[LeeCoUKFan]

Cats added second JUCO from Texas

Justin Rowland
Special to CatsIllustrated.com

Another day, another junior college commitment for the Kentucky football program. Today the verbal came from Ryan Flannigan, a linebacker from Brenham (Tex.) Blinn College.

Flannigan's teammate Shyquawn Pullium committed to the Wildcats on Sunday. At the time, Flannigan told Cats Illustrated that was likely to nudge him in UK's direction as well.

CatsIllustrated.com first reported Flannigan's commitment and shortly after he gave the word to the UK staff he spoke with us.

"It just felt like it was the right place for me," Flannigan said. "It's the right decision to make. I'm comfortable with them and they seem like they have a good educational system.

"They said they need linebackers real bad and they said I can be a 'Day One' kind of guy for them. Going in I should be able to play. It's not going to be handed to me but I'll be able to compete."

It helped UK that assistant coach Chad Scott has been recruiting Flannigan for years. He was his primary recruiter on the Texas Tech staff when Flannigan committed to the Red Raiders in the class of 2012 as a senior at Missouri City (Tex.) Fort Bend Marshall.

"Coach Scott has been down with me since I didn't qualify to go to Texas Tech," Flannigan said. "He's been watching out for me and he'll take care of me."

Flannigan said defensive coordinator and linebackers coach D.J. Eliot visited earlier this spring to watch practice at Blinn.

As a high school senior Flannigan was a three-star prospect ranked the No. 60 outside linebacker in the nation. He's not currently ranked but he did have offers from Texas Tech, Arizona State, West Virginia and Cincinnati, among others.

http://kentucky.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1512741