The Kentucky Wildcats have landed another offseason football transfer.
Former Minnesota Golden Gophers linebacker De'Niro Laster is currently on a visit to Lexington, and he's already given his commitment to Kentucky:
Committed #BBN pic.twitter.com/xm9A8RxHbs
— #1⃣ (@Mucho_Deniro) July 17, 2015
Laster left Minnesota this offseason with plans to transfer to closer to his Ohio home. He's a former teammate of UK sophomore wide receiver Dorian Baker from their days at Cleveland Heights high School.
It's also likely that De'Niro is at least familiar with recruiting coordinator and tight ends coach Vince Marrow, who has been like a hawk over Ohio since coming to Kentucky. While the Cats don't get everyone they target from the Buckeye state, there are few guys that make it to college without Marrow having some familiarity with them.
Laster, an All-Big Ten academic selection in 2014, recorded seven tackles in nine games last season after redshirting as a true freshman in 2013. He was competing for a spot on the depth chart at outside linebacker during spring practice, but opted to transfer in the summer.
A three-star member of the Gophers’ 2013 recruiting class, Laster was rated as the No. 35 outside linebacker in the country and the No. 34 player at any position in the state of Ohio. He played in nine games in 2014.
Here's some of Laster's high school highlights: