[LeeCoUKFan]

QB Sindelar could be big 2015 UK target

Justin Rowland
Special to CatsIllustrated.com

If you haven't heard the name Elijah Sindelar it's probably about time you did. He could be Kentucky's next big quarterback target.

It seems like Drew Barker put the Kentucky hat on just yesterday, but the Wildcats are already looking down the road for their next quarterback. Neal Brown and the coaching staff will generally look to add one quarterback in each recruiting class, and the Class of 2015 offers them a couple of excellent options.

One is Sindelar, who is widely being hailed, along with Barker, as one of the state's top quarterbacks in recent memory.

[Image: http://kentucky.rivals.com/uploads/888/1412834.jpg]

At 6-foot-4 and 200-pounds, the Princeton (Ky.) Caldwell County quarterback has the makings of a big-time player and a potentially highly-ranked recruit.

He attended camp with the Wildcats last Tuesday and there the UK staff gave him his first scholarship offer. That was a big moment and one likely to help Kentucky's chances with the in-state recruit.

Things like that are important because, unlike Barker, Sindelar didn't grow up a die hard Kentucky basketball fan. He's an Ohio native.

"I was born in Columbus and I've always been an Ohio State fan," Sindelar said.

And the Buckeyes are showing interest. Ohio State has several potential quarterback options from Sindelar's class, but he's on their radar.

If they were to offer that doesn't necessarily mean they would surge past the rest of the field.

"I really don't know," Sindelar said. "I'm interested in them but I don't really have a dream college. Being close to home is going to be really important for me. Location is important. I don't really like being too far from home. I'll also look to be in the Shotgun. That will be important too."

Sindelar is a pro-style quarterback with an excellent arm and good accuracy. In fact, he will likely be one of the nation's top passers from his class. But he has also been clocked at 4.7 seconds in the 40-yard dash and is a very impressive athlete as well.

He's a baseball prospect receiving interest from Memphis to play that sport and he's not even 100-percent sure which sport he will play in college.

"I could play just baseball, yes," he acknowledged. "I really enjoy baseball also. As for playing both (sports), I don't know if I would put myself through that. That's a whole lot of work, the possibility of playing both. That would probably only happen if I pitch."

But there's also the possibility that Sindelar plays football exclusively, and if he moves in that direction he will likely be one of the nation's top recruits behind center.

He completed 262 of 350 passes for 2,963 yards as only a sophomore and he showed the ability to make all the throws. He rushed for more than 500 yards as well.

Kentucky may not have been his childhood favorite but the Wildcats have impressed him so far.

"They offered me after the camp session and workout on Tuesday," Sindelar told Cats Illustrated. "That was the second time I had visited. I went to the spring game before. That (the spring game) was really cool. The speed of the game is a lot faster than it is in high school. I enjoyed watching it. It was good to see Jalen (Whitlow) throw and run like that. That's what I want to be able to do."

Brown has visited Caldwell County twice already. That's a sign of how highly the Cats think of Sindelar at this early date.

"He's really nice," Sindelar said of UK's offensive coordinator. "I talked to coach (Mark) Stoops when I visited as well.

"They've got my favorite offense. It's a spread, it's fast and no huddle."

Louisville invited Sindelar to their spring game last year and Ohio State, Florida State and UCLA are among the other schools showing interest at this early date. Sindelar plans to call the coaches at Florida State and UCLA in the near future but he's currently preoccupied with baseball.

http://kentucky.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1516605