Five-star Alabama commitment Jedrick Wills visiting UK this weekend

Five-star offensive tackle Jedrick Wills visited UK on Saturday, an unexpected guest for the Wildcats’ latest major recruiting weekend.

Wills — a standout player at nearby Lafayette High School in Lexington — is the No. 17 overall prospect nationally in the class of 2017, according to the new Rivals.com rankings. He was long considered to be UK’s top recruiting target in the 2017 class, but Wills announced his commitment to Alabama last month.

Still, UK is looking for more offensive linemen to fill out its 2017 class, and the Wildcats’ coaches had told Wills earlier this year that they would recruit him up until national signing day on Feb. 1, even if he committed to another school before that.

“They’ve told me to give them a chance and that they’re going to recruit me to the last day,” Wills told the Herald-Leader in late September. “All the way up until signing day, no matter what happens.”

Wills was spotted at UK’s practice facility Saturday by the Herald-Leader’s Jennifer Smith and other reporters. He was accompanied by Lafayette quarterback and longtime UK commitment Walker Wood. Several uncommitted prospects from the 2017 class are also visiting Lexington this weekend.

Two of Kentucky’s 16 commitments from the class of 2017 so far are offensive linemen: Belfry High School’s Austin Dotson and Maryland standout Naasir Watkins. The Wildcats are also expected to return a talented group of linemen from this season’s team, including several players with ample experience.

Wills visited UK for several home games and other recruiting events before announcing his commitment to Alabama on Nov. 15.

This story was originally published December 10, 2016 at 2:38 PM with the headline "Five-star Alabama commitment Jedrick Wills visiting UK this weekend."