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By: LONNY DEMAREE
Along the way in building a football program a lot of good things and good fortune (luck) has to happen. One of those good fortune things that have to happen is in recruiting success. Strange things occur when putting a recruiting class together.
Two of the most talked about in this fall practice involved defensive back Derrick Baity and defensive lineman Courtney Miggins. Baity started the last half of the season and the positive talk about Miggins began back in the spring. Both the aforementioned were products of good fortune in the recruiting game. Both were recruiting battles won over Mississipi State.
The yearly fan exercise invariably entails the perusing of the schedule for that year. And fans still not quite recognizing that Mississippi State in the Head Coach Dan Mullen era have escalated to another level. This level has turn the tide on the Wildcats most notably the Bulldogs have a seven game winning streak on the Cats. Prior to Mullen this was a game the Cats expect most often to put in the win column.
In the 2015 while sitting in the media room at Rupp Arena a recruiting war was being waged down in Tampa, Florida over Derrick Baity between Kentucky and M-State. A much anticipated press conference was about to take place at a local Florida TV station on the evening sports where Baity was about to announce his choice. He said Kentucky and another recruiting enthusiast and myself let out a show of emotion. A cynic present inquired as to what the emotion was all about while we were watching the press conference on our phones. After being made aware he commented, “Oh, what's the big deal, he's not a 6-foot-7 lineman that UK plays against in the SEC. Recruiting coordinator Vince marrow won that battle and contrary to that cynic Baity has turned out to be a big deal.
On signing day 2015 Marrow was doing a radio interview at the Nutter Football Practice Facility reviewing the signing class when while on the air a staffer handed him a note informing him Miggins had committed to Kentucky.
Marrow was asked his reaction being informed of Miggins and Baity's decision. “I was mainly shocked in the case of Miggins because I was 98-percent certain he was headed to Mississippi State,” Marrow said. “When they slipped me that I was, “holy ----. I knew we had a good one and people are going to see that this year.” As for as Baity the coach said - “I didn't know he was even looking at us and I said that's what you need is a 6-foot-3 corner to play in this league. It's going to pay off down the line and people are going to see that this year so those were two big gets.”
Now is when the rubber the road on the football field because beating them in the recruiting game without wins are fruitless. State is at UK on October 2nd.
“Last year I'm glad I got last year under my belt, because it help me to realize what the SEC had to offer,” Miggins said. “I now know what I have to bring to the table.”
Baity has shown himself in practice to be cerebral about the game in that he studies the game and works very hard in developing his techniques. He was asked how could he tell the receivers that don't want to get hit? He said - “The dancers.” “I've got to beat them to the spot and not let them go. Pretty boys, they don't want to get touched.” Baity said he likes to talk trash but he has to back it up and he can't do that if he doesn't like contact. Ask to give an example of his trash talking. He pondered and said he says to the receiver “You're on an island man, you're on a island. Your quarterback doesn't like you any more.”
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