Kentucky lands verbals from Alabama duo

Kentucky has picked up commitments from a talented Alabama backfield tandem.

Parrish High School’s Cole Mason and Tony Dixon gave their verbals to the Wildcats this past week, according to coach Scott Basden.

“They will be impact players,” Basden told The Cats’ Pause/Kentucky Sports Report. “When two in-state schools realize that they let two players this good go out of state, it will be funny.”

Dixon (5-10, 190, 4.45) was a Class A all-state selection at running back as a junior after rushing for 1,635 yards and 13 touchdowns on 133 carries.

Mason (6-2, 240, 4.7) paved the way for many of Dixon’s yards with his tough blocking at fullback, but was also a big producer with the ball in his hands, rushing for 1,730 yards and 20 touchdowns on 166 carries. In addition to his football accolades, he’s also a three-time state weightlifting champion, boasting a 365-pound bench press and 600-pound dead lift.

According to Basden, both players had scholarship offers from Notre Dame, LSU, Mississippi State, Southern Miss and UAB, but settled on Kentucky after making an unofficial visit to Lexington together.

“I’ve been to every SEC school except Georgia, and Kentucky has some of the top factilies in the conference,” Basden said. “I had never been to Kentucky before. The facilities really surprised me and both players.”

Dixon and Mason are expected to be full-qualifiers. They both carry 3.0 GPAs. Mason has scored a 21 on his ACT. Dixon is awaiting his score.