2025 3-Star RB Isaiah West Commits to Kentucky: 'I Can’t Wait'
Kentucky football is starting the weekend with some good news. Isaiah West, a three-star running back in the class of 2025, has committed to Kentucky, he tells KSR+.
“I’m excited to get to work,” West said. “I can’t wait to see how this journey unfolds.”
The 5-foot-11, 210-pound running back from St. Joseph’s (Philadelphia, PA) visited for Kentucky’s Junior Day on Feb. 3 and said that trip weighed “heavily” into his decision to commit. It was on that trip he developed a very strong relationship with Kentucky’s running backs coach Jay Boulware.
“I really like Coach Boulware and I think he can take me to another level,” West said. “He’s got great experience.”
West pointed towards Boulware’s experience coaching Joe Mixon at Oklahoma and Najee Harris with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He believes Boulware can help him play a similar role at Kentucky.
“I can fit really well into the Kentucky offense,” he said. “I was with Coach Boulware and the rest of the Kentucky staff from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. after the Tennessee basketball game. It was a pretty packed day. I did a lot.”
West also got to experience what Kentucky can offer off the football field. He wants to study sports medicine in college and got the chance to meet with a former UK football player now in the medical field.
“He explained to me how that works and what some of the players do,” West said. “It was good to get down there. I always think it’s great to see it for yourself rather than hear it from other people.”
Still More Visits to Come for Isaiah West
With one visit to Kentucky under his belt, Isaiah West is ready for two more trips to Lexington over the next few months. He’ll visit for a spring practice on March 28 before taking his official visit to Kentucky on June 7.
“Now that I’m committed, I just want to get more acclimated with the coaching staff and maybe meet some of the players,” West said. “I want to see how Coach Boulware coaches up close.”
West is still planning to visit other schools this spring and summer. He’s also visiting Wisconsin from May 31 to June 2 and Nebraska on June 28.
West hinted at this in an interview with KSR+ earlier in the week. He said he “would rather know where I’m going before my official visits just because I don’t want to wait that long.”
Reuniting with David Washington Jr.
Isaiah West’s commitment to Kentucky will give him the chance to reunite with a high school teammate, David Washington Jr., who is a member of Kentucky’s 2024 recruiting class. Washington, a 5-foot-10 wideout played together with West at St. Joseph’s in Philadelphia for the majority of their high school careers.
“It’s going to be great,” West said. “He was a mentor for me all throughout my high school career. I came in as a freshman on varsity and he was a sophomore. I stuck this whole process out with him. It’ll be great running it back again.”
Washington has been supportive throughout West’s recruiting process. When he learned that West earned an offer from Kentucky in December, he came running through school to find him and congratulate him.
“He told me, listen, this is the place to go,” West said.
West told Washington on Thursday that he was going to be committing to Kentucky. Once again, Washington was elated.
“He’s really pumped,” West said. “He’s really excited.”
Isaiah West’s Game
Three-star running back Isaiah West of Philadelphia (PA) St. Joseph’s is the nation’s No. 704 overall prospect, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. On3 ranks West as the No. 28 running back and the No. 11 best player in Pennsylvania.
“I’m a three-down back,” West said. “I can catch the ball out of the backfield, I can run the whole route tree, I can run past you, I can run through you, and I’m a willing blocker. I’m not going to let anybody touch the quarterback.”
West plans to enroll at Kentucky in December of 2024 in order to get a head start on his college career. In the meantime, he’s looking to improve his football IQ.
“There are going to be a lot of other talented guys,” he said. “I have to be able to beat them with my head sometimes.”
