Kentucky commit DJ Hunter with offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan. (X Photo)
When sophomore quarterback DJ Hunter of Knoxville announced this week he was verbally committing to Kentucky, he also said he would be returning home.
“I was born in Lexington. My momma is from Lexington,” the new UK commit said. “My dad played football at Eastern Kentucky and they met in Richmond. We were there for a year and then my dad transferred to a community college in Memphis and we moved back there. Then he transferred to Central Missouri and we stayed there two years.
“After he was done playing we moved back to Memphis and stayed there until this year when we moved to Knoxville.”
He only played in eight games before tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in November but completed 76 of 142 passes for 1,431 yards and nine touchdowns and also ran for three scores for Bearden High School.
Hunter’s mother still has family in the Lexington area and that includes Kentucky junior safety Ty Bryant.
“I had not seen Ty for a while but he shared a lot of stuff with me on my visit,” Hunter said about his recent trip to Kentucky.
One other important aspect of his visit led to Hunter making his verbal commitment.
“The fact I was able to sit down and have an actual conversation with head coach (Mark Stoops) was a big plus for me,” Hunter said. “You could tell he had a genuine interest in me and wanted me to come to Kentucky.”
He said friends and others in Knoxville were happy for him and congratulating him on his college choice even if Tennessee and UK are rivals.
“I am not really a Tennessee fan,” the sophomore quarterback said. “Kentucky has been one of my favorite schools, but I actually grew up watching Clemson football more than anyone else.”
