Four-star OL visits Wildcats

Four-star Mayfield (Ky.) offensive lineman Micah Jones took his first official visit this weekend.

“I just got back from Kentucky,” he said. “It was just great. I loved everything about it. They really impressed me.”

Enough to land a verbal from the agile 6-foot-5, 336-pound tackle?

“Well, as of right now, no,” he said. “I’m still weighing things out. But it was real good. I feel like I’m down to two schools now – Kentucky and Tennessee.”

Auburn (1/23), Alabama (1/9) and Michigan had also been heavily in the mix for Jones, particularly the Tigers. But proximity to home may come into play.

“I liked the school and the atmosphere down there,” he said, “but when you get right down to it, it’s may be just a little too far away. That’s why Kentucky and Tennessee look so good right now.”

His official visit with the Volunteers is tentatively scheduled for Jan. 16.

“They’ve got a great program and winning tradition,” he said. “They do a great job with their offensive linemen, and I like coach Fulmer. He’s a real nice fella.”

But the Wildcats have apparently set the bar high.

“I really liked the people down at Kentucky,” he said. “I got a chance to spend some time with every one of the coaches. They have a lot of guys with great experience, both in the pros and in college.

“It was the first time I sat down with coach Dunn and really got to spend a lot of time talking to him. He had come by the school before, but we never talked for very long. I liked where he was coming from. He didn’t promise me anything, but told me if I came there and worked hard and earned it on the practice field, I would have a good chance to help them right away next year.”

Jones’ host for the weekend was freshman defensive tackle Ricky Abren, a player for which he had some previous encounters.

“Me and Ricky have lined up across from each other a couple of times,” Jones said. “We’ve gone at it pretty good, but I always liked him and respected him. He’s a good guy. We talked about some of those old times, and he told me he was looking forward to me coming up there and doing it again in practice.”

Jones, who earned first-team AP All-State honors as a senior at Mayfield, is rated the No. 16 offensive tackle in the nation by Rivals.com.