[LeeCoUKFan]

Three-star lineman Haynes joins Kentucky's class after visit

Ben Jones
CatsIllustrated.com Staff Writer

Neither rain, nor sleet, nor a blanket of snow in Lexington could keep offensive lineman Nick Haynes from committing to Kentucky this weekend.

The three-star lineman from Niceville (Fla.) High School visited UK on Friday and Saturday before rerturning home on Saturday night. After talking it over with his parents, he called UK's coaches back on Sunday morning and committed to head coach Mark Stoops and offensive line coach John Schlarman.

"They were pretty excited," Haynes said. "I'm not going to lie."

Haynes, who previously lived in Alaska, toured campus and watched the basketball team practice on his visit. As the Wildcats' only official visitor this weekend, he was able to spend "a lot" of time one-on-one with coach, including offensive coordinator Neal Brown.

"I liked it," he said. "Nothing to complain about. Great school, great atmosphere. Lots of diehard fans of Kentucky sports. There's nothing you wouldn't want in a school."

He also spent a lot of time with Schlarman, who has been his primary recruiter from UK. Haynes, who is listed at 6-foot-4, 294 pounds said he expects the opportunity to compete for playing time as a true freshman. He's the No. 40 offensive guard in the nation. Kentucky is replacing a pair of interior linemen this year while installing a new system.

"I'm one of those kids that will have the opportunity to come in and maybe play if I put in the work," Haynes said. "I don't plan on redshirting."

He's the 20th member of the Wildcats' 2013 class, pledging to UK just three days before National Signing Day on Feb. 6. He's the fourth offensive lineman in the class and the eighth commit from Florida.

Offensive guard Shaq Love, who redshirted, was his host for the weekend. Haynes saw many similarities between himself and Love, who could also be competing for playing time this fall. He met several of his other future teammates also.

"Very down-to-earth people," he said. "They understand last year wasn't very good at all and that they need to come in focused this year."

Though he was impressed by Kentucky's campus and the coaches, his experience with the fans in Lexington was what stood out to him most.

"They are all about Kentucky sports," he said.

Haynes picked UK over Florida Atlantic and Central Florida. Florida State had also shown interest late in the recruiting process, but Haynes said he's solidly committed to the Cats.

"I'm pretty firm where I am now," he said. "I'm comfortable with the decision I made, absolutely. There aren't many things that could change my mind about where I want to go."

http://kentucky.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1467792