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For as long as he can remember, Kentucky has been his favorite team. That’s why when Henderson County junior offensive lineman Mason Wolfe realized he had the best relationship with the UK coaches of any staff recruiting him that there was no reason not to make his verbal commitment to the Wildcats as he did last week.
“It’s close to home, a state school, I like the coaches and it was my favorite team growing up,” said the 6-5, 270-pound Wolfe. “I just kind of decided why not go ahead and make my decision. The offense we run at my high school is kind of similar, so I am familiar with that and the blocking schemes.
“I got so much feedback when I made my decision. Twitter blew up for a while with followers. I got a lot of congratulations and fans were happy to see I had committed. It takes a little bit of pressure off my senior year about where I will go to school, but it adds pressure in that people will really want to compete against you. They will give me their best shot ever game, but it is also kind of exciting to see what people can bring at me.”
His father, Ron, was thrilled with the commitment since he is a life-long UK fan.
“I think it is great for him,” Ron Wolfe said. “I am so excited and so happy for him and thrilled he’s going to be playing for coach (Mark) Stoops.”
Clay Clevenger, now the head coach at Danville, was Wolfe’s coach in 2012 when he was a sophomore. However, Clevenger said because of his size, it was obvious in middle school he had the opportunity to be special. His father brought him then to watch the high school team work out in the weight room to show him what kind of work ethic he would need.
“With coach Clevenger, I really learned how to run block and a lot of good techniques,” Mason Wolfe said. “He was a fantastic run block teacher. That hopefully will give me an advantage at Kentucky because I have learned and played in two different types of offenses in high school.
“I am someone who likes to run block and I want to get better in my pass protection techniques. I am a hard worker and consider myself as someone who always wants to get better.”
Wolfe, a three-star player, started developing a mean streak and strong work ethic as a sophomore and Clevenger said the “light bulb went off midway of his sophomore year” about what could make him a special player.
“He has dedicated himself in the weight room and from all I could tell he really had a good junior season,” Clevenger said. “He is a great kid. He was kind of nice on the football field and maybe even borderline soft at one time, but now he understands he can be nice off the field and nasty on the field.
“The biggest thing I always talked to him about was that he needed a better motor. He had the size and you knew the strength would come. He had good hip flexibility for a kid his size and quick feet. He just had to get that motor. Sometimes bigger kids are a little slower to develop that motor. It’s kind of like they are gentle giants and have been afraid they might hurt guys. But he started getting it midway of his sophomore year, was really working had in the weight room when I left and things have continued to snowball in the right direction for him. I think as long as he keeps working like he has, he has a world of potential.”
Wolfe was considering Louisville, Purdue, North Carolina State and Western when he gave his verbal pledge to UK.
“Once I saw all UK had to offer, that was it,” Wolfe said. “I felt the program would go the right direction when coach Stoops came. I just knew he would change the mindset and turn things the right way. I’ve only been around the players a few times and now will get to talk more to the, but you can tell they believe in what he is doing.”
Wolfe hopes to be at UK’s Blue-White Game April 26. He has a Rivals.com camp he will attend earlier in the day. He also plans to go to a Nike camp in June.
“But I am probably going to call off all the other camps because I am going to UK and that’s not going to change.” he said.
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