Photo: Regina Rickert
Four High School Graduates, Two Transfers From Nebraska Join UK
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Six new Wildcats have enrolled at the University of Kentucky and joined the Wildcat football program, Coach Mark Stoops announced Wednesday.
The mid-year enrollees are four high school stars who graduated in December – offensive lineman George Asafo-Adjei, tight end C.J. Conrad, defensive end Kengera Daniel and linebacker Jordan Jones – along with a pair of transfers from the University of Nebraska, tight end Greg Hart and linebacker Courtney Love.
All six players will count toward the 2015 signing class. They will go through the off-season high performance program and participate in spring practice.
George Asafo-Adjei, Offensive Lineman, 6-5, 315, Fr-HS, West Chester, Ohio (Lakota West) –Physical offensive line prospect who brings SEC size to the Bluegrass out of Lakota West High School in West Chester, Ohio … Two-year starter on the offensive line and also played some on the defense line … Four-star prospect by 247sports.com and three-star player by Scout.com, Rivals.com and ESPN.com … Scout.com ranks him the 27th-best offensive guard in the class of 2015 and the second best in the state of Ohio … Rivals.com and 247Sports.com rank him the No. 21 overall prospect in the state of Ohio … Scout.com says he is a “natural bender with the ability to pull and reach his target while keeping balance and getting great explosion from the hips along with his physical size and strength to overpower defenders” … Was a 2014 All-Ohio first-team selection … First-team All-Southwest Ohio in 2013 and 2014 … Also first-team Greater Miami Conference … Participated in the Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl in January 2015 after being named a Semper Fidelis All-American … Named the Anthony Munoz Foundation Offensive Lineman of the Year this past season … Blocking helped guide Lakota West to the Elite 8 of the state playoffs as a senior, the best finish in school history … His pass protection helped the team shatter the school’s single-season passing record in 2014 … Coached by Larry Cox … “George’s success had a direct correlation with his character,” Cox said. “As great a football player he is, he is an even better human being. He is the hardest worker and strongest player we have had here in this program and that is broad ranging because I have players that have started for Texas, Alabama and Ohio State. He has only been playing football since his freshman season and has just scratched the surface of his potential. The sky is the limit for him and it has been very rewarding for me to see him go from a first-time player his freshman season to a High School All-American” … Asafo-Adjei will rejoin former Lakota West teammates Mikel Horton and Kyle Meadows at UK … Also wrestled in high school one season, winning several varsity meets … Chose Kentucky over Louisville, Florida, Ohio State and Nebraska.
Personal: Born in the Bronx, N.Y. … Last name pronounced “ah-SAH-fo ah-JAY” … Son of Kate Boadi … Major is undecided.
Coach Stoops says: “George is an extremely physical player and has the stature you look for in an offensive lineman. He’s also very athletic for a player his size.”
C.J. Conrad, Tight End, 6-5, 245, Fr-HS, LaGrange, Ohio (Keystone) – An athletic and explosive tight end … A four-star prospect by Scout.com, Rivals.com and 247Sports.com … Three-star player by ESPN.com … Considered by all four services to be one of the best tight end prospects in the nation, including ranked seventh by Scout.com, who says he “naturally catches the football well and tracks it and adjusts to passes” … Helped lead his team to a conference championship in 2013, the first for the school since 1971 … In 2014, Keystone went 8-2 and qualified for the Division IV playoffs for the first time in school history … Lettered all four years and on top of playing tight end also played free safety, defensive end and split end his freshman and sophomore seasons … Started varsity midway through his freshman season and ended his career with 180 catches for 2,436 yards, 32 receiving touchdowns and two punt returns for a touchdown … Senior season ended with 55 receptions for 752 yards, 10 receiving touchdowns, one rushing touchdown and one punt return for a TD … Included in those stats was an impressive performance in the school’s first-ever playoff game, making nine catches for 114 yards and one touchdown, adding 12 tackles and two sacks on defense … Had 47 catches for 579 yards and six receiving touchdowns as a junior and 59 catches for 924 yards and 14 touchdowns as a sophomore … On the defensive side, he had 170 career tackles and six interceptions … Participated in the 2014 Columbus Nike Football Training Camp and won the MVP award for the tight ends and receivers group … Earned an invitation to Nike’s exclusive The Opening 2014 … Was awarded the annual Lorain County Golden Helmet Award, which is presented to the county’s top senior football player … Only the second player in school history to earn the award, with the last coming in 1972 … He was named 2014 All-Ohio second team, and the 2014 All-Northeast Lakes District, All-Lorain County and All-Patriot Athletic Conference first teams … Named the PAC’s Offensive Player of the Year and earned a PAC Scholar-Athlete Award … All-Ohio special mention his junior season and All-Ohio third team his sophomore season … Coached by Rob Clarico, who said, “C.J. is blessed with a lot of physical talent and add on his work ethic and that makes him a very special player. He is a natural leader and really works at that, but also spends time developing his craft. He never misses a workout and put in a lot of extra time to become a better player throughout the year” … A four-year varsity letterman in basketball, helping the team to the conference championship his freshman season and earning several all-county, all-conference and all-district honors … Honor roll student that was named to the scholar-athlete list every season, keeping a 3.5 GPA or higher … Chose Kentucky over Ole Miss, Illinois, Indiana, Arkansas and Duke.
Personal: Born in Fairview, Ohio … Son of Mike and Lois Conrad … Both played basketball at Tiffin University in Ohio … Plans a major in business.
Coach Stoops says: “We’re very pleased to have C.J. He can be a complete tight end. He has great size and will continue to develop. He’s a good pass catcher who can make plays in space.”
Kengera Daniel, Defensive End, 6-5, 250, Fr-HS, Raleigh, N.C. (Millbrook) – Defensive end prospect only began playing football in high school and shows plenty of potential … Battled injuries in high school that limited his stats but still posted 65 tackles and 19 sacks in 2014 … Had 13 sacks and one interception in limited time in 2013 … A three-star recruit by all four major recruiting databases … Scout.com ranks him the fourth-best defensive end prospect in the state of North Carolina, while Rivals.com, 247Sports.com and ESPN.com all rank him a top-25 player in the state of North Carolina … Versatile athlete played defensive end, linebacker, tight end and fullback in high school … Two-year letterman who helped his team break the school’s single-season sack record in 2014 … Guided Millbrook to finish second in the conference and advance to the quarterfinals of the state playoffs … Best career game came against Heritage High School when he had 12 solo tackles, including five tackles for loss and two sacks … The Fayetteville Observer named him the No. 16 best recruit in August 2014, saying “Daniel is a pure speed rusher who comes off the edge like a rocket … and once he gets his big hands on a ballcarrier, they’re going nowhere but to the ground” … High school head coach Clarence Inscore said, “First off, he is the ultimate team player and did everything that we ever asked of him, as you can tell by him playing defensive end, linebacker, tight end and fullback. He played defensive end mainly last year but we did put him in at tight end some and he caught a touchdown pass, which shows you how athletic he is. I think his best football is in front of him because he has only been playing football for three years and he is improving every day” … All-around athlete also lettered two years in basketball at center/power forward … Honor-roll student … Was very active outside of athletics, working with an outreach club in high school that spent time over at a local middle school tutoring … Chose Kentucky over Louisville, NC State, Virginia and Alabama.
Personal: Born in Coral Springs, Fla. … Name is pronounced “ken-JAIR-ah” (jair like hair with a “j” sound) … Son of Gerald and Kenyatta Daniel … Plans a major in biosystems engineering.
Coach Stoops says: “Kengera has great physical presence, with length and speed. He is extremely disruptive as he has the ability to create negative-yardage plays.”
Greg Hart, Tight End, 6-5, 240, So-Tr, Dayton, Ohio (Archbishop Alter/Nebraska) –
At Nebraska: Played in nine game in 2014, mostly on special teams … Redshirted his first year with the Huskers … Named to Tom Osborne Citizenship Team in 2014 and Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll in the fall of 2013 and spring of 2014 … Coached by Bo Pelini … Active in the community, volunteered his time with Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Uplifting Athletes, Husker Heroes, Husker Hotline and several local hospitals, elementary school and community rec centers while at Nebraska.
High School: Was a standout two-way player at Archbishop Alter High School in Dayton … Behind his efforts, Archbishop Alter posted an 8-2-1 record in 2012 and reached the first round of the state playoffs … Ended his senior season with better than 30 receptions for approximately 300 yards and three touchdowns … All-around athlete who also played defensive end and had better than 60 tackles, including a league-leading 10 sacks and an interception … Earned conference defensive lineman of the year honors and was a Division III All-Ohio choice … Impressive junior season, helping the team to a 10-1 record … Alter ended regular season with a perfect record in 2011 before losing in the first round of the state playoffs … Coached by Ed Domsitz … Coming out of high school, he was regarded as one of the top 30 tight end prospects in the country and one of the top 40 overall prospects in the state of Ohio.
Personal: Born in Kettering, Ohio … Son of Thomas and Linda Hart … Plans a major in finance/marketing.
Coach Stoops says: “Greg has the size and toughness needed to play tight end. He also brings some good experience from his two seasons at Nebraska.”
Jordan Jones, Linebacker, 6-2, 215, Fr-HS, Youngstown, Ohio (Cardinal Mooney) – A four-star prospect by Scout.com and three-star recruit by 247Sports.com, ESPN.com and Rivals.com … A top-20 player in the state of Ohio by 247Sports.com and ESPN … Ranked as one of the top 40 best outside linebackers in the class by all four databases … Strong senior season with 185 tackles, including 10 sacks, five fumbles forced and four fumbles recovered … Also had a great junior season with 123 tackles, 10 sacks, five fumbles forced, three fumbles returned for touchdowns and 27 tackles for loss … Was named to Big 22 Class of 2014, which honors the best 22 players in the states of Ohio and Pennsylvania … Named first-team All-Ohio Division IV as a junior and senior … Was 2014 Division IV Defensive Player of the Year … Started at linebacker and tailback in his two years at Cardinal Mooney … Head coach was P.J. Fecko … High school defensive coordinator Chris Amill said, “Jordan is a hard worker, probably the hardest worker that we have had come through Mooney. His explosiveness is really what stands out to me. He can move from sideline to sideline with ease and can gain on you in the blink of an eye, which should really help him at the next level. He is a special player because even if he does make a little mistake, his athletic ability, speed, quickness, explosiveness and relentlessness will make up for it” … Played his freshman and sophomore seasons at Reynoldsburg HS in Columbus, Ohio, starting at running back both years … Also ran track two years at Reynoldsburg, competing in the 100- and 400-meter dashes … Played three years of basketball as a power forward … Picked Kentucky after considering Miami (Fla.), Michigan State and Oklahoma.
Personal: Born in Columbus, Ohio … Son of Robert Jones and Vanessa Lang … Robert played defensive end at Ohio State during his collegiate days … Plans a major in marketing or communications.
Coach Stoops says: “Being from Cardinal Mooney (Coach Stoops’ high school), Jordan is a player I’ve watched grow up. He has the size and speed you’re looking for in a linebacker.”
Courtney Love, Linebacker, 6-1, 240, So-Tr, Youngstown, Ohio (Cardinal Mooney/Nebraska) –
At Nebraska: Played in 12 games in 2014 with six total tackles, including one tackle for loss … Sat out the 2013 season as a redshirt … Was a standout on the practice field and earned Scout Team Defensive MVP honors that season … Coached by Bo Pelini … Also earned a 2014 Nebraska Student-Athlete HERO Leadership Award and named to the Tom Osborne Citizenship Team … Was active in the community, volunteering his time with Uplifting Athletes, Husker Heroes, Make-A-Wish, Husker Hotline, and local hospital and community rec center outreach events.
High School: A two-time All-Ohio selection at Cardinal Mooney High School who posted impressive numbers as a senior, registering 110 tackles, 19 tackles for loss and nine sacks … Also forced four fumbles and had two pass breakups, despite missing one game because of injury … Was honored for his efforts as a first-team Division III All-Ohio selection for the second straight year … Played a key role in Cardinal Mooney winning the Division III state title his junior season, recording 130 tackles with seven sacks, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery … Was Mooney’s leading tackler in the state title game victory over Springfield Shawnee … Strong junior season in 20111 led to first-team All-Ohio honors and Division III Co-Defensive Player-of-the-Year recognition … Was regarded as one of the nation’s top 30 linebackers by multiple recruiting services and was listed among the top 30 overall prospects in the state of Ohio … Coached by P.J. Fecko … Initially chose Nebraska over Florida State, Ohio State, USC, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Michigan State, Illinois and Indiana … Rejoins former high school teammate Marcus McWilson at UK.
Personal: Born in Youngstown, Ohio … Son of Cory Love … Plans a major in business administration.
Coach Stoops says: “Like Jordan Jones, Courtney is a player I’ve watched grow up and we welcome him to our program. He has the size and physical presence to be an inside linebacker.”
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