Rare leaderboard: UK, Harvard and Yale among quarterback's favorites
Kentucky is recruiting a number of quarterbacks from the 2019 class and that wide net approach has yielded some interesting early returns on unique prospects.
Nik Scalzo is one quarterback the Wildcats are recruiting and he's got a leaderboard that's unlike most you're ever likely to come across.
Although Scalzo is only 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds he's got a high three-star ranking and is regarded as one of the top passers in South Florida.
He has early offers from Illinois, Central Michigan, Harvard and Yale. But that only tells part of the story. Kentucky is in regular contact with Scalzo, and he camped in Lexington last summer with a large group of players from his home region.
Scalzo was one of the top quarterbacks at the Miami leg of the Rivals 3 Stripe Camp presented by adidas.
Shortly after that event Cats Illustrated touched base with Scalzo, who said Kentucky offensive coordinator Eddie Gran has been talking to him a lot over the past few days.
Gran was in South Florida recruiting recently and he stopped by Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Cardinal Gibbons, Scalzo's school, and watched the 2019 prospect throw.
"He said that I am a true pocket passer that has the ability to extend plays," Scalzo said.
Scalzo only got to spend a brief amount of time at Kentucky last summer as the trip was exclusively about a camp. But he said "the campus is surreal" from the little bit that he saw.
"Love the coaches. I know a lot of the kids on the team," Scalzo added.
Class of 2018 Kentucky wide receiver commitment Marvin Alexander was on Scalzo's 7-on-7 passing tournament team.
Scalzo told Cats Illustrated that he will attend Kentucky's junior day on February 24th. Another Florida quarterback, Hayden Wolff, has said in the past that he plans to attend that event.
As far as favorites?
"I love Kentucky," Scalzo said. "And Harvard and Yale are there, too. I'm talking to Boston College, too."
As a junior at Cardinal Gibbons, Scalzo completed 175 of 307 passes for 2,065 yards, accounting for 25 touchdowns as a first team all-county selection.