Honesty, comfort and opportunity at UK
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Tate Leavitt had a lot of options. Alabama, Auburn, Oklahoma -- and the list goes on.
He's surely been asked many times - "Why Kentucky?"
When Leavitt hit the road and started making the rounds as a heralded JUCO recruit he blazed a trail from Texas and Big XII country up through Missouri and Kentucky and then over to Illinois and others.
It quickly became apparent that Kentucky was one of the schools that caught his attention and impressed him the most. So he decided, without any hesitation, that Kentucky was a school he would return to for an official visit.
Ohio connection
One of the things that stood out to Leavitt right away was the number of Ohio players on the roster.
"I would say that made me feel a little more comfortable," Leavitt said. "Because a lot of us guys from Ohio have a similar mindset and a similar work ethic. So when I saw that - and I told you this before - the reason for the official (visit) became the chance to get around those guys to see if it was as advertised. And it was."
Courtney Love had stayed in touch with Leavitt from the JUCO lineman's first trip to Lexington. They text messaged one another. Love is also from Ohio.
Kyle Meadows and the recently dismissed Marcelys Jones, two more Ohio natives, were also beginning to reach out to him. Then there was Leavitt's relationship with ace Ohio recruiter and Buckeye State native Vince Marrow, not to mention Mark Stoops' role in the process as well.
The Ohio connection helped the UK staff get their foot in the door.
Just as advertised
As Leavitt said, the players made him feel right at home when he returned for his official visit. Kentucky's coaches were hosting a summer camp event and that's when Leavitt was mostly able to interact with the players that he now calls his future teammates.
"I thought I fit in great. I felt great about it," Leavitt said. "It was pretty cool. We were going to the horse farm down the street and playing some 80's rock."
That was right up Leavitt's alley. His dad is a musician and Leavitt himself is both a self-described metalhead and a major fan of 80's hair bands. He's just as passionate in his hatred for country music as he is in his love for the aforementioned genres, and Leavitt plays around on the drums and guitar himself.
"We were playing 80's rock and the whole car was sinking," he recalled. "It was me, Coach (Vince) Marrow, Courtney Love and my little brother Tavin. It was absolutely awesome. I thought, 'I absolutely fit in with this group.'
"The rest of the players were great. I interacted with them at the camp that day. That was the main time we got to hang out and I thought I fit in with them, too. They seemed like my type of guys and guys I could see myself being around."
Honesty wins out
Kentucky's depth chart was a major plus for Leavitt. So was the way the coaches were able to present their case.
While the information Leavitt uncovered about Auburn's depth chart didn't match up to what he heard from their coaches, he recalls, what Kentucky's coaches said matched his own research.
"I go back to their honesty with me," Leavitt said. "They were so upfront and honest with me. On my official visit I saw their depth chart and they're not lying. One other school did that and they had the same playing opportunity but that was a two-day trip (at Kentucky) compared to 3 ½ hours, and it was the SEC compared to the Big XII.
"I had to weigh my options and it seemed very plain and simple for me. Other than playing time and the honesty I had a great relationship with Coach Schlarman and Coach (Vince) marrow as well," he said.
