Stafford has good visit to UK

Four-star defensive end D.J. Stafford out of LaGrange, Ga. took his first official visit of the season this weekend heading north to Kentucky. The 6-foot-3, 263-pounder had a good visit to Lexington.

"I got there on Friday and it was a pretty good visit," he stated. "While I was there, I was able to tour the campus and do some stuff like that. I also hung out with my former teammate Wesley Woodyard who was my host. It was fine with him, he just talked to me about the school and that was good.

"I mostly spent time with the coaches though. I was able to talk to coach Petri and Phillips. They were basically telling me about everything up there. They said they are still a young team and they believe I can come in and make a difference immediately for them as a freshman. Coach Brooks said the same thing, telling me he thinks I'd be a good fit and play early. That meant a lot to hear it from him. That was very nice to hear because playing early is something I'd like to happen. I don't want to wait to play. I think I'll be able to play next season."

On the trip, Stafford was able to witness the exciting game between South Carolina and Kentucky.

"It was a hard fought game between both teams and very exciting," he said. "I thought the defensive ends for Kentucky played well. The fans were pretty good too. They have a lot of fans up there and they really care about football. The atmosphere was nice and the weather was perfect for football."

Overall Stafford had a good visit.

"I'd probably rate the trip an eight," he said. "It was good, but not perfect. I do feel like Kentucky is someplace I would consider going.

At this time, the No. 11 strongside defensive end in the country has no other official visits scheduled.

"I have none planned at this time," he said. "I'll probably be doing the other four sometime after the season."