In the end, three-star athlete Russ Yeast will play out his college career in the state of Kentucky, but not for the program it was originally assumed he would play for. The Greenwood (Ind.) Center Grove prospect made a commitment to Kentucky prior to his junior year, but de-committed in June and on Monday announced his commitment to Louisville.

WHAT HAPPENED

Yeast was in Louisville this past weekend taking his official visit while also seeing the Cardinals take down ACC foe N.C. State. This was the third official visit of the process for Yeast, following earlier trips to Auburn (Sept. 3) and Iowa (Sept. 9). Alabama and Ole Miss were also finalists for the No. 5 ranked prospect in the state of Indiana. Yeast’s father, Craig, was a stand out wide receiver at Kentucky in the 1990’s, but the Wildcats were not in consideration following his de-commitment this past summer.

IN HIS WORDS

“I’ve been thinking really hard about Louisville for quite a while and my official visit really helped me take the next step. Louisville really made me feel like a top priority and made me feel at home.”

RIVALS’ REACTION

As Yeast noted, Louisville had started to establish itself as a top contender among Yeast’s finalists over the last month, with Iowa also residing in that upper tier of the top group. Although SEC offers from Alabama, Auburn and Ole Miss were intriguing, Yeast ultimately chose a school that is less than two hours from his home. A two-way prospect who initially started out as a wide receiver prospect, like his father, Yeast has started to focus more on the defensive side of the football as his recruitment progressed and Louisville will be bringing the 5-foot-11, 185-pound prospect as a defensive back.