Last night was a very memorable night for Kentucky fans as we celebrated the careers of great seniors, Darius Miller and Eloy Vargas. It wasn’t the only thing that happened, though. Joker Phillips took a huge step on the recruiting trail.
During an unofficial visit, Clay County defensive-tackle [B]Jacob Hyde [/B]made his verbal pledge to the Cats. He becomes the first commitment for UK for the 2013 class.
“It feels pretty good finally be a part of the Wildcat family,” said an ecstatic Hyde via phone. “I have always been a fan of Kentucky.”
After word circulated that the 6-foot-2, 300-pound tackle had indeed committed to Kentucky, many fans took notice during the basketball game against Georgia.
“The fans at the game congratulated me for my commitment. It was a really great day overall, but really, how could you not love to play in front of these great Kentucky fans?”
Hyde has always considered Kentucky his leader, as he was raised within a Kentucky-fan household. However, other things stuck out about the program.
“The bonds the Kentucky staff have made with me is different from other schools. Location was a nice thing, too.
Hyde broke the news to David Turner initially, then he went on to inform Phillips of his intentions.
“The coaches look at my commitment as a marriage or engagement,” he explained. “I won’t visit any other schools. I am 100-percent Kentucky. It’s all-in or nothing.”
“With me being the first commitment, I feel like I am the leader of my class. I will start recruiting.”
With time, we will Hyde grow into the spirit of his late father, who died when Jacob was four years old. As a die-hard fan, his father will be proud to know Jacob will be the star of the defensive line in the coming years.
Be sure to follow the Cats first commitment on Twitter [URL=”https://twitter.com/#%21/jhyde61″]@jhyde61[/URL]
Follow Garrett Tucker on Twitter [URL=”https://twitter.com/#%21/GTuckersports”]@GTuckersports[/URL] for more info on Kentucky recruiting.
