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SCOUTING THE COMMITS: Cornerback Michael Nesbitt

Lauderdale Lakes (Fla.) Boyd Anderson cornerback Michael Nesbitt committed to Kentucky over the summer. He's next up in Cats Illustrated's series of scouting reports on UK's 2017 class.

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MORE IN CATS ILLUSTRATED'S "SCOUTING THE COMMITS" SERIES

Olney (Md.) Good Counsel offensive tackle Naasir Watkins

Cordova (Tenn.) defensive tackle Quinton Bohanna

Holland (Ohio) Springfield running back Bryant Koback

Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna defensive end Chris Whittaker

Ludowici (Ga.) Long County linebacker Jamin Davis

Akron (Ohio) Archbishop Hoban quarterback Danny Clark

SENIOR YEAR: In spite of finishing the year 7-3 (2-1 district) Boyd Anderson was left out of the playoffs.

Nesbitt's highlights of the season were a 71-yard interception returned for a touchdown against Coconut Creek on September 9, and a performance against Dillard (September 30) that included another interception and a blocked punt.

On six different occasions Boyd Anderson's defense, helped by Nesbitt, kept opponents under two touchdowns.

STRENGTHS: Nesbitt has been a quality two-way player for Boyd Anderson. In fact, as recently as this summer, when Nesbitt camped at Florida State, some high profile programs considered him to be more of a receiver than a defensive back. He turned in one of the best performances of any offensive prospect at a Florida State camp over the summer.

However, Kentucky considers him a defensive back, and as you might imagine, a player with high-end potential at receiver would have better-than-average ball skills when he's playing defense.

Southeast analyst Rob Cassidy praised Nesbitt when observing him at Florida State's camp over the summer. He said Nesbitt used a nice change of pace running style to beat some of the bigger corners he competed against when he was at receiver.

Nesbitt competed at Kentucky's Sunday Night Lights Camp -- where Cats Illustrated observed in -- as a defensive back. There he displayed a nice backpedal when he worked in drills with position coach Steven Clinkscale.

We were impressed with Nesbitt's natural athleticism and the way he glides when he runs. He should be a quality player in coverage. His closing speed is a strength. One of Nesbitt's best qualities, overall, is his footwork. Footwork and ball skills define his game in the secondary. And for a corner that's 6-feet, that's impressive.

Nesbitt isn't afraid of contact and he could translate as a defensive back who tackles well, especially as he gets bigger and stronger.

MORE FOOTBALL RECRUITING CONTENT AT CATS ILLUSTRATED

Friday's football recruiting Q&A at the House of Blue

Updated Rivals.com position rankings: How UK's commitments came out

COACH: Naasir Watkins is a late bloomer who could have an NFL future

WEEKEND VISIT PREVIEW: Who's visiting UK?

AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT: Nesbitt's height (6-feet) isn't an issue. He doesn't have the length of a Chris Westry or a Derrick Baity, but that kind of length is rare anyways. He's got requisite height but needs to continue packing pounds onto his relatively lean frame (175 pounds).

As Nesbitt becomes stronger he will be better equipped to battle with receivers and to get off blocks.

It will be interesting to see how Nesbitt is able to press receivers at the line of scrimmage because he hasn't demonstrated much of that yet, though he does have the footwork.

WHAT'S BEEN SAID: "Nesbitt’s athleticism is what pops off the page. It’s the reason for his versatility and why he is able to recover after being seemingly beaten. Nesbitt matched up with some other top-level athletes and held his own on most occasions." - Rivals.com Southeast Analyst Rob Cassidy (RCS Miami: Top Performers, 3/1/2016)

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