Three-star linebacker Antwoine Higgins with Kentucky coach Will Stein. (X Photo)
He might only be a three-star prospect but having Cincinnati linebacker Antwoine Higgins Jr. commit to Kentucky Wednesday was a huge addition for coach Will Stein.
The 6-foot-2, 230-pound Higgins had plenty of offers and picked UK over national champion Indiana, Purdue, Louisville, Texas A&M, Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, Missouri and others.
His commitment moved UK’s 2027 recruiting class that has 10 players to No. 5 nationally.
“It was just mainly that I felt the strongest connection with them out of everybody,” Higgins told KSR. “They (UK coaches) called me the first day they were on campus. They let me know I was their top guy. We have a strong connection.”
That “strong connection” is something Stein and his staff have been building with a lot of big-time players. Higgins is a top 20 player in Ohio in the 247Sports rankings who was not connected with Kentucky when Mark Stoops was the UK head coach. That changed after Stein got the job in early December and assistant coach Tony Washington Jr. closed the deal for the Cats.
Higgins told KSR he liked the vision Stein had for the Kentucky program and that the “culture, relationships and chance to elevate the program” stood out to him.
He had 67 tackles, including 28 solo stops, for Anderson High School in Cincinnati last season. He had three sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss. He also made two interceptions that he returned for 57 yards.
“I’m somebody who can come in immediately and make an impact at Kentucky,” Higgins told The Enquirer Wednesday. “I’m going to be high in the community off the field, and a dog on the field.”
Anderson coach Evan Dreyer told The Enquirer that Higgins had a “huge impact” on Anderson, a team that has made the Division II state final the last two years.
“He came in as a highly talented quarterback and switched positions and made an impact from Day One. It’s really, really special,” Dreyer told The Enquirer.
Higgins is an Under Armour All-American who does not lack confidence. His handle on X is “@5starr_twon” and Stein is banking on him being a five-star player during his Kentucky career.
One Response
Football is the hardest sport to rank players. Usually in basketball if your a top 20 high school player you can come right in college and make a impact. In football that's not the case the #50 player might be better than than a top 5 player. In basketball this rarely happens in football it happens all the time. In football if your ranked in the top 500 your a great football player. In basketball it's usually the top 100 players are great basketball players. But there is a big difference between someone ranked #51 and someone ranked #1-#5. Football there is no difference. Someone ranked #51 might be a better football player than someone who is ranked #1-#5. The reason being is there is way more positions in football. The #1 ranked safety might be ranked #50 In the class and the #2 safety could be ranked #100 in the class. But how do you compare the #2 safety who is ranked #100 against the #8 linebacker who's ranked #99. Do you see what I mean you might not even be a top 5 linebacker but your ranked higher than the second best safety. So in football if the player is ranked in the top 500-600 they could be just as good if not better than someone ranked 200-300. That's why you get low 4* players and a high 3* is better than the low 4*. Or someone could have gotten a better rating because they have more of a college or NFL body but lack the skills. This kid is a stud and should be ranked at least a low 4* but like I said none of this matters if the 3* practices harder then you can throw the ranking system out the window.