Indianapolis defensive lineman Kendrick Gilbert was selected for the Army All-American Bowl. (Twitter Photo)
Competing in the Southeastern Conference requires big, athletic defensive lineman and Kentucky added a game Wednesday when former Purdue commit Kendrick Gilbert flipped to the Wildcats.
He’s a four-star defensive lineman from Indianapolis Cathedral High School who visited LSU, Notre Dame, Purdue and Kentucky last summer before initially picking Purdue in August. However, when coach Jeff Brohm left Purdue for Louisville, Kendrick re-opened his recruitment and now will be a Wildcat.
He made his final recruiting visit to Kentucky last weekend — he got to watch his sister, Katlyn, play basketball for Missouri against UK on Sunday —and on national signing day Wednesday he went with the Wildcats.
The 6-5, 300-pound Gilbert is ranked as the No. 3 player in Indiana by On3 Consensus and top 400 player in America. 247Sports Composite ranks him as the 46th best defensive lineman in the 2023 recruiting class.
Kyle Neddenriep of the Indianapolis Star broke the news first Wednesday that Gilbert was flipping his pick to Kentucky. He said the decision really did not surprise him.
“I think he always was considering Kentucky through the recruiting process and obviously especially after the coaching change at Purdue,” Neddenriep said. “Kentucky stayed in the mix all along and it ultimately paid off.”
So what is Kentucky getting with Gilbert?
“He’s a great athlete for his size. Like his coach Bill Peebles said, he’s capable of being an NFL talent if he puts it all together,” Neddenriep said.
His high school coach also told Neddenriep that he believed Gilbert could play early at Kentucky.
Gilbert helped his team win a state title his junior season when he had 45 tackles and five sacks and had 31 tackles and three sacks in nine games in 2022.
He has played multiple defensive line positions but is projected as a tackle in college or an end in a 3-4 alignment. He has the high motor that defensive line coach Anwar Stewart likes. “Kendrick is a great addition to our program,” Stoops said. “He has the size and physicality we are looking for on the defensive line. He also has a great work ethic as he comes from a high school program that is known for winning. I really like his winning mentality.”
