Top-20 junior-college player Jeremy Flax chooses UK over Auburn, Texas Tech

One of the nation’s top junior-college football players has decided to take up residence in Lexington.

Jeremy Flax, a 6-foot-6, 320-pound offensive tackle at Independence Community College in Kansas, committed to the University of Kentucky on Tuesday, one day before the early signing period for college football begins.

Flax took an official visit to Kentucky — his last — over the weekend. He picked UK over Texas Tech and Auburn, which boasts three of the top six junior college offensive tackles in the 2020 class.

In a post on Twitter announcing his commitment, Flax said he came to Independence as a 270-pound defensive end and had no stars, offers and was not an academic qualifier out of high school. He thanked many people, including all the teams that recruited him.

“But unfortunately there is only one school that I can go to and play for and this school truly felt genuine and like the place for me to be,” Flax wrote before revealing UK as his selection. “ ... I wanna thank the whole coaching staff for making me feel at home in Lexington and it’s the place I want to be finishing my college football career.”

Rivals rates Flax as a four-star prospect while 247Sports rates him as a three-star recruit. He is the No. 19 overall junior-college player in 247Sports’ composite ranking and the No. 2 offensive tackle.

Academically, Flax was a redshirt freshman this season at Independence, so he will have three years of eligibility remaining at UK.

Flax is originally from Detroit, an area in which UK has success recruiting as of late. Sophomore linebacker DeAndre Square, the team’s leading tackler this season, is from there, as is sophomore Marquan McCall, a nose guard.

Two other commits expected to sign with the Wildcats on Wednesday also hail from the Motor City: Justin Rogers, a five-star defensive tackle, and Deondre Buford, a three-star offensive tackle.

Flax was the second offensive lineman to commit to UK on Tuesday: RJ Adams, a four-star prospect from Virginia, committed earlier in the day.

This story was originally published December 17, 2019 at 6:03 PM.

Josh Moore

Lexington Herald-Leader

Josh Moore covers the University of Kentucky football team for the Lexington Herald-Leader, where he’s been employed since 2009. Moore, a Martin County native, graduated from UK with a B.A. in Integrated Strategic Communication and English in 2013. He’s a fan of the NBA, Power Rangers and Pokémon. Support my work with a digital subscription