Center Grove at 7 p.m. Friday.

Watch KHSAA football games on NFHS Network all season long

Following Trinity in the Class 6A poll are Male (2-0), St. Xavier (2-0), Frederick Douglass (1-1) and Manual (2-0).

Male will host St. Xavier at 7 p.m. Friday, and Manual will host Frederick Douglass at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

The No. 1 teams in the other classes are Bowling Green (Class 5A), Boyle County (4A), Christian Academy (3A), Owensboro Catholic (2A) and Campbellsville (A).

The Kentucky High School Football Media Poll is conducted by 16 sports journalists throughout the state, with one representative for each of the 16 football regions in order to provide geographical balance. Starting next week, the poll will be released each Wednesday morning throughout the regular season.

Here are the complete polls. First-place votes are in parentheses.

Rank-school (FPV)            Record  Pts

1. Trinity (16)                        2-0     160

2. Male                                 2-0     136

3. St. Xavier                           2-0     127

4. Frederick Douglass           1-1      117

5. Manual                             2-0       90

6. Ryle                                   2-0       72

7. Bryan Station                     0-2       47

8. Bullitt East                         2-0       34

9. Great Crossing                  2-0       24

10. Simon Kenton                 2-0       23

Others receiving votes: Madison Central 21, Ballard 10, George Rogers Clark 10, Central Hardin 3, Oldham County 3, Tates Creek 3.

Rank-school (FPV)                     Record  Pts

1. Bowling Green (6)                     1-1     144

2. Cooper (8)                                 2-0     143

3. Highlands (1)                            2-0     130

4. South Warren (1)                      2-0      123

5. Woodford County                    2-0        70

6. Madisonville-North Hopkins   2-0       58

7. Pulaski County                          1-1       40

8. Owensboro                                0-2       38

9. Atherton                                     2-0       31

10. North Laurel                             2-0       27

Others receiving votes: Graves County 23, Scott County 20, Southwestern 10, South Oldham 9, Dixie Heights 6, North Bullitt 5, Greenwood 2, South Laurel 1.

Rank-school (FPV)            Record  Pts 

1. Boyle County (16)            2-0      160

2. Paducah Tilghman           2-0      141

3. Corbin                              2-0     123

4. Franklin County                2-0     111

5. Ashland Blazer                 2-0      91

6. Covington Catholic           0-2      62

7. Johnson Central                1-1      52

8. North Oldham                   2-0      46

9. Warren East                       2-0      36

10. Bardstown                       1-1       34

Others receiving votes: Spencer County 6, DeSales 5, Henry County 3, Logan County 3, Allen County-Scottsville 2, Mason County 2, Wayne County 2, Taylor County 1.

Rank-school (FPV)                 Record  Pts 

1. Christian Academy (16)         2-0     160

2. Hart County                           2-0     120

3. Central                                   0-2       97

4. Belfry                                     1-1        95

5. Lexington Catholic                0-2        82

6. Bell County                            1-1       69

7. Franklin-Simpson                   2-0      67

8. Glasgow                                 2-0       46

9. Union County                         1-1       39

10. Rockcastle County                2-0       34

Others receiving votes: East Carter 26, Lawrence County 22, Mercer County 13, Hancock County 5, Adair County 2, Lloyd Memorial 2, Hopkins County Central 1.

Rank-school (FPV)                  Record  Pts        

1. Owensboro Catholic (12)      2-0      153

2. Beechwood (4)                      2-0      144

3. Mayfield                                1-1       120

4. Lexington Christian               0-2       103

5. Somerset                               2-0        97

6. Murray                                   1-1        62

7. Crittenden County                 1-1        46

8. Green County                        1-1        34

9. Washington County               2-0        20

10. Breathitt County                   0-2       19

Others receiving votes: Betsy Layne 18, Prestonsburg 17, Caldwell County 14, Knott County Central 13, Martin County 8, Shelby Valley 7, Bracken County 3, Monroe County 2.

Rank-school (FPV)                  Record  Pts        

1. Campbellsville (5)                  2-0      139

2. Pikeville (9)                            0-2       135

3. Sayre (1)                                2-0       114

4. Raceland (1)                          1-1       113

5. Newport Central Catholic      2-0       96

6. Paris                                       2-0        78

7. Kentucky Country Day           1-1        49

8. Bethlehem                             2-0        46

9. Hazard                                   2-0       34

10. Newport                              2-0        23

Others receiving votes: Williamsburg 20, Ludlow 17, Bishop Brossart 10, Louisville Holy Cross 6.

Voters: Chelsea Parker (The Paducah Sun), Edward Marlowe (WKDZ-FM), Mark Mathis (Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer), Micheal Compton (Bowling Green Daily News), Josh Claywell (The Kentucky Standard, LaRue County Herald News), Kendrick Haskins (WAVE-TV), Jason Frakes (The Courier Journal), James Weber (Cincinnati Enquirer), Brendan Connelly (Cincinnati Enquirer), Evan Dennison (LinkNKy.com), Jared Peck (Lexington Herald-Leader), Mike Marsee (Danville freelancer), Les Dixon (13thRegionMediaNetwork.com), Brendon Miller (Bluegrass Sports Nation), Randy White (Appalachian News-Express), James Collier (WLGC-FM).

More high school football: Jason Frakes’ top 10 teams in state after Week 2

We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; jfrakes@courier-journal.com; Follow on X @kyhighs.