Defensive back joins Kentucky’s recruiting class of 2017

The University of Kentucky football program continued to bolster its defensive backfield of the future with the commitment Tuesday afternoon of three-star cornerback Cedrick Dort.

Dort — a 6-foot-1 prospect from Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. — is a bit of an under-the-radar recruit, but he impressed UK’s coaching staff during his visit for the team’s Sunday Night Lights camp at Commonwealth Stadium a couple of weeks ago.

He chose the Wildcats over reported scholarship offers from Cincinnati, Iowa State, Minnesota, Rutgers, Syracuse and Wisconsin, among others.

Dort concentrated on basketball instead of football early in his high school career, returning to the gridiron last year and immediately drawing the attention of college coaches.

He joins four-star recruit Tyrell Ajian as UK’s second defensive back commitment for the class of 2017, and he’s the third player from Florida to join that group. The Wildcats now have a total of 12 commitments for next year.

Rivals.com ranks Dort as a two-star prospect, though he’s considered a three-star recruit by both Scout.com and 247Sports. Scout pegs him as the No. 100 cornerback nationally for the class of 2017.

The Cats’ defensive backfield is expected to be a strength this season and beyond. Cornerbacks Chris Westry and Derrick Baity are both listed as starters on the preseason depth chart, as is strong safety Mike Edwards. All three of those players will be sophomores this season. Sophomore safety Darius West is No. 2 on the depth chart, and freshmen Tobias Gilliam, Jordan Griffin, Davonte Robinson and Marcus Walker are all listed as third-stringers with the ability to contribute to this year’s team.

This story was originally published August 2, 2016 at 12:35 PM with the headline "Defensive back joins Kentucky’s recruiting class of 2017."