[LeeCoUKFan]

West keeps UK momentum alive with commitment

Justin Rowland
Special to CatsIllustrated.com

Mike Edwards had his fifteen minutes of fame but it wasn't much more than that. Fellow Ohioan and four-star safety Darius West committed shortly after Edwards.

Long believed to be a Kentucky lean, just as Edwards was, West committed to the Wildcats on Monday evening.

The four-star prospect from Lima (Ohio) Central Catholic had been planning to visit Kentucky this week and he made a quick trip over to Lexington on Monday with so many top prospects in town and with news of Edwards' commitment out.

West was not immediately available for comment, as he was with many of his fellow Kentucky commitments, but multiple sources confirmed that he had committed while talking to Mark Stoops and Vince Marrow.

The 5-foot-11, 196-pound prospect is ranked the No. 5 overall rising senior in Ohio, which makes him the Cats' highest-ranked commitment from the Buckeye State. Kentucky now has seven commitments ranked among the top 35 prospects in Ohio, which is more than any other school.

West is also ranked the No. 15 safety and the No. 185 overall prospect on the Rivals250. He is the fourth Rivals250 prospect to commit to UK, joining Drew Barker, Mikel Horton and Thaddeus Snodgrass.

He earned accolades and a better ranking on the heels of a strong performance at the Rivals Camp Series' stop in Cincinnati, where his cover skills stood out against some solid receivers. West's cover skills and athleticism have convinced some that he could play safety or cornerback, but it is widely believed he is destined to play safety in college.

Notre Dame had offered West more than a week ago but the Irish never seemed to gain much traction. West had been scheduled to commit to Kentucky late last month but he postponed his decision until today.

http://kentucky.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1514432