Jordan Anthony is the nation's fastest sprinter and he'll play at UK
He’s so fast he had track offers from national powers Alabama, LSU, and others. He’s so fast and physical that many analysts think he could be a lockdown cornerback in college. However, Jordan Anthony plans to use his dynamic speed to play receiver at Kentucky.
“Kentucky is like a family where I can develop as a young man,” Anthony, who is close to being ranked in the top 500 nationally by some recruiting services, said Tuesday after making his verbal commitment to UK. “The young receivers can make me great and I just appreciate the opportunity to play at Kentucky.”
The 5-11, 165-pound Anthony won the 100-meter dash at the Nike Outdoor National Boys’ Track & Field Championship in 10.21 seconds to earn the title of the nation’s fastest sprinter. He set the all-time Mississippi record in May with a time of 10.23 seconds and he has run the 200-meter dash in 20.5 seconds.
The Tylertown, Mississippi, standout also seriously considered Mississippi, Florida State, and Boston College.
His cousin and Tylertown teammate Jeremiah Dillon had picked Mississippi over Kentucky earlier this month. Anthony joked that family and friends were “shocked” when he committed to UK and did not pick Ole Miss like Dillon did.
“I had other things in mind,” Anthony said. “We never really talked about going to school together. We just picked out top schools and then committed. But I will be recruiting him now. He’s a different receiver than me. He has a big body but we could definitely go well together.”
Linebacker coach Jon Sumrall was the lead recruiter on Anthony and once again worked his magic to get a highly regarded southern player to pick the Cats.
“He is somebody I can talk to,” Anthony said. “He respects me as a person and not just an athlete. He understands me well. I really liked him. There is no BS in him. I could trust him and my father really liked him. He’s a big reason I picked Kentucky.”
