Frederick Douglass star Ty Bryant commits to Kentucky as part of 2023 class

Ty Bryant received a lot more time to make his college decision after he chose to reclassify to the 2023 class. He didn’t need it.

Bryant committed to the University of Kentucky on Thursday, becoming the first player in that recruiting class to pick the Wildcats. Both 247Sports and Rivals consider Bryant a three-star prospect and deem him an “athlete;” he predominantly lines up at safety at Frederick Douglass High School, where he sparred frequently with current UK wide receiver Dekel Crowdus in practice over the past few years.

He did not announce a list of finalists beforehand, but during his ceremony Thursday at Douglass, Bryant picked up a Kentucky cap over one with a Cincinnati logo, and removed a jacket to reveal a Kentucky T-shirt.

“It’s something I’ve wanted to do since I was a kid,” Bryant told reporters after his announcement. “Kentucky’s been a dream school of mine. I’m just glad I got that opportunity and made it come true.”

Kentucky was Bryant’s dream school in part due to his father, Cisco Bryant, who played for UK under Jerry Claiborne from 1983-1985. Ty notified his family of his decision on Wednesday, which was his birthday and original announcement date. Cisco said he deserved an Academy Award for his subdued demeanor leading up to his son’s announcement Thursday.

“All night I was up, happy,” Cisco said. “ ... I’m just so happy. Nothing against Cincinnati, it’s a great university, his second choice, great coaches, I love ‘em and they showed him mad love. But, I mean, I’m a Cat. And I’m glad my son is a Cat. I’m very proud of that and can’t emphasize that enough.”

Bryant ran a 4.56 40-yard dash during a UK camp in June, and boasts a 4.3 GPA in the classroom. His off-the-field merits are a testament to the tough standards expected of his parents, whom he praised for setting aside their differences — they’re divorced — throughout his youth and being positive influences in his life.

“I’ve always told him, if you can tolerate me as a player-coach, you can tolerate anything,” Cisco said.

Bryant has recorded 110 solo tackles in his career, an average of about six per game, and has scored a couple of return touchdowns in three seasons at Douglass. He says Kentucky plans to play him in the secondary.

He is the third player from Douglass to commit to UK in less than two years, following standout offensive lineman Jager Burton, a Mr. Football recipient in 2020, and Crowdus. Both of them were tagged as four-star recruits, a mark Bryant could attain with now two years left of high school football.

Bryant, who turned 17 on Wednesday, was eligible to re-classify under Senate Bill 128. He made that decision to be in a more mature physical condition by time he enrolls in college, in hopes of playing right away.

There’s another four-star UK target — wide receiver Dane Key — on Douglass’s roster. The son of ex-Cat Donte Key is highly coveted by South Carolina, Oregon and Michigan, but Kentucky is currently thought to have the edge. He’s a top-250 player in the 2022 recruiting class, per 247Sports, who has not yet set a decision date. Bryant’s already been on him about teaming up down the street.

“I’m gonna keep on tugging him and tugging him and hopefully he comes to BBN with us,” Bryant said.

Bryant could be alone in his commitment for some time; UK typically doesn’t start picking up commitments for its nearest recruiting class until March or April of that given year. If he signs with Kentucky by the time he’s able to in December 2022, he would buck a trend going back to 2017; starting with Mac Jones that year, UK has failed to sign the first player to commit as part of its current-year cycle. Jeremiah Caldwell, a four-star defensive back, became the Wildcats’ first 2022 commit in January but on Aug. 1 announced he was re-opening his recruitment.

Kentucky’s 2022 recruits

UK last weekend earned the commitment of Tomiwa Durojaiye, a three-star defensive end out of Delaware. Michigan, South Carolina and Arkansas were among the other Power Five programs who’d offered the 6-foot-4, 255-pound prospect, who’s considered the second-best recruit in the country’s sixth-least populated state. (The No. 1 recruit is a quarterback, Braden Davis, who’s committed to the Gamecocks.)

Durojaiye was the 12th player to commit to UK as part of the 2022 recruiting cycle, which as of Thursday was headlined by offensive tackle Kiyaunta Goodwin, a top-50 prospect who’s considered the top player at his position by On3 Sports. Goodwin recently has said that he may take an official visit to Alabama this fall, and possibly might take officials to Michigan State and Ohio State as well, after getting to see all three of those campuses for the first time over the summer after COVID-19 restrictions eased.

“People say Coach (Nick) Saban is a tyrant, stuff like that, but basically, I’ve got to see what kind of program it was down there and get the chance to meet him for myself. ... He’s a great dude and a great coach, he’s fun to be around, and I’m just happy to go down and meet him. Sometimes that messes with your decisions, but being able to meet him made me want to go ahead and take that official.”

Kentucky has four other 2022 commitments who are considered four-star prospects by at least one recruiting service. Offensive lineman Grant Bingham, athlete Destin Wade and linebacker Keaten Wade are rated as such by both 247Sports and Rivals, while the latter also includes Alex Afari, a defensive back.

This story was originally published August 19, 2021 at 4:11 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