Kentucky DE drawing offers
Lexington’s Lafayette High School is home to one of Kentucky’s rising prospects.
Bilal El-Amin, a 6-foot-4, 235-pound defensive end with 4.7 speed, has been drawing heavy interest and a few early scholarship offers entering the summer.
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“I think he’s the best prospect in Lexington,” Lafayette coach Mike Harmon said. “He’s a tremendous, tremendous pass rusher off the corner. He’s got a big frame and great mobility, everything you’re looking for in a defensive end. He definitely passes the look test. He’s a physical specimen.”
Kentucky, Louisville, Miami (Ohio), Northwestern and Eastern Kentucky have made scholarship offers. He’s also receiving heavy interest from Tennessee, Wake Forest and Marshall.
“I’ve heard from just about everyone who regularly recruits this area,” Harmon said. “The majority of the SEC, Conference USA and the upper echelon of the MAC have all been really active recruiting Bilal.
“In sitting down to watch film with a few of these coaches, almost every one of them have said, ‘Coach, I’m not authorized to offer him a scholarship right now, but he’s the best D-end we’ve seen.’”
Asked if El-Amin has any favorites at this point, Harmon said he thought he in-state schools may have the edge.
“Initially, he said he was going to look out of state,” Harmon said. “But when UK and UofL offered, he had a big smile on his face. The only other schools I hear him talk much about are Marshall and Miami -- the Hurricanes – but we haven’t heard anything from them.”
El-Amin recorded 47 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss and five sacks as a junior in earning all-city and honorable mention all-state honors. He helped lead the Generals to their first winning season since 1985.
“His best attribute is the way he covers the field,” Harmon said. “In our defense, he has contain responsibility. We put him on the wide hash, and he gives the other team heck trying to get to that sideline. He just covers so much ground and has that big wingspan.
“Coach Archer from Kentucky feels like he’s going to be 275, 280 after a year or two in college, no problem at all. Bilal has a real strong work ethic in the weight room. He was about 200 pounds prior to last season, but he’s worked extremely hard to pack on a lot of muscle.”
El-Amin is also a solid student. Harmon said he carries a 3.1 GPA and is expected to be a full-qualifier after taking the ACT this weekend.
“Bilal is a quality all-around kid,” he said. “He’s a nice one to be around. I help them with some tutoring from time to time, and he’s the type that, if he has a ‘C’ in a class, he’s looking for a way to get it up to an ‘A’ or a ‘B.’ He’s that type of worker both on and off the field.”