Mark Stoops was hired at Kentucky in part to upgrade recruiting, and while he has delivered in his first four classes, his 2017 class is shaping up to be his best yet.

Kentucky parlayed a seven-win season and a late-season upset of in-state rival Louisville into a burst of late momentum. Now, with Signing Day hours away, Stoops finds himself looking to hold on to a handful of wavering commits and hoping to snag one or two more top players from other schools.

As things stand now, based on average player rating, this is Kentucky’s best class under Stoops and perhaps best since Fran Curci’s brilliant mid-1970s groups that netted Kentucky its last SEC title.

While Kentucky loses relatively few players, the Wildcats enter Signing Day hoping to make a splash, add depth, and sustain the forward momentum that the 2016 season provided. Multiple areas of concern have been addressed, and there is reason for optimism within Big Blue Nation for this haul of prospects.

SEC class rank: 10
Overall class rank: 28

5-stars: 0
4-stars: 4
3-stars: 20

Did they own the state? The answer is “probably not.” But the whole thing depends on Top 50 nationally ranked tackle Jedrick Wills, the only 4-star prospect in the state. Wills, who is from Lexington, was a frequent visitor to Kentucky, but committed to Alabama. Mark Stoops continues to recruit Wills at the 11th hour, and there are faint hopes that he could be persuaded to stay home.

Wills, the No. 34 player in the country, was the only player from Kentucky ranked inside the Top 600. Kentucky has commitments from the Nos. 4 and 11 players in the state, and is still hoping for Wills.

Top player: Ohio athlete Lynn Bowden is Kentucky’s top ranked recruit, and (pending a late miracle) likely the most anticipated new Wildcat. Bowden, a 4-star athlete from Youngstown, Ohio, is the No. 157-ranked player in the nation, which makes him the No. 4 athlete in the country. At 6-1, 185 pounds, he can catch passes, run the ball, be a Wildcat QB, or play a lock-down cornerback. Receiver/back is the most likely fit, but Bowden will be too good to keep on the sideline, wherever Stoops places him.

Still chasing: See Jedrick Wills info above. CB Russ Yeast, a 4-star prospect (whose father, Craig, was an All-American receiver in the late 1990s at UK) is another possibility, as is 4-star QB Mac Jones, who committed to Kentucky before flipping to Alabama months ago.

Despite that crystal ball projection, Jones seems pretty happy with the Tide.

Best unit: Kentucky certainly looks to have upgraded their wide receiver corps. This isn’t incidental, as Kentucky loses senior Ryan Timmons and transfer Jeff Badet after the 2017 season, and in 2018 will lose Garrett Johnson, Dorian Baker and Blake Bone, among others.

As things stand, three of Kentucky’s top four ranked signees are either receivers (JaVonte Richardson) or athletes who have a fair chance of playing receiver (Bowden, Tyrell Aijan). Two more true receivers and two more athletes round out the class, and while all won’t end up at receiver, many will — and could be explosive playmakers. Kentucky hopes to add Top 250 WR Danny Davis at the end of the class as well.

Biggest area of need filled: Kentucky’s biggest need has been the defensive line. Stoops cobbled together a semi-effective front line from spare parts in 2016, but Kentucky went into this class knowing it needed to improve. Joshua Paschal, a 4-star DE, looks to have spurned Penn State to keep his Kentucky commitment and should play early and often.

Miami is making a late run at defensive end Jordan Wright and Memphis at tackle Quenton Bohanna. JUCO tackle Phil Hoskins is almost guaranteed to be in the rotation in 2017 as well. Kentucky has added several outstanding athletes, and might still be pursuing one or two others.

Better or worse than last year? Last year, Kentucky stumbled down the stretch of their season, and then watched several verbal commitments abandon ship in the month leading up to National Signing Day. While Stoops filled spots late, the Cats ended up 34th in the nation — and 12th in the SEC.

The 2017 class was No. 22 before slipping a bit. There’s still time for drama, but this class represents a clear step up. While UK has lost a few commitments over the course of the season, if they can hold on to the impressive late additions (Bowden, Paschal, cornerback Yusuf Corker, etc.), it’s another sign of progress.