UK commit Koby Keenum inspiring a lot of younger players in his community

WAFF 48 sports reporter Georgia Chambers says UK commit Koby Keenum is a "great young man" who is a great addition for UK offensive line coach Zach Yenser. (Twitter Photo)

Georgia Chambers is a sports reporter for WAFF 48, a NBC-TV affiliate in Huntsville, Ala., who watched recent UK commit Koby Keenum play for Mars Hill Bible School in Florence, Ala., last season. She was also at his commitment ceremony where he picked UK over Penn State, North Carolina and Louisville.

“It’s such a great story with him. He wanted to play baseball and did not play football until he was a freshman. His story shows if you have the dedication and play good football the big coaches will find you even at a small school,” Chambers said. “It’s just a feel-good story for him and his family.”

Chambers, a Georgia graduate, said when Keenum,  the nation’s third-ranked center in the 2023 recruiting class according to Rivals.com, picked Kentucky the room “erupted” in cheers.

“This is as big for the community and the school as him. This will inspire a lot of guys coming after him,” Chambers said.

Chambers worked with the recruiting team at Georgia when she was in school. Keenum had 55 scholarship offers and she wondered how Kentucky got to No. 1 on his list.

“He said the coaching staff at Kentucky set them apart from other offers. He thought they would do the most for him as a player and was easily the best fit for him,” Chambers said. “I had a friend who works at North Carolina and she had told me he wasn’t picking them. Kentucky was the favorite for a lot of people who knew him and it did not surprise them he picked Kentucky.”

What about Keenum throwing the L’s down after picking UK over Louisville?

“It was funny,” Chambers said. “He picked up the Louisville hat and then went for Kentucky. He unzips his jacket (showing a Kentucky shirt) and everybody cheered. Then they brought out Kentucky cupcakes and cake. It was a very happy environment considering four years ago he was not even playing football.”

Chambers was impressed that not only did Keenum’s mother thank the station for their coverage but the UK commit did the same.

“Of course, he also wanted to know what time it (his commitment) would be on TV,” Chambers said. “But he’s such a great young man. It was amazing just to see how happy he was. Florence, Alabama, is all he knows but now he gets his chance on the big stage. It kind of gives me chills thinking about it.”