He could have gone to Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State or Oregon and probably been happy. Yet four-star offensive lineman Jager Burton knew staying home in Lexington to play for Kentucky was the right choice for him. He told coach Mark Stoops and recruiting coordinator Vince Marrow about his decision Thursday and then publicly announced it Sunday night at KSBar in Lexington in front of family, friends and Frederick Douglass High School fans.
“I want to be great wherever I go and if I can be great staying home, why not,” Burton said.
He’s seen what UK offensive line coach John Schlarman has done with Darian Kinnard, Logan Stenberg, Drake Jackson and Landon Young in recent year. Freshman John Young of Louisville being at UK also helped.
“I hang out with them,” Burton said. “Me and (freshman defensive lineman) Octavius (Oxendine) are really close.”
Burton is the state’s No. 1 prospect. His teammate, receiver Drexel Crowdus, is No. 3 and he earlier committed to UK. Kentucky also has verbal commitments from safety Jordan Lovett of North Hardin (No. 4), quarterback Kaiya Sheron of Somerset (No. 7) and running back La’Vell Wright of North Hardin (No. 8).
“Jager has all the intangibles,” Frederick Douglass coach Nathan McPeek said. “He’s very athletic, he is nasty and he’s also a very good hearted kid. People view him like he’s a 20-year-old man.
“He worked hard on his own during quarantine. When we came back he weighed in at 272 pounds. His bench press and squats were up. That’s just how he is. He’s a great football player but an even better person. It’s so great to see his dreams being achieved and he is a great ambassador for our football family.”
While Burton’s decision was not set in stone, it should not really have been a surprise.
Look back at what he told me almost a year ago about UK.
“Being able to stay home and win games is really important. I don’t know about a lot of other people, but I hate losing no matter what it is. I don’t think I would want to go somewhere that I thought I was going to lose and Kentucky is not like that at all any more,” Burton said. “You have the opportunity to compete for pretty much everything you would want to compete for in college football now at Kentucky. I think that is really important and a big reason they have gotten a ton more four- and five-star recruits. I think that is really cool to see and see the progression of the Kentucky football program from Joker (Philips) to Stoops.”
And now Burton is ready to help keep the progression going.
Pretty emotional time for @jager_burton and his family as he commits to @UKFootball . Says he was sure @vincemarrow knew he was coming to UK https://t.co/yA85H90dy9
— Vaughts’ Views (@vaughtsviews) August 30, 2020
New Kentucky commit @jager_burton with the hugs for mom and dad after his commitment Sunday. I can even sense a @vincemarrow smile pic.twitter.com/Sd8SdWZpwt
— Vaughts’ Views (@vaughtsviews) August 31, 2020
