He’s the total package, say friends and foes alike.

With a combination of power, speed and balance unlike any seen in Kentucky in recent years, Paducah Tilghman tailback Joe Casey is drawing comparisons to some of the best runners ever produced by the Commonwealth.

“You take guys like Shaun Alexander, George Adams, Mark Higgs and Marc Logan, he’s in that class,” said Tilghman coach Perry Thomas, a Lexington native and one of the state’s most successful coaches over the last decade. “I think he’s good enough to play for Kentucky right now.”

First things first. Casey committed to the Wildcats last spring, allowing himself to concentrate fully on the Tornado’s drive for a state championship. With a 5-0 record that includes road victories over Class 4A stalwarts Henry Clay and Ballard, talent-laden Tilghman is ranked second in Class 3A, just behind four-time defending state champion Boyle County.

With more than 4,800 yards and 65 touchdowns in 30 games since the start of his sophomore season, Casey will be among the state’s all-time leading rushers when he completes his high school career sometime this fall.

At the moment, though, it seems unlikely he will be in a UK uniform next fall. While Casey and Tilghman officials decline to discuss the issue, all indications are that Casey won’t fulfill NCAA requirements to establish freshman eligibility.

Casey cited UK’s proximity to home as a factor in his decision to commit to the Cats, but he will probably be a little farther away next season.

He will have some options, including enrolling at a prep school, but it seems more likely that UK will refer Casey to a junior college program, probably somewhere on the west coast.

Ask Casey to evaluate his talent, and the response is a little more forthcoming. It’s clear he relishes the strength and power generated by his 6-foot-1, 210-pound frame.

“I don’t go down on the first hit,” Casey said. “Especially when I get into the secondary, where all the tacklers are smaller than me. I keep my base, and that lets me cut back if I have to. Once I get downfield, it’s going to take more than one guy to get me down.”

Some longtime observers of the western Kentucky football scene rate Casey as the area’s best tailback since UK-bound Sonny Collins played for Madisonville in the early 1970s, even ahead of the likes of Higgs, Al Baker, Damon Hood and Artose Pinner – all of them future Wildcats.

What sets Casey apart is his power – he is bigger and stronger than Collins, at the same age and level of development, and has about three inches and 15-20 pounds on Higgs and Pinner, more finesse and elusive backs. And his speed easily eclipses that of power runners Baker and Hood.

“Joe combines all of the best qualities of all those Cats,” Thomas said. “He’s got the size and the strength and speed of some of those guys, plus he’s got the great vision backs have to have. He’s got great balance and hands.”

Even Hopkinsville coach Craig Clayton, who coached Pinner and saw all of the aforementioned backs, puts Casey at the top of the list – or very close to it.

“I’m a little biased, but I think Artose is as good as anyone that’s played down here,“ Clayton said with a laugh. “I’ve always felt our area has produced the best tailbacks, and both those guys are among them. Casey, like Artose, is a pretty special player.”

Clayton’s ballclubs have had as much success stopping Casey as anyone. Led by current Cat Ricky Abren, Hopkinsville was one of only two teams to hold Casey under 100 yards in a game last season, when the Tigers beat Tilghman in the regional finals.

“We were just able to get enough people to him,” Clayton said. “I’ve always referred to him as a bouncer – he runs inside, then bounces outside. And he’s so big and strong and runs with such power.

“He’s big enough and strong enough to carry the ball 30 times a game. They don’t always need him to because they have so many weapons, but he can be that workhorse-type back when they need him.”

Casey was considered one of the state’s best backs as a sophomore, when he rushed for more than 1,700 yards and scored 18 touchdowns, but exploded onto the statewide scene with a remarkable playoff run.

In a first-round win over Franklin-Simpson, he ran for 414 yards and five scores in only three quarters, and he finished the season with 2,358 yards and 34 touchdowns.

He has already showcased his talents for future UK fans in central Kentucky this fall. He rambled for 187 yards and three touchdowns in an easy win over Henry Clay, then ran for 125 and scored three times, including the game-winning touchdown in overtime, at Ballard.

This season, he has 765 yards and 13 touchdowns in five games, despite rarely playing past the end of the third quarter – Tilghman has blown out four of its first five opponents and is averaging 41.2 points per game.

Casey is also the first to admit the benefits of a talented supporting cast. Tilghman quarterback Hunter Cantwell has attracted interest from a host of Division I schools, including Kentucky and Tennessee.

Receiver Curtis Hamilton, only now returning to the lineup after missing the first half of the season with a stress fracture, has an offer from Vanderbilt and is being watched by several other schools. And Tilghman’s speedy collection of skill-position players does take some pressure off Casey.

“All those other guys we have, they’re playmakers” Casey said. “If people want to come up and key on me, we’ll beat them by throwing the ball. It’s a great situation for me to be in.”