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The Kentucky Wildcats got some bad news on the recruiting front today.
Jared Casey, a four-star inside backer according to 247 Sports, committed to the Oregon Ducks over the Wildcats, Louisville Cardinals and Wisconsin Badgers.
Casey is a senior at Ballard High School in Louisville. He spent the first two years of his high school career at Trinity High School before transferring to Ballard last year. Casey is the sixth-ranked player in the state of Kentucky and the 18th overall inside linebacker in the Class of 2019.
Casey made Oregon aware of his intentions to sign with the Ducks earlier this week, but did not make his announcement until today. He plans to enroll early and should be on campus this January.
Heading into today’s decision, the Wildcats, according to Crystal Ball Predictions, had only a 10% chance to land Casey. Wisconsin, like the Cats, were given only a 10%, while Oregon led all contenders with a 60% to get a commitment from the talented backer. UofL was in the mix as well.
From Danny Trevathan, Avery Williamson, Josh Forrest, Courtney Love, Jordan Jones, and now to Kash Daniel, Kentucky’s defense has been anchored by strong linebackers in recent years. The hope was that strong run would help Kentucky with one of the best in-state defenders, but alas, he saw something in Oregon he felt better about.
This isn’t the worst loss Kentucky could have had on the recruiting trail. With Daniel, Chris Oats, Jamin Davis and Deandre Square set to return next year, Kentucky still has a solid group of linebackers.
Still, it’s unfortunate Kentucky has lost out yet another highly-touted in-state prospect. According to 247 Sports, Kentucky has now lost five of the top seven players from the Bluegrass.
Thankfully, big-name guys like Milton Wright, Wandale Robinson, JJ Weaver and Shawnkel Knight-Goff are still available and strongly considering Kentucky.
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