Three-star athlete solid with UK verbal
Three-star Louisville (Ky.) athlete
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Keenan Burton says he's rock-solid with his commitment after having a
chance to meet the Wildcats' new coaching staff this past weekend during an
unofficial visit to Lexington.
"I feel like (UK A.D. Mitch) Barnhart did a great job
with who he brought in," Burton said. "And I feel like coach (Rich) Brooks also
did a great job with who he brought in as his assistants. It seems like a great
group of coaches to play for all the way across the board.
"My stomach was in knots on my way down to Lexington. I
wasn't sure if I was going to fit in or if they were going to like me. But as
soon as I got down there, they made me feel like I really fit in. That was a big
relief."
Burton, who picked the Cats over Northwestern,
Louisville and Indiana in September, said many schools had been in contact with
him since news of Guy Morriss and his staff leaving for Baylor. He says he'll
now be telling them he's firmly committed to UK.
Another big relief was meeting a fellow recruit who
recently received and accpeted a long-awaited scholarship offer with the Cats.
"I got to spend a lot of time with Jacob Tamme," he
said. "I was so happy he got his scholarship (re-offered) because at the time
all that stuff originally happened, I felt bad because I was the one who
committed to Kentucky and knocked him out of his chance. I just feel great that
we both have the opportunity to be teammates now."
Burton (6-2, 180, 4.55) plays quarterback, wide receiver
and defensive back for Louisville DuPont Manual. He's a member of the Rivals.com
Kentucky Top 15 team and is rated as one of the nation's top
safeties. As a senior, he rushed for 940 yards, passed for 850 and had
24 combined touchdowns.
Kentucky projects Burton as a wide receiver, but Brooks
told him he may get the opportunity to play a number of positions on either side
of the ball, depending on the team's needs.
"I prefer offense, and they said I'd get the first crack
at wide receiver, but I'm open to playing wherever they need me," he said. "They
even joked about me maybe lining up and playing some quarterback at some point.
I'm not sure how serious they were about that, but they liked what they saw on
tape."