Brian Kimbrow, a 5-9 170 RB/WR from Memphis, is planning a visit:

Quote:...Recruitment of Kimbrow heating up

A few miles away from Gross, running back Brian Kimbrow is becoming a hot name for recruiters. The city of Memphis is always a must stop for coaches on their way around the south and Memphis East is becoming the first destination in the city thanks in large part to Kimbrow.

"Duke stopped by, Western Kentucky, Tennessee and some more coaches are supposed to come by next week," Kimbrow said. "Notre Dame has come by. Lots of people."

The 5-foot-9, 170 pound scat-back recently picked up offers from Maryland and Wake Forest to put his total number of offers at close to 30. With so much attention being shown at this point in the recruiting process, Kimbrow is just taking everything as it comes and keeping a level head.

"It's hard to say right now because I'm being patient. I don't want to rush into recruiting and end up going somewhere that doesn't fit me," he said.

So far Kimbrow is taking unofficial visits like most top recruits and is starting out local before heading out to schools outside of the region this summer.

"I've been to Tennessee, Memphis and I have plans to go to Cincinnati and Vanderbilt," he said. "I have plans to go to Notre Dame. I've also been to Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Southern Miss."

Kimbrow has no set timetable for when he makes his commitment but the talented athlete, who also could be a slot receiver in college, is looking to stay focused on his high school team before worrying about where he'll end up in college.

"More than likely it will be after the season so I can focus on that during the season," he said of a commitment date. "Right now though, I'd say Tennessee and Vanderbilt and Cincinnati are standing out though.

"It doesn't matter where I go, I just want a place that fits me." ...

Kimbrow

Kimbrow is probably the fastest player in the entire 2012 class. He tore it up a the U.S. Army All-American Combine for Underclassmen in January. He has elite gamebreaking speed. I'll be surprised though if he doesn't end up at Tennessee.

Yeah, I have a hard time getting too hopeful about landing an elite athlete like Kimbrow who has an offer from the home state team. You can definitel salivate at the thought of him playing in this offense, though. It looks like there are several nice players from the state of Tennessee that we're looking at and it seems any of them would be nice pickups. I'm personally hoping for one of the OL Jelks or Shuler (Shuler looks more likely given the offer sheets).

(05-04-2011 09:41 AM)Racinejake Wrote:  Yeah, I have a hard time getting too hopeful about landing an elite athlete like Kimbrow who has an offer from the home state team. You can definitel salivate at the thought of him playing in this offense, though. It looks like there are several nice players from the state of Tennessee that we're looking at and it seems any of them would be nice pickups. I'm personally hoping for one of the OL Jelks or Shuler (Shuler looks more likely given the offer sheets).

I agree on Shuler probably being the best possibility for UC out of that state, although they are certainly in play big-time with Nathan Cole out of Memphis after what he said at the Badger 7-on-7 last week.

I like Jelks a lot too. He is another kid that really had a good combine back in January at the Army All-American game. I saw he made Rivals 1st Team Underclassmen All-Combine team down there. He is another guy that looks like he's about to start blowing up with some big-time offers.

Might be a nice idea to win in Knoxville this September. Wonder if these kids will be in the house?

(05-04-2011 09:53 AM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  Might be a nice idea to win in Knoxville this September. Wonder if these kids will be in the house?

I would imagine a lot of them will be. Winning down there could be huge for UC, not only recruiting in that state but in their continual recruitment of Georgia and Florida.

This is kinda promising:

Quote:Kimbrow has three on top
By Ryan Pughe
VandyMania.com
Posted Jun 1, 2011

East HS (Memphis, TN) star Brian Kimbrow is arguably the top 2012 prospect in the state. The 5-9, 165 pound RB already has 31 offers from schools such as Auburn, LSU, Notre Dame, Oregon, Tennessee, and Vanderbilt. Kimbrow recently shared with VandyMania.com which three schools currently lead the way.

“Vanderbilt is one school that I like right now,” said Kimbrow. “Vanderbilt, Cincinnati, and Auburn are my top schools and I can’t say who I like the most out of those three. I like those three a lot right now.”

Kimbrow is the most familiar with Vanderbilt as he has visited them four times.

“I know the [Vanderbilt] coaches and I like the campus and the area. I like the players there too,” he said.

Cincinnati is a school that also stands out for Kimbrow but he has yet to visit their campus.

“I like the [Cincinnati] coaches but I need to visit the campus,” said Kimbrow. “I’m supposed to do that sometime next month.”

Rounding out his top three, Kimbrow also likes what the defending national champions have to offer.

“I like the [Auburn] coaches and I got to meet some of the players there,” he said. “I like the things that they do there.”

Despite having three favorites, Kimbrow says one school is currently recruiting him the hardest.

“Vanderbilt is recruiting me the hardest right now,” said Kimbrow. “They send me a lot of mail and the coaches talk to me on facebook and on the phone a lot.”

Growing up Kimbrow grew up a fan of the Miami Hurricanes. Recently, there was some speculation that an offer from Miami would put them at the top of his list. He says that is not the case.

“I grew up liking the University of Miami,” he said. “On some article somebody said that if I got an offer from them that they would maybe move to the top. I didn’t say that.”

While there is some uncertainty about which school he will ultimately pick, Kimbrow is certain in what he is looking for in a school.

“I’m looking for a good coaching staff, academics, a good football program, and a place where I can feel like I am at home,” he said.

With the school year wrapping up, Kimbrow has a number of visits on the horizon. He has not set an exact date for his decision but he does know that it will be sometime soon.

“I don’t know when I will make my decision but it should be soon,” said Kimbrow. “I visit Tennessee on the 5th, and Vanderbilt on the 7th. I am also visiting Miami (FL), Florida State, Clemson, North Carolina, Cincinnati, Michigan State, and some other schools that I can’t think of right now.”

Brian Kimbrow's Top 3

Kimbrow recently attended Auburn's Big Cat weekend and left without committing despite heavy lobbying from Zeke Pike. Also attending was Barry Sanders. If Auburn lands Sanders, it could work in UC's favor. Plus they haven't offered his buddy Redmond. Kimbrow mentions a lot of schools, but UC and Vandy seem to be his two constants - both have offered Redmond btw.

Yeah, we've definitely got a shot with Kimbrow but getting his signature will be tough. With all of the visits he's taking this summer it'll be interesting to see if his favorite changes. I'd definitely love to have him and his teammate Will Redmond but it won't be easy. Vandy seems to be more of a factor this year in recruiting. They've already landed a pair of Georgia defenders we offered in Ladarius Banks and Jacob Sealand.

I think landing a high profile QB like Bennie Coney could really galvanize this recruiting class and draw in some players that might be on the fence with us.