Official visit increases comfort and familiarity for UK's first commitment
Ever since Campbellsville (Ky.) Taylor County offensive lineman Hayes Johnson committed to Kentucky back in January - becoming UK's first 2024 commitment - there has never been any question as to the strength of that pledge.
Johnson has returned to visit UK numerous times since that verbal commitment and the 6'3, 295-pound three-star prospect took his official visit to Lexington over the weekend.
The easy-going Kentucky prospect didn't need to learn a lot of things he didn't know over the weekend, but the trip was a great opportunity to rub shoulders with future coaches and teammates.
Kentucky's commitment count is now up to four, since Aba Selm, Cutter Boley, and Antwan Smith have hopped on board since Johnson's commitment, and all four players as well as some other prospective Wildcats were on campus together over the weekend.
"I mean it was a blast," Johnson told Cats Illustrated in a follow-up conversation. "I got to meet everybody and get to know everybody a little bit more and then I got to hang out with Cutter and Aba. I hadn't seen them in a while. I got to meet Willie Rodriguez. There were a few more guys. Actually there were a ton more guys there. Fred (Johnson) ... Big Fred was there. Brian Robinson.
"Oh my gosh, a lot of the times on officials it's one of the only times you can get on campus for a while so they had a lot of guys up there. They took them in groups to talk to the coaches. I didn't get to meet with Coach Yenser too much just me and him because it was so hectic and busy but I really got to talk to Coach Coen and I hadn't gotten the chance to do that before. When I first got offered he left and recently when I visited he was trying to get an offense put together. I know my mom and dad were talking to he and his wife pretty much the whole time we were at Jeff Ruby's. I was sitting with Willie and Aba and them guys really just getting to meet everybody."
The biggest thing to come out of the weekend, for Johnson, was a greater familiarity and comfort level with the people he will be around when he enrolls.
"The biggest thing I took from it, since I'm committed, is that the relationships have been built a lot more now."
Johnson, Selm, and Boley are all planning to enroll early at Kentucky so that's a shared bond the trio of in-staters can look forward to together.
"I had several long talks with Drake (Jackson) and Coach Stoops and Coach Yenser just about how it's going to be when I get there and what I can do from here," Johnson said.
He said the coaches haven't given him any hard and fast goals in terms of weight or strength gains between now and when he enrolls at Kentucky. Instead, the plan is to simply show up ready.
"They're like, just come in here and be the best version of yourself that you can be. Just from that nasty streak," he said.