Kentucky football lands state’s top-ranked recruit again, but this one is a late riser.
Kentucky football has landed the top-ranked high school recruit in the state for the fourth time in five years.
Western Hills class of 2025 defensive lineman Javeon Campbell committed to UK over finalists Alabama, Auburn and Miami. Campbell took official visits to each of those schools since the end of May. The U.S. Army All-American also reported offers from Florida, Ohio State, Notre Dame, LSU and Georgia.
As a junior, Campbell was credited with 12 1/2 sacks in nine games for Western Hills.
Unlike many top in-state prospects, Campbell was not offered by UK early in his high school career since he did not start playing football until 2023. The Wildcats were the 11th Division I program to offer him a scholarship on Feb. 4.
Campbell, listed at 6-foot-5, 265 pounds, was initially ranked seventh in the state’s 2025 class by 247Sports in January, but as high-profile offers rolled in during the spring, his recruiting ratings soared. The 247Sports Composite, which averages the ratings of the major recruiting services, now ranks him as a top-200 prospect nationally and the top player in Kentucky.
Campbell announced his college choice from Frankfort during a live broadcast on the 247Sports YouTube channel on Tuesday morning. He said a moment like this seemed more likely to result from basketball than football, until recently.
“It was a crazy process really. ... but it was a good thing,” Campbell said. “It was insane how fast it happened. ... I wasn’t even thinking about football three or four years ago.”
The Western Hills rising senior then explained how he sorted through his many high-level scholarship offers to arrive at choosing Kentucky.
“It was really tough, really. It was 23 schools I had to choose from, and every school has like a great facility, great equipment, great trainers, but you really have to just go off the people and the feeling there you get.”
After removing his Western Hills jacket to reveal a Kentucky T-shirt, then donning a UK cap, Campbell further explained his choice.
“Every time I go to Kentucky, it just feels like home, really. Great people. Great atmosphere. Great players and a great community. ... They were just so nice and interested in me, and I feel really good about every single person there.”
Campbell is the sixth four-star prospect according to the 247Sports Composite to pledge to Kentucky’s 2025 class. UK now holds commitments from the top two recruits in the state with Campbell joining Paducah Tilghman defensive back Martel Carters.
Kentucky signed the top-ranked recruit in the state according to the 247Sports Composite in 2024 (Jerod Smith), 2022 (Dane Key) and 2021 (Jager Burton). That stretch ended a streak of four consecutive recruiting cycles where the top-ranked high school player in Kentucky signed with an out-of-state power.
This story was originally published July 2, 2024 at 11:35 AM.