Aikens holds one early offer

Tampa (Fla.) Plant wide receiver Austin Aikens received some good news last week when his first offer rolled in.

"Western Kentucky offered me last Thursday," Aikens said. "They called my dad so I didn't really talk to them about it."

The 5-foot-11, 168-pound wide receiver talked a bit about the moment he found out he had a full ride to be a Hilltopper.

"It felt really good to get that first one," Aikens said. "It made me feel like I am finally getting more attention because I didn't really get the opportunity my sophomore year to really do anything and now I am being seen by colleges. It makes me feel good and work even harder to be the best that I can."

In addition to the interest from Western Kentucky, Aikens is also interested in a pair of local schools.

"I recently took a Junior Day visit to USF and I am going to take one to UCF on March 26th," Aikens said.

He talked about his time at South Florida and what he learned about Skip Holtz program.

"It was a really good trip," Aikens said. "I walked in and all of the coaches introduced themselves. They talked about how they have really good academic support. They talked about how they really look out for one another and that they do everything as a group, as a family, and they don't leave anyone out when they do everything they do. That made me feel real good about USF, about how if I was to go there I wouldn't feel left out, I would be part of a family."

Aikens, who claims no early leader, is preparing for his senior season of football by participating in morning workouts at the school while also being a member of the track team.