'23 OT Phillip Daniels planning official visit to Kentucky this summer

It’s been a busy spring for Phillip Daniels, and it’s only going to get busier heading into the summer.

A class of 2023 6-foot-4, 260-pound offensive tackle out of Princeton High School (Cincinnati, OH), Daniels is gearing up for months of official visits and camp opportunities. One of those expected spots is Lexington, where he expects to take an official visit sometime this summer, he told KSR on Tuesday. The Wildcats are one of three programs Daniels already has his eyes focused on for officials, along with Purdue and Minnesota.

Daniels, who is considered a three-star OT and the No. 688 overall rising high school senior by the On3 Consensus, already has one of those three locked. He’ll take an official visit to Minnesota from June 10-12 and is currently ironing out the dates for the officials to Kentucky and Purdue. Daniels told KSR that those three schools, along with Akron and Cincinnati, are the ones he’s hearing from the most right now.

Kentucky and associate head coach Vince Marrow initially offered Daniels at the beginning of 2022 in late January. It was his sixth from a Divison I program, but the first from a Power 5 school. Prior to that offer, he was hearing heavily from Cincinnati, which has been able to get him on campus already due to the close proximity. The Bearcats remain high on his list, although no offer has been publicly announced.

The likes of Ohio State, Indiana, Duke, and Wake Forest have been showing plenty of interest, as well. Daniels is looking to take camp visits — on top of his officials — this summer to Pittsburgh, Ohio State, Georgie Tech, Michigan State, and Cincinnati, he tells KSR.

Plenty more schools could reach out in the near future, too. Since May 5, Daniels has hauled in offers from the likes of Purdue, Minnesota, Austin Peay, Illinois State, UMass, Middle Tennessee State, and Fordham. Coaches are taking notice of his talents. But Kentucky is clearly one of the few frontrunners at this stage and that growing relationship with Marrow is a major reason why. Daniels pointed to Marrow and Kentucky’s history of developing offensive lineman as reasons why the Wildcats stand out to him.