Wills' spot in Baltimore is a high honor
Justin Rowland
CatsIllustrated.com Football Recruiting Analyst
BALTIMORE -- Very few players are invited to the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge. Only a precious few underclassmen are privileged to attend.
That Lexington (Ky.) Lafayette is home to two players out of the just more than 100 who atteneded in Baltimore over the weekend is a stunning accomplishment for the program. That Jedrick Wills came from seemingly out of nowhere to secure a spot in the event, just like his older teammate Landon Young, is equally impressive.
The only difference is Wills is one year ahead of where Young was at this time last year, at least in terms of exposure. You can credit the Rivals camp in St. Louis for Wills' appearance in Baltimore, as he was the offensive line MVP there.
Wills isn't lacking for confidence. Why would he? The rising junior has offers from Alabama, Florida, Florida State and seven others, including Kentucky -- the school many believe could be the one to beat, although Wills won't speak in terms of favorites.
Cats Illustrated spoke with Wills very early on media day, the Friday before the weekend's competition, and he seemed unhappy with how the heights and weights had been calculated. It would seem something as objective as measuring heights and weights would be, well, objective and not up for debate. But Wills took issue.
"I measured 6-foot-4 ½ and 316 (pounds)," he said. "That's pretty good. I'm not too sure about the height. At one camp I went to I was 6-6. At another I was 6-5. Here I was 6-4 ½. So I don't really know."
Stand next to Wills and it's clear size is not a problem, at all. He's massive and he's still very young. He looks the part of college offensive tackle already, with two seasons of high school football still staring him in the face.
Going into the event his goals for the weekend were clear.
"Just want to show them I'm capable of being just as good as anybody. I'm also trying to rep Lafayette. I'm trying to rep Lexington," Wills said. "And hopefully, get a few more schools to give me an opportunity to go to college."
If Wills' family has its way, Wills won't be leaving the state.
"My dad and grandparents … my aunts and uncles, they definitely want me to go to Kentucky," Wills told Cats Illustrated. "They're not forcing me too much, though. They want me to be happy."
They'd love it if he finds happiness close to home. They're Kentucky fans, for the most part, and Wills said that's part of their preference for UK even in terms of his future. But they also want him to be nearby. He'll listen to what their input is. He's also listening to what Young, his older teammate is saying. And he's starting to listen more to Drake Jackson.
Are those two future Wildcats pushing him hard to join the UK commitment list, only for the '17 class, or are they giving him his space?
"I guess it's kind of in between," Wills said. "It's more of a normal kind of thing. I talk to them on unofficial visits. We talk on Twitter or group messages. It's not too forced or like, 'You have to go here.' And it's not that it doesn't matter, either. They want me to join them to create something new."
Wills and Young are close. They have known each other since their first year of junior high school. By the time he signs a letter of intent, they will have known one another for seven years. He just met Jackson more recently, but anyone that knows anything about Jackson knows that he makes friends quickly.
Wills was at UK last Tuesday along with Young and Jackson to check on the facility progress and to talk with the coaches.
"I just saw what they've talked about as what will be new there," he said. "I saw the C.A.T.S. academic aspect of it. I think it's definitely going to be better than it used to be. It's going to be a lot nicer and it's going to top what a lot of other schools have."
UK offensive line coach John Schlarman was the largely unsung hero in Jackson's choice of the Wildcats. He was instrumental in helping to get the in-state center on board after he picked up offers from Alabama, Ohio State and others.
Wills understands what Jackson saw in Schlarman, the man that could be his future position coach.
"I've got a great relationship with him," Wills said. "Being right in our backyard I see him a lot. He's definitely a coach I like a lot."
Kentucky's coaches haven't specified what position he will play. When coaches from various schools ask him where he'd like to play on the line, Wills gives a generic, "Just offensive line."
Many believe he's got the makings of a dominant tackle. Time will tell. He could easily be a dominant guard. But tackles are more prized and more glamorous, if offensive linemen can be glamorous. If they can be, then Wills is.
Alabama was the most recent school to offer Wills. That was about a month ago. The Crimson Tide waited much longer to make a move on Young and even Jackson. They even waited longer to make Damien Harris a priority. That tells you what Nick Saban's staff thinks about Wills.
But for now Wills doesn't have any schools in mind that he wants to visit.
"I haven't thought too much about it," he said. "I guess I'll see soon."
Justin Rowland
CatsIllustrated.com Football Recruiting Analyst
BALTIMORE -- Very few players are invited to the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge. Only a precious few underclassmen are privileged to attend.
That Lexington (Ky.) Lafayette is home to two players out of the just more than 100 who atteneded in Baltimore over the weekend is a stunning accomplishment for the program. That Jedrick Wills came from seemingly out of nowhere to secure a spot in the event, just like his older teammate Landon Young, is equally impressive.
The only difference is Wills is one year ahead of where Young was at this time last year, at least in terms of exposure. You can credit the Rivals camp in St. Louis for Wills' appearance in Baltimore, as he was the offensive line MVP there.
Wills isn't lacking for confidence. Why would he? The rising junior has offers from Alabama, Florida, Florida State and seven others, including Kentucky -- the school many believe could be the one to beat, although Wills won't speak in terms of favorites.
Cats Illustrated spoke with Wills very early on media day, the Friday before the weekend's competition, and he seemed unhappy with how the heights and weights had been calculated. It would seem something as objective as measuring heights and weights would be, well, objective and not up for debate. But Wills took issue.
"I measured 6-foot-4 ½ and 316 (pounds)," he said. "That's pretty good. I'm not too sure about the height. At one camp I went to I was 6-6. At another I was 6-5. Here I was 6-4 ½. So I don't really know."
Stand next to Wills and it's clear size is not a problem, at all. He's massive and he's still very young. He looks the part of college offensive tackle already, with two seasons of high school football still staring him in the face.
Going into the event his goals for the weekend were clear.
"Just want to show them I'm capable of being just as good as anybody. I'm also trying to rep Lafayette. I'm trying to rep Lexington," Wills said. "And hopefully, get a few more schools to give me an opportunity to go to college."
If Wills' family has its way, Wills won't be leaving the state.
"My dad and grandparents … my aunts and uncles, they definitely want me to go to Kentucky," Wills told Cats Illustrated. "They're not forcing me too much, though. They want me to be happy."
They'd love it if he finds happiness close to home. They're Kentucky fans, for the most part, and Wills said that's part of their preference for UK even in terms of his future. But they also want him to be nearby. He'll listen to what their input is. He's also listening to what Young, his older teammate is saying. And he's starting to listen more to Drake Jackson.
Are those two future Wildcats pushing him hard to join the UK commitment list, only for the '17 class, or are they giving him his space?
"I guess it's kind of in between," Wills said. "It's more of a normal kind of thing. I talk to them on unofficial visits. We talk on Twitter or group messages. It's not too forced or like, 'You have to go here.' And it's not that it doesn't matter, either. They want me to join them to create something new."
Wills and Young are close. They have known each other since their first year of junior high school. By the time he signs a letter of intent, they will have known one another for seven years. He just met Jackson more recently, but anyone that knows anything about Jackson knows that he makes friends quickly.
Wills was at UK last Tuesday along with Young and Jackson to check on the facility progress and to talk with the coaches.
"I just saw what they've talked about as what will be new there," he said. "I saw the C.A.T.S. academic aspect of it. I think it's definitely going to be better than it used to be. It's going to be a lot nicer and it's going to top what a lot of other schools have."
UK offensive line coach John Schlarman was the largely unsung hero in Jackson's choice of the Wildcats. He was instrumental in helping to get the in-state center on board after he picked up offers from Alabama, Ohio State and others.
Wills understands what Jackson saw in Schlarman, the man that could be his future position coach.
"I've got a great relationship with him," Wills said. "Being right in our backyard I see him a lot. He's definitely a coach I like a lot."
Kentucky's coaches haven't specified what position he will play. When coaches from various schools ask him where he'd like to play on the line, Wills gives a generic, "Just offensive line."
Many believe he's got the makings of a dominant tackle. Time will tell. He could easily be a dominant guard. But tackles are more prized and more glamorous, if offensive linemen can be glamorous. If they can be, then Wills is.
Alabama was the most recent school to offer Wills. That was about a month ago. The Crimson Tide waited much longer to make a move on Young and even Jackson. They even waited longer to make Damien Harris a priority. That tells you what Nick Saban's staff thinks about Wills.
But for now Wills doesn't have any schools in mind that he wants to visit.
"I haven't thought too much about it," he said. "I guess I'll see soon."
