Four-star football recruit Tyrell Ajian commits to Kentucky

A recruiting cycle already filled with success stemming from the University of Kentucky football program’s efforts in Ohio got a whole better Thursday night.

Four-star prospect Tyrell Ajian committed to the Wildcats, becoming the latest high-profile recruit from Ohio to join UK’s class of 2017, which is currently regarded as one of the best in the country.

Ajian, a 6-foot-1, 185-pound player from Mansfield, is often classified as an “athlete” by recruiting services and is projected to play defensive back in college. He had 783 yards receiving, 551 yards rushing and 19 touchdowns on offense as a junior last season. Defensively, he had three interceptions and 54 tackles.

ESPN ranks Ajian as the No. 8 safety and No. 82 prospect nationally in the class of 2017. Rivals.com and 247Sports also rank him as a four-star prospect, and all of those recruiting services consider him to be one of the top 10 players from Ohio in next year’s class.

The Cats have done very well in that state over the past few months, a continuation of the recruiting success the program has seen since the arrival of Coach Mark Stoops and recruiting coordinator Vince Marrow.

UK now has commitments from six of the top 30 prospects from Ohio for the class of 2017, according to the Rivals.com rankings. Already committed to the Cats were wide receiver JaVonte Richardson (No. 2 in the state), defensive end James Hudson (No. 7), linebacker Alex King (No. 19), and running backs Michael Warren (No. 28) and Bryant Koback (No. 29). Rivals ranks Ajian as the No. 10 prospect in the state.

Ajian has visited UK’s campus several times, and the Cats emerged as a favorite in his recruiting last month. He also had reported scholarship offers from Notre Dame, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska and several other major programs.

UK now has 12 total commitments for the class of 2017, and the addition of Ajian moved the Cats to No. 6 nationally in the 247Sports class rankings for next year. Kentucky is now tops in the Southeastern Conference — one spot ahead of Alabama — and trails only Ohio State, Miami, Oklahoma, Notre Dame and Michigan in the 247Sports rankings.

This story was originally published April 21, 2016 at 8:02 PM with the headline "Four-star football recruit Tyrell Ajian commits to Kentucky."