It is a class that is lacking the star power that recruiting services salivate over, but Rich Brooks addressed some key needs as the University of Kentucky announced its signings Wednesday.

With holes at wide receiver and in the secondary, Brooks and his staff addressed those needs as well as adding plenty of linemen.

"As you know, five years ago one of my greatest statements was that what our team needed was speed. This class has a lot of that in it," Brooks said. "We also have some good linemen that are faster than a lot of our linemen that we've brought in before. They are also in the athletic category. There are a lot of guys who play defensive and offensive line at the high school level. Some of them have five-flat-or-under speed that are big men. That's a step forward for us as well."

UK's biggest catch came early Wednesday when Lexington Henry Clay's Aaron Boyd announced that he had selected the Wildcats over Oregon. Boyd, a 6-foot-5 wide receiver, is rated as the top prospect in Kentucky by Rivals.com and Scout.com and is the brother of former UK quarterback Shane Boyd. As a senior, Boyd caught 55 passes for 1,157 yards and 15 touchdowns.

UK offensive coordinator Joker Phillips recruited Boyd and has a close relationship with the family. In fact, Boyd was one of the first people outside the program to find out Phillips would become the Wildcats' head coach in waiting.

"I'm not saying I felt great about it, but I felt good about it," Brooks said of Boyd's signing. "He has the ability to, again, get in that mix (of players who can contribute immediately). Now, the transition of what he needs to do at this level, he's got to work hard. He has the tools, but he's going to have to work hard."

Kentucky did a nice job keeping talent in state as three of the top four players on Rivals list of top prospects will go to UK. Joining Boyd is Lexington Catholic DB Winston Guy (No. 3) and Frankfort WR/DB E.J. Fields (No. 4). Lineman Dave Ulinski (Louisville Manual), who is rated seventh by Rivals, also signed with the Wildcats.

"I think it speaks volumes of our effort in recruiting and trying to do the right things. It's a significant step that in state, we were able to get quite a few top players that we wanted to get," Brooks said.

Brooks compared Fields, who played quarterback in high school, to Keenan Burton. Fields and Boyd are expected to compete for early playing time at receiver.

"I think he is just one of many very intriguing, athletic guys that are going to come in and shake some things up," Brooks said of Fields. "When I first got here, we talked about wanting a guy who could run the 40- under 4.5 seconds. Well, there's a whole bunch of them in this class who can already run under 4.5. I am certain that there will probably be at least one and maybe two of these freshmen who will factor at the receiving corps next fall."

The Wildcats also added a player from the Cincinnati area in La Salle's Chandler Burden, who is one of eight linemen in the 20-man class.

"He is athletic. He played defense as well as offense. He could play defense here possibly. He is very athletic, and a very physical guy," Brooks said.

Defensive end Donte Rumph (Saint Matthews, S.C.) is projected to be the top lineman of the class because of his quickness and technique. The best defensive product, though, could be cornerback Cartier Rice (Duncan, S.C.), who has shown versatility in a variety of coverages.

UK also signed three quarterbacks, despite not having a need at the position. Randall Cobb, who is one of four players in the class from Tennessee, is thought to have the best chance of staying at the position. Cobb led Alcoa to four straight state titles.

"The numbers crunch (at quarterback) will take care of itself," Brooks said. "Some of them will perform better at practice than others, and then the others will move to whatever position we can get them on the field the fastest, whether that be receiver or defensive back."

After coming off back-to-back eight-win seasons and victories in the Music City Bowl, some thought UK's class would add more four- or five-star recruits. But if anything, this class bears a resemblance to the class of four years ago that had only one four-star recruit and plenty of two- and three-star talent. That group, led by Andre Woodson, ended up doing a pretty good job.

"The bottom line is, I am very, very pleased with this group," Brooks said. "I think it continues to bring us to SEC levels in speed and athletic ability at a variety of positions. We were able to bring in some people who will immediately challenge for playing time as freshmen ..."

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