Kentucky’s Stoops calls new signee Leavitt ‘a prototypical tackle’

Junior-college offensive tackle Tate Leavitt announced Wednesday morning that he has officially signed with the Kentucky Wildcats, and Coach Mark Stoops commented on the addition later in the day.

“Tate is a prototypical tackle, a complete player,” Stoops said in a release from UK. “Not only is he a great player, but he’s also a difference-maker off the field, with great presence, very confident.”

Leavitt — ranked by Rivals.com as the No. 8 overall junior-college player in the country — committed to the Wildcats over the summer and is expected to contend for the starting left tackle spot in 2016.

The 6-foot-6, 310-pound prospect will join UK’s team for spring practice and have two seasons of eligibility with the program.

“On the field, he has the ability to throw that switch and be a tough physical player and a guy you want,” said Hutchinson Community College Coach Rion Rhoades. “He’s light on his feet in the passing game and can also finish in the run game. We run a spread offense but we also ran the ball for 3,000 yards last year (2014). He’s used to being in a system where there is a priority on running the ball.”

This story was originally published December 16, 2015 at 12:35 PM with the headline "Kentucky’s Stoops calls new signee Leavitt ‘a prototypical tackle’."