Cats Illustrated caught up with new commit Michael Nesbitt's head coach at Lauderdale Lakes (Fla.) Boyd Anderson and he shed some light on the kind of player Kentucky is getting in the three-star defensive back.
Here's what he had to say in Q & A format.
Free link: Nesbitt opens up on choice of Kentucky
Premium link: Impact analysis - Nesbitt's commitment from every angle
Free link: Previewing all the high school football action this weekend featuring UK commits
Cats Illustrated: What kind of player is Kentucky getting in Michael Nesbitt?
Quincy Woods, head coach at Boyd Anderson: He's the kind of guy who can play a lot of different positions on the field. He can do a lot of things for you. Not just as a DB but we'll put him at running back and even as a receiver.
Cats Illustrated: What areas of his game do you think have improved the most since you've known him?
Woods: Since I've known Mike he's always been the same kind of kid he is now. Just a top-notch talent. He's a guy with top speed. I think he's gotten much faster since he's learned how to run. He ran track this past year. But more so it's his vocal leadership that has become much better. He's more vocal and helps to lead the defense.
Cats Illustrated: We've seen him listed at 6-feet but at Kentucky's camp he looked bigger than that and he told us he's up to 180 pounds. Has he grown a lot recently?
Woods: He's definitely gotten bigger from the workouts we put our guys through all summer. He puts a lot of work in. He comes in ready to work every day.
Cats Illustrated: Have you had a chance to meet offensive coordinator Eddie Gran, Mike's recruiter?
Woods: I have not had an opportunity to meet Eddie Gran. But from when I spoke to Mike about him, Mike said he loves him as a coach. As a recruiter and as a coach, the relationship has been great.
Cats Illustrated: Were you surprised that he committed to Kentucky or did you feel like this was a long time coming?
Woods: When Mike came back from the camp up there you could tell that was probably the school he was leaning towards. In conversations Kentucky kept coming up. He liked the school. He liked the environment. He said, 'Coach, this is somewhere I could call home for the next three or four years.' So I know for a while they were probably in front.
Cats Illustrated: What other schools were recruiting him the hardest to your knowledge?
Woods: West Virginia is one. I know for sure UCF was another. Pittsburgh was a school that had recruited him a lot. There was LSU. He had a lot of them sending letters or talking to him on the phone.
Cats Illustrated: Kentucky has recruited Nesbitt as a defensive back. What does he do best as a player in the secondary?
Woods: The thing about Mike is he can play all of those (positions in the secondary). You can play him off (man) or you can have him press. He's that great kind of an athlete. For sure, I really do like him as a press corner because he's got long arms and he's a fast guy. He's got great speed.
Cats Illustrated: What kind of speed are we talking about?
Woods: Mike is a 4.4 (second 40-yard dash) kid. That's why I put him at receiver. He can take the top off a defense. He can catch the ball at receiver and he can play defensive back. He's got great speed. The big thing with Mike is I love practice with him. The intensity goes up whatever side of the ball he goes on. If he's on defense the intensity goes up. If he's on offense the intensity goes up.
