[LeeCoUKFan]

Illinois LB 'psyched' after early contact with UK

Justin Rowland
Special to CatsIllustrated.com

Joliet (Ill.) Plainfield South linebacker Clifton Garrett is one of the nation's top football players and he plans to give Kentucky a serious look in the months ahead.

The 6-foot-3, 220-pound prospect isn't in a hurry to make a decision and he's already got a lot of offers to sort through.

Recently the Wildcats threw their hat into the ring. Garrett is anxious to find out what new-look Kentucky is all about.

"Actually everything just happened the other night," Garrett said. "They started talking to my coaching staff and I talked to coach (D.J.) Eliot.

"Basically he was just telling me how he's coaching there now and how he loves my tape, my film, and he wants me to come down for a visit. He basically told me about himself and the program."

Did the message resonate with the four-star linebacker?

"I was loving every minute of it," Garrett said. "I want to get down there for a visit."

Because Garrett and his family have a busy schedule right now it might be a little while before he's able to visit Lexington. But it's one of the trips he will make a priority, he said.

Some of the nation's top programs, such as Notre Dame, Ohio State and Oklahoma, among others, are recruiting and have offered Garrett. Would he prefer to play for an established power or try and build something new?

"I don't have a preference about that," he said. "I just want a program with a great coaching staff and I want to be a part of a great recruiting class.

"Coach (Eliot) was telling me about the defensive linemen they're recruiting and that's really important to me because they're the guys that will keep the offensive linemen off me. He was talking about the guys in 2013 they've got and one of the guys committed in 2014. I'm psyched about Kentucky."

Garrett was scheduled to visit Ohio State on Friday but he does not have any college visits planned for the foreseeable future.

http://kentucky.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1473616