[LeeCoUKFan]

Edwards gives Cats 13th verbal commitment

Justin Rowland
Special to CatsIllustrated.com

It appeared it was going to happen a long time ago but from Kentucky's perspective it's better late than never. Mike Edwards is a Wildcat.

The three-star safety from Ohio, ranked the No. 19 prospect in the Buckeye State, committed to Kentucky while visiting the school on Monday.

While Edwards was on campus he was able to spend time with several fellow Kentucky commits from his home state as well as Drew Barker. Top UK target Matt Elam was also with the group.

Edwards has long been a heavy Kentucky lean and it appeared he was set to announce for Kentucky much earlier. However, a series of events led him to rather publicly postpone his announcement.

At one point it appeared Edwards was preparing to take visits to other schools, but the efforts of assistant coach [db]Vince Marrow[/db] and the staff convinced him to stick with his gut, commit and go public.

Shortly after Cats Illustrated broke the news of Edwards' announcement he confirmed it with a series of public messages on Twitter.

Edwards is Kentucky's third defensive back, joining Jared Tucker and junior college cornerback Shyquawn Pullium, and may fill one of at least two spots being held for safety prospects.

His commitment gives Kentucky its seventh commitment from Ohio, with each having Marrow as their primary recruiter. The Wildcats now have thirteen total commitments and their class ranks No. 7 nationally, one spot behind Clemson and one spot ahead of defending national champion Alabama.

http://kentucky.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1514268