[LeeCoUKFan]

Defensive tackle Howe is drawing UK interest

Justin Rowland
CatsIllustrated.com Football Recruiting Analyst

Defensive tackle Kraig Howe is only a junior this year but with a BCS offer to his credit he can realistically start to think about favorites and where he would like to end up.

No one school has separated itself in a big way from the rest of the pack but it's clear that Kentucky is in good shape with the Kettering (Ohio) Archbishop Alter lineman.

"I do like Kentucky a lot just because I've been in good contact with them and talked to them a lot," Howe said. "I really like Northwestern. It's in Chicago and it's a good academic school. I'd like to go to a school with good academics. Maybe a place in the ACC like Duke would be good, too."

Illinois is the only school that has offered so far but Howe said Kentucky, Pitt and Arkansas are the schools that have shown the most interest other than the Illini.

Howe wasn't able to do much this summer because he had a broken bone in his foot. He was able to attend Kentucky's Friday Night Blue Lights camp and he went to Friday Night Lights in Columbus with the Buckeyes as well. He did not participate at either even however.

"I just wanted to pick up some technique and listen to the coaches, let them see my face and get a relationship with them," he said.

Lexington impressed Howe in a big way and so did the coaches.

"I liked it there a lot," he said. "I really like the campus and the coaching staff. Coach (Jimmy) Brumbaugh and the defensive staff are great. I like how they're doing it there. Coach (Mark) Stoops is doing great. Kentucky might be low in the SEC right now but it's going to be a great program and they can only go up. I really think they're going to.

"I've talked to coach (Vince) Marrow a couple of times and he's come to Alter so I've seen him. I talked to him when I went to Kentucky and he introduced me to coach Stoops. I've gotten to know coach Marrow pretty well."

Howe's broken foot doesn't seem to be holding him back much. He was cleared to play on August 1 just before the start of two-a-days.

http://kentucky.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1535399