It’s a big recruiting win for Kentucky. There’s no doubt about that.
Despite facing stiff competition in the form of Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan and Notre Dame, the Wildcats have secured the commitment for four-star running back Marquise Davis.
Davis, who checks in at 6-foot, 210 pounds, is ranked as the No. 11 running back in the 2025 class, so he’s undoubtedly a gamer.
From Cleveland, Ohio, Davis is now one of Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops’ top-rated 2025 recruits. He’s also the second running back commitment for Kentucky this cycle, joining fellow four-star Isaiah West.
It doesn’t sound as if that competition is all that big of a deal for Davis, though, because he’s more than happy with the way the Wildcats develop running backs.
“What attracts me to Kentucky is the opportunity it comes with and how they prepare their running backs for success,” Davis recently told Kentucky Sports Radio. “The way they use their running backs in all aspects, it’s just like the NFL.”
To Davis’ point, former Kentucky running back Ray Davis was just selected in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills. Other running backs Stoops has sent to the NFL include Benny Snell Jr. in 2019 and Chris Rodriguez Jr. in 2023.
Though Davis is now committed to Kentucky, it’s worth noting that he has official visits scheduled to Michigan, Ohio State and Tennessee in June. He is expected to take an official visit to Kentucky in June as well, but it will be interesting to see if those other official visits hold now that he’s committed to the Wildcats.