Under Mark Stoops, Kentucky has a “recruit and develop” motto that the Wildcats try to live out daily. That has shown up in the win/loss column.
Despite not always producing top-25 recruiting classes, the Wildcats have gone 33-17 since the beginning of the 2018 season with a pair of top 25 finishes. Those wins are not happening by default as the NFL is starting to recognize the talent that is coming through the Kentucky football program.
Since that 2018 season ended, Kentucky has produced 17 draft picks with Wan’Dale Robinson, Josh Paschal, Luke Fortner, and Darian Kinnard each hearing their names called at the 2022 NFL Draft.