Willis wraps things up

Apparently the whole campus-tour thing can wait. The facilities? He'll see those later. None of that matters too much to Nate Willis. The Arizona Western cornerback committed to Kentucky sight-unseen on Wednesday, and his words after the decision were not those of a nervous man.

A risk? Not to Willis. His decision is final. The relief in his voice is unmistakable.

"It feels great," Willis said. "I guess it won't be official until I get down there on Friday and meet coach [Mark] Stoops, but I'm a Kentucky Wildcat now. I committed early this morning."

Wildcat assistant Derrick Ansley accepted Willis' commitment by phone on Wednesday. At that time, the talk about things becoming "official" didn't seem to matter much. There were words of excitement exchanged and grand plans for the future. The defensive back has his home, and Kentucky has what it feels is an impact player.

"Coach Ansley was very excited, man," Willis said. "He almost jumped out of his chair. He was just like, 'Thank you, man. I'm looking forward to you in the return game and one of our starting cornerbacks. We need that speed.' I'm looking forward to all of it."

As for the reasons he pulled the trigger on his commitment to Kentucky without seeing the school, Willis says it's the people. Specifically, the people associated with the football program. Willis the Wildcat is a product of the program's recent coaching change, make no mistake.

"It was he coaches, man, and where they're trying to take the program," Willis said. "I was familiar with coach stoops at Florida State. I'm playing in the SEC. That was a big plus. I like that tough schedule.

So what if he hasn't been to Lexington? Willis laughs through questions about that. He's treating his upcoming visit less like a inspection and more like a surprise unveiling.

"I know a lot about the school and I've been to the state before," he said. "That's enough."

Willis, who claims 19 scholarship offers in total, will not take any other visits or field phone calls from other coaches. On Wednesday he called his recruitment "a wrap."