[LeeCoUKFan]

Running back Horton likes what he sees at UK

Justin Rowland
Special to CatsIllustrated.com

Mikel Horton recently said Kentucky was his favorite school. While he's not speaking in terms of favorites anymore it's still safe to say the Wildcats are in good shape.

The younger teammate of Kyle Meadows and a Rivals250 prospect from the Class of 2014, Horton made his way down to UK's junior day on Saturday.

It wasn't his first trip to Kentucky but every opportunity to interact with coaches, players and people on campus is important.

Horton already had plenty of interest in Kentucky before he ever arrived this weekend. His experience in Lexington this time around only helped UK's chances.

"It was a great experience," he said. "I met a lot of new players and coaches. It was just a wild atmosphere. It was a great experience for me and my friends."

Horton was accompanied by a couple of teammates from West Chester (Ohio) Lakota West. They and the other recruits thought the basketball game was a highlight of the visit.

"That was very exciting," Horton said. "That made me think about what could happen as far as football season. I'm looking forward to seeing the atmosphere when football season is here, especially with the new recruiting class they've got coming in. I'm very excited to see it."

Mark Stoops made it a point to spend some time talking to Horton, as did [db]Vince Marrow[/db] and running backs coach [db]Chad Scott[/db].

Stoops had a concise and unambiguous message for the big-time running back.

"Commit," Horton said. "That's what he said he wanted. I'm open to all schools right now because I'm only a junior. I'm going to take a lot more time to make my decision. My mind isn't really on committing early.

"I want to do that but right now I'm just working to get my grades up and keeping a level head. You can get caught up in a lot of things recruiters say to you but I'm just doing what I need to do."

That said, Horton admits Kentucky is very appealing.

"I feel like Kentucky's home to me. Kentucky's a great place for me. I wasn't thinking about committing but it's definitely one of my choices. I no longer have a list. I've got to keep my options open but Kentucky definitely will be a hat on the table," he said.

Horton visits Alabama on Feb. 22 and he will take trips to Florida State and Oregon after that.

http://kentucky.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1470889