Jadarius West (Class of 2012, Charles Drew HS, Georgia) has witnessed his phone ringing off the hook in the past few weeks. Once people realized he would visit Lexington Friday and could possibly commit, writers have turned their attention to the cornerback.
West says the media has mirrored his recruitment; Kentucky has continued to come, and South Carolina has fell off.
“I haven’t talked to a reporter or coach from South Carolina in months,” he began. “But with Kentucky, I have reporters talking to me all the time, and Coach (Tee) Martin stays in touch all the time.”
Many have thought for some time now that West’s recruiting battle would come between UK and South Carolina, but West also adds South Florida into the mix, saying “it wouldn’t be a bad program to fall back on.”
He says that because he has one goal in mind: to play in the SEC.
“The SEC is where I want to go. It’s the best.”
The superior conference is something very high on West’s radar and when he visits Friday, it will be a huge factor in whether or not he decides to commit to Tee Martin and Joker Phillips.
“I want to see a nice SEC campus and how the environment is. I want to see how much the fans love their team,” West said passionately.
But one of the biggest reasons that could lead to the 5-foot-10 corner to committing has rested on Tee Martin’s shoulders for awhile.
“Coach Martin is really cool. One of my high school coaches already knew him, so it really helped me get comfortable with him, and now we’re both pretty level with each other,” West explained.
West also went on to rave about how Martin stays in touch and how the relationship they built stayed intact.
“The way Coach Martin stays in touch is great. If I commit, it’s because of how he stayed in touch with me,” he said. “I used to have South Carolina at the top, but they lost connection with me. Kentucky has just kept coming hard.”
No matter where he decides to play, there are a couple of things he wants in a college. But one thing sticks out the most:
“I want some playing time. I’m not saying I want to come in and play as a freshman, but I wouldn’t mind getting on the field some.”
West thinks Kentucky brings that opportunity for him.
“I think I can come in and commit with the rest of the defensive backs at Kentucky,” said a confident West. “The coaches make you battle, and I like that.”
When asked if he could commit Friday, he responded by saying,”It is very possible.”
This would be a huge pickup for Kentucky, as four-star cornerback Devontre Parnell just committed to Louisville on Wednesday.
Stay tuned for more info West and his visit throughout the weekend.
Follow Garrett Tucker on Twitter [URL=”https://twitter.com/#%21/GTuckersports”]@GTuckersports[/URL] for more info on Kentucky recruiting.
