6'5" DE spurns Alabama, Florida State for non-traditional powerhouse

When Alabama and Florida State lose a recruiting battle to a non-powerhouse, it is big news.

It isn't every day that the Kentucky Wildcats win a high-profile recruiting battle in football, but that is exactly what transpired on Wednesday. In this case, three-star defensive end Jordan Wright spurned several of the best programs in the country while taking to Twitter to pledge his allegiance Mark Stoops and his staff.

Wright, who ranks as the No. 21 defensive end prospect in the country, received offers from schools like Alabama, Florida State, Michigan and Oklahoma before ending up in Lexington. Beyond that, Wright was also offered by both Tennessee (just across the border) and USC but the 6-foot-5, 225-pound senior from Dillard High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. elected to take the path less traveled.

With his commitment, Kentucky now has an impressive 21-member class in 2017 and he is also the seventh prospect to commit to the Wildcats from the state of Florida this season. Given the (relative) lack of talent inside the borders of Kentucky, this is a program that absolutely needs to recruit regionally if not nationally, and in the case of Jordan Wright, Mark Stoops was able to beat a bunch of top-tier programs.

His arrival won't make or break the class in terms of national rankings, but this is a big get for Kentucky given the circumstances.