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He knew that offensive coordinator Neal Brown wanted him to call, but John Hardin defensive lineman Matt Elam got a bit of a surprise when the called the Kentucky coach Thursday night.
Not only was Brown waiting to talk, so was the entire Kentucky football coaching staff.
“They were in the football office eating pizza and trying to contact the top recruits,” said Elam.
And what did they tell him?
“They said I was the No. priority on defense, especially in the defensive line,” Elam said. “They said if I would just commit, they would stop recruiting any other defensive tackles.”
Kentucky defensive line coach Jimmy Brumbaugh wanted to know when Elam was going to “jump on board” and reminded him that UK’s 2014 recruiting class now ranked 10th nationally.
“He said I needed to jump on board when they were hot and get others to do the same. He said, ‘If you do it, a lot of others will want to jump on board, too,’” Elam said.
He also talked to head coach Mark Stoops, who said he had been trying to reach Elam for two days.
“He said I was big-time now and I said he was, too,” Elam said.
Actually, the 6-6, 350-pound Elam is more big time than even he imagined. That happened once Alabama coach Nick Saban, who has won three national titles in the last four years, offered him a scholarship.
“It is crazy big. I would neer think all this could have happened,” Elam said. “Last year I would never have imagined any of this.”
So what happened to transform him from an all-state defensive tackle to a four-star national recruit that is now UK’s main in-state priority following the earlier verbal commitment of Conner quarterback Drew Barker? Elam believes it was a combination of coaches evaluating his film and then Alabama making the scholarship offer.
“When I got to Alabama, the coaches told me they could not believe I was 6-6, 350,” Elam said. “They said they thought I was about 6-3, 310 but I was the size of a freaking house and how I moved was amazing. Once coach Saban offered, then things got really hectic. I went to UK, got another offer and then a lot more schools started jumping in.”
Elam, who lives with his mom and sister, says it has been “crazy” for his family and they don’t always understand the whole process. He says his coach gets calls daily but thinks the process “has been fun.”
The consensus is that Elam will pick between Kentucky, Alabama and Louisville much like Barker did when he picked UK over South Carolina and Tennessee. But since Barker did commit, Elam has been the center of attention in the Bluegrass whether every tweet scrutinized and fans.
“I would say it has been kind of harder. Everybody is saying Kentucky has the No. 1 (in-state) prospect in Drew after he jumped on board and now I am the No. 1 prospect on defense. We talked two day before he committed. We talk a lot. I have a great relationship with Drew,” Elam said.
They’ll be together at UK for camp June 10-11 when many of UK’s top recruits will also be present. He’s also planning a two-day trip to Alabama. He was supposed to go to Ohio State June 9th but likely will cancel those plans.
“I just have to figure everything out. I feel like at times during the school year I was gone to a college every different weekend,” Elam said. “With school out, it makes it easier. I had to get my grades up, but I finished up well. I can focus on getting in shape and keeping my weight down. I just love having the summer to go camps and take visits.
Elam knows he could be a “marked man” during his senior season because of the offense publicity he’s received. However, that doesn’t worry him.
“I just think it will push me harder to play better. I will not slack off because I have nice offers on the table,” Elam said.
He also likely will not rush to make a commitment.
“All this has been pretty cool, but I just plan to wait and see what happens,” Elam said. “I’m not going to rush anything.”
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