[LeeCoUKFan]

Elam adds fourth star, talks visit plans

Justin Rowland
CatsIllustrated.com Football Recruiting Analyst

The most recent round of ranking revisions on the Rivals.com network were good to defensive tackle Matt Elam.

The John Hardin lineman received his fourth star from the network and he now holds down the No. 215 spot on the new Rivals250, making him the No. 2 prospect in Kentucky behind only four-star quarterback and UK commit Drew Barker.

The 6-foot-6, 325-pound tackle now has offers from Alabama, Kentucky, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Tennessee, the schools that are widely believed to be among his favorites.

Elam now has official visits scheduled to Notre Dame (Oct. 18), Kentucky (Dec. 13) and Alabama (in December). What about the remaining two allotted trips?

"I'd rather do those after the season so I can bond more with the coaches and players so that they don't have to stress about the game," Elam said.

But Elam does want to get a taste for game day atmospheres. His official visit to South Bend coincides with Notre Dame's home game against Southern Cal.

He will also unofficially attend big games in Lexington and Tuscaloosa.

"I know (I'll visit) LSU at Alabama and Alabama at UK for sure," he said.

There's also a chance Elam could attend other UK home games because of his proximity to campus and an impressive home schedule that features games against Louisville, Tennessee and Florida.

Elam is Kentucky's top remaining recruiting priority and would give a huge boost to an already impressive crop of defensive linemen that have committed to the Wildcats.

http://kentucky.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1539885