[LeeCoUKFan]

Four-star safety says Cats are in the mix

Justin Rowland
Special to CatsIllustrated.com

Darius West doesn't want to eliminate any options yet but he is trying to get a feel for which schools have the inside track. So far Kentucky is in good shape.

Coming off a trip to Kentucky over the weekend for the Wildcats' junior day the four-star safety from Ohio feels very good about UK.

"They would be in my top five," West said.

While that seems like a relatively modest statement a little clarification is needed: When asked what other schools are in that top five, West said he's not sure yet.

"I'm still trying to work that out," he said.

In other words, UK has made a good impression. Saturday was West's first trip to Kentucky. It was a trip he was anxious to take because he's building a good relationship with Kentucky assistant coach Vince Marrow.

"Me and Coach Marrow, the tight ends coach, have a great relationship. It's good," he said. "He's a really good coach. I got to talk to Coach (Mark) Stoops when I was down there, too.

"(Stoops) was telling me he really likes me and he knew about me before he even got to Kentucky. He said I'm their number one defensive back on the board. All the other coaches were telling me that's a real good compliment because of all the guys he's put into the league."

West said the highlight of the trip was meeting with the coaches and the other recruits.

He plans to visit Notre Dame, Michigan, Michigan State and Tennessee next month, and wants to make his decision by the summer.

http://kentucky.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1477682