Kentucky Makes the Final Cut for Coveted Offensive Line Target

Kentucky is riding a wave of recruiting momentum. The Cats still need to fortify the trenches in the 2027 recruiting class, and one of their top targets is eyeing a decision date.

Offensive lineman Reed Gerken, a three-star talent from Ohio, shared on social media that he will announce his commitment on June 22. That is just a few days after he makes a trip to Kentucky (June 19) for his final official visit of the summer.

In addition to Kentucky, Gerken is checking out his other three finalists before announcing his college decision. He will visit Virginia Tech (May 29), Wisconsin (June 5), and Illinois (June 12) before he sees Kentucky.

It’s clear that the Ohio offensive lineman is near the top of the Wildcats’ big board. Offensive line coach Cutter Leftwich and offensive coordinator Joe Sloan made the trip to Perrysburg in Northwest Ohio to check in with Gerken last week.

“It was good,” Gerken recently told Justin Rowland. “Coach Cutter had come to see me in the morning. He came to actually meet some of my teachers and got to meet some of the staff there. He met some of my teachers and at my study hall he pulled me out and taught me some of their offense and had me teach it back to them, which was really neat.

“He really wanted to meet my teachers to see what I was like. He knew I wasn’t a bad kid or anything but just wanted to meet them. He thanked them for giving him an opportunity to speak with them. One of my teachers actually went to the Derby and he talked with Coach Cutter for like 20 minutes,” Gerken laughed.

Huge thanks to @CutterLeftwich and @CoachJoeSloan for coming by today to come see me! Fired up for my OV soon!#Feedthestuds #BBN #BigBlueWall
🔵😼⚪️@CoachWillStein @CoachKleffner @DallasWarmack @Coach_PaulRod @RowlandRIVALS pic.twitter.com/4EQOEecd2C

— ReedGerken (@ReedGerken) May 6, 2026

Once again, Kentucky finds itself in a head-to-head recruiting battle with Virginia Tech. The Wildcats were able to pry Iveon Lewis away from his home state and also secured a commitment from four-star safety Tristin Hughes. This would be another significant win over James Franklin, and bolster the Kentucky brand in the state of Ohio.

Earlier this week, I logged an RPM prediction for Kentucky to secure a commitment from Gerken. Hopefully, the Roush Fade only applies to my horse racing picks this time of year.

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