Recruitment is heating up for in-state DL Jamarrion Harkless

Four months ago, Jamarrion Harkless became a very popular man on the recruiting trail. The Lexington (Ky.) Frederick Douglass rising senior was offered by Georgia on April 13. A flurry of offers followed.

Auburn, Cincinnati, Kentucky, Louisville, LSU, Michigan, Ole Miss, Purdue, and South Carolina all issued offers over the next month. In June, Harkless took an official visit to Illinois and decided to commit to Bret Bielema’s program.

However, the defensive tackle has opened up his recruitment, and some of those former suitors are back in the hunt for the three-star prospect.

Jamarrion Harkless (6-4, 290) spoke with Allen Trieu of 247 Sports and reported another visit has been scheduled. Harkless will take an official visit to Ole Miss on Labor Day weekend. Auburn, Louisville, and Michigan have also been in contact with the prospect.

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Kentucky does not currently have a traditional defensive line prospect committed in the class of 2023. Tommy Ziesmer is an EDGE prospect that could slide down to the 3-4 defensive end in Kentucky’s scheme if some weight and strength are added in college. Earlier this week, the Wildcats lost target Tavion Gadson to Florida State.

Kendrick Gilbert appears to be the top target on Kentucky’s recruiting board at the moment. The four-star prospect out of Indianapolis (Ind.) Cathedral is down to Iowa, Kentucky, LSU, and Purdue. The Cats have hosted the 6-5 defensive lineman for both an official visit and unofficial visit over the summer. His recruitment is a big deal for Kentucky.

If Gilbert were to pick someone else, that would leave Kentucky to try out some secondary options. Jamarrion Harkless could become one of those options as this recruitment is now going to leak into the season.