The Cats have been making big moves in recruiting over the past few seasons, snagging the number one player out of Michigan in both 2018 (Marquan McCall) and 2020 (Justin Rogers). In 2021, they looked within, and landed the number one recruit in the Bluegrass.

Offensive lineman Jager Burton announced Sunday evening from KSBar and Grille that he would be committing to Mark Stoops and the Wildcats. The Frederick Douglass product will remain in Lexington to continue his football career.

Burton joins Bronco teammate Dekel Crowdus as the crowning jewels thus far of Kentucky’s 2021 class. Crowdus, a wide receiver and the third-ranked recruit in the commonwealth, made his decision back in May, and seemingly offered a peek into Burton’s choice well before the 6:00 p.m. announcement time.

The “Big Dog” Vince Marrow and John Schlarman were the leading recruiters for Burton, according to 247Sports.

The 247Sports Composite (aggregation of rankings of top recruits by major recruiting services) has Burton as No. 125 overall, the No. 8 offensive guard and the number one player in Kentucky.

The rankings for Burton from ESPN, Rivals and 247Sports and are below:

ESPN – No. 229 Overall, No. 9 Offensive Guard, No. 2 in Kentucky

Rivals – No. 170 Overall, No. 8 Offensive Guard, No. 1 in Kentucky

247Sports – No. 59 Overall, No. 3 Offensive Guard, No. 1 in Kentucky

Burton also had offers from Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Oregon, among others.

On 247Sports, Kentucky’s national class ranking jumped from 48th overall to 39th after Burton made his announcement, and from twelfth to eleventh in the SEC.

Burton is the 16th player in the Wildcats’ 2021 class.