Kentucky Secures 3-Star Florida DE Chris Whittaker away from UCF

Written by Ryan Wright

Twitter: @HogManInLA

Kentucky fans waiting patiently for good news from the recruiting trail finally got some good news on Sunday when Florida three-star defensive end Chris Whittaker verbally committed to the Wildcats.

Whittaker, listed at 6-3, 256, is part of a Chaminade-Madonna Prep squad that has posted a 10-3 record in 2016 thus far. The Lions beat Melbourne Central Catholic 42-17 in the third round of Florida’s 3A playoffs and face Jacksonville’s Trinity Christian in the next round (Dec. 10).

College coaches up and down the east coast spreading into SEC, Pac-12, and Big Ten country have been on Whittaker for months. The Hollywood area talent has 25 reported offers on the table committing to Central Florida on Sept. 4. Other programs to offer includes Notre Dame, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Colorado, Arkansas, South Carolina, Temple, Tennessee, and Georgia.

Kentucky hosted Whittaker over the weekend on an official visit bringing about the change of heart. Whittaker announced his commitment once he got back home posting a statement on Twitter:

The Wildcats have been slow going with recruiting since August. The staff added former Ohio State quarterback commit Danny Clark on Oct. 21 with Whittaker being their first new addition since then. Cedrick Dort and Michael Nesbitt were the last to commit back in August.

Kentucky’s 2017 class is ranked No. 37 in the nation by Rivals while 247Sports has the group at No. 34, 11th in the SEC. Recevier JaVonte Richardson (Maple Heights, OH) and athlete Tyrell Ajian (Mansfield, OH) are Kentucky’s two four-star recruits.

Photo credit: twitter.com; Chris Whittaker commits to Kentucky.