UK commitment Wood eager to compete at QB
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky was unable to secure a victory in a Thursday game with Auburn, but the UK coaching staff did leave Commonwealth Stadium with its fifth commitment in the 2017 recruiting class.
Three-star Lafayette High School quarterback Walker Wood announced his intention to play for his hometown team an hour before kickoff. After receiving a scholarship offer from UK during the bye week, Wood wasted no time making a decision.
“I went over to the facilities with my mom and dad this week, and I just loved the coaching staff over there,” Wood said in an interview with The Courier-Journal. “I really just didn’t focus on thinking about it too much. I just let my gut make the decision. I felt Kentucky was the right place for me.”
Wood chose Kentucky over scholarship offers from Louisville and Cincinnati. He is ranked as the No. 14 dual-threat quarterback in the class of 2017 and the No. 2 junior prospect in Kentucky by Rivals.com.
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Entering Friday’s win over Madison Central, Wood had completed 83 of 142 passes for 1,233 yards, 12 touchdowns and two interceptions. He had also gained 877 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on 90 carries through eight games.
While the UK coaching staff views Wood, who began his high school career at wide receiver, as an athlete who could contribute at several positions in college if needed, the coaches have told Wood he will have a chance to win the starting quarterback job.
“They’ve given me the opportunity to go in and compete at the quarterback spot,” Wood said. “That’s my goal, and I’m going to work my butt off to go and do that.”
There will be no shortage of competition at quarterback for Kentucky when Wood arrives on campus.
Current redshirt freshman quarterback Drew Barker is still waiting to make his collegiate debut after losing the starting job to junior Patrick Towles in preseason camp. Barker would be a junior during Wood’s freshman season. Current UK sophomore quarterback Reese Phillips would be a senior in the fall of 2017.
Kentucky also has secured a commitment from three-star quarterback Gunnar Hoak in the 2016 class and three-star quarterback Mac Jones in the 2017 class.
“I think competition is good,” Wood said. “It will make me better. Whoever I’m competing with, I embrace competition, and I’m ready to work.”
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Kentucky’s 2017 class is currently ranked ninth nationally by the 247Sports Composite ranking, which averages the ratings of the four major recruiting services. Wood is the first Kentucky high school player to join the five-man class.
At UK he would reunite with current Lafayette senior offensive tackle Landon Young, a four-star commitment in Kentucky’s 2016 class. The chance to continue playing with Young was a significant attraction for Wood.
“That’s going to be pretty cool since I’ve been playing on varsity with him since my freshman year of high school,” Wood said.
Wood’s Lafayette classmate Jedrick Wills is one of Kentucky’s top targets in the 2017 class. Rivals ranks Wills, an offensive lineman, as a five-star recruit and the No. 13 prospect in the country in 2017.
While Wood acknowledges he and Young would like to expand the Lafayette alumni club on the UK roster with the addition of Wills, they are not placing any added pressure on their friend and teammate.
“We’re just going to let him make the decision like I made a decision,” Wood said. “Let his gut make the decision. Do we hope he comes to Kentucky? Yes, but not by any means do we want him to do anything he doesn’t want to do.”
Wood anticipates taking several visits with Wills as he makes his own college decision, but Wood has no plans to seriously consider other schools. With or without Wills, Wood is poised to join a Kentucky program that appears to be trending upward.
Head coach Mark Stoops’ current UK team sits at 4-2 after the loss to Auburn and could reach the first program’s first bowl game since 2010 with two more victories. UK’s 2016 class is currently ranked 21st nationally by the 247Sports Composite and is built around a strong nucleus of in-state talent in Young, Woodford County center Drake Jackson, Paintsville linebacker Kash Daniel, McCraken County athlete Zy’Aire Hughes and Henry Clay cornerback Davonte Robinson.
Wood hopes his commitment can continue that local flare as Stoops works to rebuild the program.
“I think it’s a great opportunity,” Wood said. “You want to keep good kids in the state in the state. I think they’re doing a great job of that.”
Email Jon Hale atjahale@courier-journal.com. Follow him on Twitter@JonHale_CJ.