2027 IOL picks Kentucky over Wisconsin, Illinois

Kentucky football is building quite the trench unit under new head coach Will Stein. The Wildcats previously swooped up four-star defensive lineman Malachi Brown before the week of June 8. Now UK wins over 2027 interior offensive lineman Reed Gerken over Wisconsin and Illinois.

The talent from Perrysburg, Ohio confirmed his commitment with Hayes Fawcett of On3/Rivals Monday. He also turned down a chance to play for Virginia Tech and incoming head coach James Franklin. The three-star hands Stein a potential future blindside protector at 6-5, 280-pounds.

Gerken pulled back the curtain with Steve Wiltfong of On3/Rivals on why he chose the Southeastern Conference school.

“Kentucky really checked all the boxes throughout my recruitment,” Gerken said to Wiltfong. “They were so consistent whether it was checking up on me, coming to see me or etc. They were always looking to take those relationships to the next level.”

The allure of the SEC also enticed Gerken.

“I think having the chance to possibly play young in the SEC is extremely exciting and I believe in Coach Stein, Coach [Joe] Sloan and Coach Cutter [Leftwich] that UK will be back at the top.”

Sloan runs the offense under Stein. Leftwich will serve as Gerken’s position coach off his commitment decision.

Kentucky is creating quite the College Football Recruiting heater under the former Oregon Ducks offensive coordinator. Gerken adds to the nation’s current No. 23 ranked class. UK also added four-star safety Tristin Hughes back on April 18 to this growing 2027 class. They also grabbed three-star safety Miguel Wilson on April 8 who turned down a chance to play for Deion Sanders at Colorado.

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