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Guys, I talked last night with one of UC's top 2022 targets, Lakota West (OH) four-star defensive back Alex Afari. He dropped a top six last week of UC, Indiana, Kentucky, Iowa State, Virginia and Pittsburgh.
Honestly, I think the Bearcats are in a great spot, but I'm not sure they're the favorites here. Afari has been to UC, but it's been since before the pandemic. I think he had a great relationship with Marcus Freeman and before Freeman left, I would have said UC was the favorite. The Bearcats have done a good job staying on Afari, so still top contenders, but Freeman leaving allowed others to catch up a bit. Assistant coach Perry Eliano has picked up a lot of the recruiting duties and it seems like that relationship has gone well. Afari said he's also talked with Pat Lambert on the recruiting staff, too.
What helps the Bearcats are the guys already committed, mostly Derrick Shepard. I know he's been working Afari hard and Afari said as much. He definitely hears the recruiting the commits are doing and that will definitely help.
That said, I think Kentucky and Virginia are the top two contenders with UC. Afari told me his mom loves UVA and the staff there, which goes a long way. But Afari also loves Kentucky, one of the other places he's visited, along with Pitt. I will say, Afari has a virtual visit set up with UC on Saturday, which could go a long way and change things. It's the only one of his top six he hasn't had a virtual visit with yet. Afari wants to wait until the dead period ends to get in visits, then commit over the summer, but he also said he's worried about places losing spots, since seniors can come back and since recruiting classes for 2022 will likely be shorter across the board.
I'll keep y'all posted, but full story coming.
Guys, I talked last night with one of UC's top 2022 targets, Lakota West (OH) four-star defensive back Alex Afari. He dropped a top six last week of UC, Indiana, Kentucky, Iowa State, Virginia and Pittsburgh.
Honestly, I think the Bearcats are in a great spot, but I'm not sure they're the favorites here. Afari has been to UC, but it's been since before the pandemic. I think he had a great relationship with Marcus Freeman and before Freeman left, I would have said UC was the favorite. The Bearcats have done a good job staying on Afari, so still top contenders, but Freeman leaving allowed others to catch up a bit. Assistant coach Perry Eliano has picked up a lot of the recruiting duties and it seems like that relationship has gone well. Afari said he's also talked with Pat Lambert on the recruiting staff, too.
What helps the Bearcats are the guys already committed, mostly Derrick Shepard. I know he's been working Afari hard and Afari said as much. He definitely hears the recruiting the commits are doing and that will definitely help.
That said, I think Kentucky and Virginia are the top two contenders with UC. Afari told me his mom loves UVA and the staff there, which goes a long way. But Afari also loves Kentucky, one of the other places he's visited, along with Pitt. I will say, Afari has a virtual visit set up with UC on Saturday, which could go a long way and change things. It's the only one of his top six he hasn't had a virtual visit with yet. Afari wants to wait until the dead period ends to get in visits, then commit over the summer, but he also said he's worried about places losing spots, since seniors can come back and since recruiting classes for 2022 will likely be shorter across the board.
I'll keep y'all posted, but full story coming.
