Kentucky
Recruiting Roundup: Kentucky Offers Penn State Commit
Today is a good day to check in on the latest Kentucky football recruiting efforts. While out on the trail the Wildcats are extending plenty of scholarship offers to talented underclassmen and one in particular is eye-opening. Let’s dive in.
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Impressive Pennsylvania Prospects
Daikiel Shorts offered three top 100 players during one trip to Harrisburg High School. Messiah Mickens is a top ten running back in the country and the No. 58 overall player in the 2026 recruiting class according to the On3 Industry Ranking. He committed to Penn State early in the process, giving James Franklin a verbal prior to his sophomore season.
Shorts also offered Micken’s talented teammate, Elias Coke. A four-star wide receiver, he’s the No. 262 player in the 2026 recruiting class. Kevin Brown is the highest-ranked player of the trio. The 6-foot-5 interior offensive lineman is the No. 35 overall player in the rising junior class.
Leo Delaney
A top ten player at his position in the 2026 recruiting class, the offensive tackle is the No. 80 overall player in the country. He’s one of a few prospects offered by Kentucky during Brad White and Mike Stoops’ travels to Charlotte, along with LB Elijah Littlejohn.
Tyler Merrill
A 6-foot-5, 330-pound interior offensive lineman from Mechanicsburg, PA, Merrill is ranked as the No. 86 overall player in the 2026 recruiting class. Penn State, Ohio State, Notre Dame, and Michigan have already extended offers to the exceptional offensive lineman.
Luke Waffle
Hailing from Middletown, NJ, Waffle is a four-star defensive lineman in the 2026 recruiting class, ranked as the No. 158 overall prospect. Penn State, Michigan, Oklahoma, and Texas are among his other early interests.
Ben Nichols
A four-star talent from Michigan, On3 ranks Nichols as the 11th-best interior offensive lineman and the No. 172 overall player in the 2026 recruiting class. Michigan State and Notre Dame are the top schools targeting Nichols.
Lasiah Jackson
A 6-foot-3 safety from Georgia, Jackson is a Top 200 player in the 2026 recruiting class. He does not yet hold an offer from Kirby Smart’s program, but Ole Miss is another SEC school already making a move.
Twin Brothers
The Kentucky coaching staff was in Miami to offer two players from Norland High School, the Desir brothers. Mandrell Desir and Darryll Desir are twins who play on the EDGE in the class of 2025. The three-star rising seniors already have offers from Florida State, Miami, and Oregon, among others.
Multiple Players from Cass Tech
Detroit powerhouse Cass Tech has been kind to the Kentucky football program, sending Deone Walker and DeAndre Square to Lexington. Eric Wolford is trying to keep that Michigan pipeline alive. This week he offered 2026 tight end Victor Polk and 2026 LB Brian Stovall.
More Scholarship Offers
Brayton Feister — It’s the first SEC offer for the 2027 LB from Akron (OH) Archbishop Hoban.
Travis Robertson — Kentucky is the second offer for 2026 offensive tackle from West Bloomfield (MI), the alma mater of UK cornerback Max Hairston.
Joel Ervin — The Fort Myers 2026 offensive tackle has offers from Miami, UCF, and South Carolina.
Donald Tabron — The Detroit quarterback is entering his first season at MLK High. UK is his second Power Four offer.
Kayden Edwards — Another young quarterback, Edwards is a 2027 prospect at talent-rich Ironton (OH) High. Vince Marrow offered two other Ironton players, 2026 OL Caleb Jacobs and 2028 TE Luca Silva.
Darius Dennis — Kentucky is the second Power Four offer for the 2027 Dayton defensive back.
Kai Pritchard — The three-star New Jersey IOL is a top 300 prospect according to 247 Sports and ESPN.
Maddox Cochrane — On3 ranks the Virginia offensive tackle as the No. 209 player in the 2026 recruiting class.
Jamarcus “Fatt” Whyce — The 2026 Dayton EDGE is a four-star talent in two recruiting services. Kentucky is his first SEC offer. His teammate, 2027 DL Jeremiah Nash, also received a UK offer.
Benjamin Corhei — The Naples (FL) 2026 offensive tackle is being recruited by most of the schools in the Sunshine State.
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Kentucky
Officials identify missing woman as search enters third day
GRAYSON, Ky. (WSAZ) – New information has been released in the search for a missing woman at Grayson Lake.
According to game wardens with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, Marly Kinney, 19, of Ashland, was last seen at Grayson Lake on Wednesday afternoon.
They say search efforts are focused on the water at this time and include Kentucky State Police aerial support, drones, boats, and K9 assistance.
Crews suspend search for missing teen for the night
The search is now into its third day, with officials saying on and off rain has hindered their search and that a group of 50 volunteers are walking the banks of the lake to help in the search.
Search and rescue boats have been seen at the lake as well.
Officials say there are still many questions, including if Kinney is still alive and where exactly she went missing.
They also say they’ve been using a variety of equipment, including sonar and thermal detectors, as well as helicopters and underwater drones.
WSAZ received a statement from Kinney’s family Friday afternoon:
“We are very appreciative of the absolute surplus of support from law enforcement, search and rescue, 1st responders, and all of the community and its volunteers that are here with us and for us searching for Marly. We do not even know how to express our absolute gratitude to you all. We continue to have faith she will be found and brought back to us. We know we have the very best people doing all they can to bring her home.”
Anyone with information is asked to call 911.
We are still working to get more information.
Previous coverage can be found here.
Copyright 2026 WSAZ. All rights reserved.
Kentucky
Kentucky Lottery Cash Ball, Pick 3 Evening winning numbers for June 25, 2026
13 things more likely to happen than winning the Powerball jackpot
Hoping to win the Powerball jackpot? Here are 13 things more likely to happen than becoming an instant millionaire.
The Kentucky Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at Thursday, June 25, 2026 winning numbers for each game.
Cash Ball
02-08-24-32, Cash Ball: 09
Check Cash Ball payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick 3
Evening: 6-3-0
Midday: 9-6-0
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick 4
Evening: 5-7-6-0
Midday: 5-2-6-6
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Millionaire for Life
03-13-14-34-45, Bonus: 01
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Courier Journal digital producer. You can send feedback using this form.
Kentucky
Takeaways from Kentucky’s home and away SEC schedule for next season
On Thursday, Kentucky’s home and away SEC opponents for the 2026-27 season were revealed and on top of learning the three opponents who they will play twice, there are some very intriguing matchups. In conference play, Kentucky will face six teams who are among the top 25 in many preseason rankings.
In SEC play, Kentucky will play Tennessee, Vandy and Ole Miss all both home and away. The home matchups include Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, LSU, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Vandy. As for the road tilts, the Wildcats will face Florida, Georgia, Mississippi State, Missouri, Ole Miss, Oklahoma, Texas, Tennessee and Vandy. Let’s take a look at some interesting developments from the schedule release.
John Calipari returns to Rupp Arena (again)
In Calipari’s first year with Arkansas, he got the best of Kentucky when he came into Rupp Arena and left with a 10-point victory, a game where you could really feel the tension all game long in the building from Kentucky fans, which translated onto the court with the players. Last season, it was Kentucky who shocked everyone when they stole one on the road against a top 20 Arkansas team after a rough up-and-down season up to that point. Now, the two will face off again as Kentucky will look to get the win in Rupp and make sure Calipari doesn’t get two in a row in the building. It’ll be another highly-anticipated showdown.
Kentucky hits the road at Texas
This is shaping up to be a major challenge for Kentucky next season and may even end up being one of the biggest games of the season. Texas is seen by many as a clear top 10 team, with some even having them within the top five and when you combine that with the fact that the game is on the road, the Wildcats will have their hands full. The Wildcats fell to the longhorns in the 2024-25 season, and it’ll be a much stiffer challenge this time.
Which game could be a trap?
We don’t have the game-by-game dates yet, so it’s hard to say with a lot of confidence, but opponent-wise, Georgia could really give Kentucky fits. In Pope’s first year, his team struggled handling the physicality of the Bulldogs and now, they’ve retained one of their best guards for another year and have added physicality through the portal. Mike White’s teams love to make opponents uncomfortable and they could do that once again down in Athens. Another sneaky team to watch is Oklahoma, who will have very good guard play. Kentucky will face both teams on the road.
Overall, it’s a pretty fair SEC schedule for a Kentucky team who has the capability of a return to being atop the conference once again. Mark Pope has such a system-fit squad and he can do some damage in the SEC.
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