[LeeCoUKFan]

Cats surging with four-star defensive tackle

Justin Rowland
Special to CatsIllustrated.com

Mark Stoops and his defensive coordinator D.J. Eliot want, perhaps more than anything, to build a deep, athletic and powerful defensive line that can hold up in the trenches in the Southeastern Conference.

To that end Kentucky has addressed the front four very well, both with a talent crop of incoming freshman and an impressive trio of commitments from the Class of 2014.

But they're not done yet. Of course the Wildcats are waiting on Matt Elam, but they're also surging with four-star defensive tackle Cory Johnson.

Johnson, a 6-foot-3, 295-pound tackle from ASA College in New York, also has offers from Arizona State, Miami, NC State, Rutgers, Syracuse, Temple and Tennessee.

Recently he said Miami was his favorite with Kentucky in second place on his list behind the Hurricanes. His interest in UK is largely because of the fact that UK has made him a big priority and made him feel wanted.

"Oh yeah, I talk (to Kentucky) all the time," Johnson told Cats Illustrated this weekend.

Jimmy Brumbaugh is the coach he stays in touch with. It was Brumbaugh who was responsible for reeling in four-star defensive lineman Za'Darius Smith from last year's class. Can he do it again?

"I like him a lot," Johnson said. "We talk all the time so I already feel as if I can trust his word. He just seems like a good coach who cares about his players.

"(He's talked about) how they have the number one signing class so far and about the guys he has leaving. And his defensive line scheme, and a lot about the school and all the help I could get."

Is Miami still ahead of the Wildcats?

"They are neck and neck," he said. "I'm waiting 'til I visit them both before I choose."

Johnson said he will take official visits to Kentucky and Miami in the fall.

http://kentucky.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1518806