'24 OT Aidan Bryant hearing from Kentucky as recruitment blows up

Even those who follow high school football recruiting closely might not have heard the name Aidan Bryant until the last couple of weeks. Coming from a basketball background and having played football for less than two years, it took him longer than his peers to make a name for himself on the national stage. But he’s finally on the rise — and Kentucky is taking notice.

Bryant, a 6-foot-5, 300-pound class of 2024 offensive tackle, truly began to blow up when he announced an offer from Ohio State on Sept. 9. That was his first high-profile offer, having hauled in scholarships so far from the likes of Northern Illinois, Ball State, Jackson State, Central Michigan, and a few others. Bryant camped at Ohio State in June, returned earlier this month for a game visit, and left Columbus with an offer.

“Me moving down south helped a lot,” Bryant, who transferred to Greenville (MS) Christian School just a couple of weeks ago, told KSR on Sunday. “I’m originally from Indiana, that’s my hometown, but I moved down to south Mississippi to finish the season, just to play at a higher level and get recruited more by some of these southern teams because football is played a lot harder down here. So it’s just a better opportunity for me.”

The move has paid off rather quickly. Along with his Ohio State offer, Bryant has been hearing plenty from the likes of Miami (FL), Louisville, Missouri, Purdue, Indiana, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, and Georgia Tech. He took unofficial visits to Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, and Memphis over the summer. Bryant says that Kentucky defensive backs coach Chris Collins has been in his ear the last two weeks.

Appreciate the love!! @CoachC_Collins GO WILDCATS🔵⚪️ @UKFootball @UKCoachStoops @OL_Coach_Yenser pic.twitter.com/bmi1KBffOj

— Aidan Bryant (@aidannbryant) September 22, 2023

“I have his personal cell,” Bryant said of his budding relationship with Collins. “We talk a lot. Once I get this film edited up I’ll get that to him. He’s really interested in me so I’m just working on building that relationship with him. UK can definitely be a place I call home, just because it’s close back to home in Indiana. I plan on going back (to Indiana) after this season, so it’s close to home. And I’ve just always been a UK fan, especially coming from a basketball background. My dad was a big UK fan.”

Bryant is more familiar with Kentucky men’s basketball than the football program right now, but Collins is working to change that. Bryant does have some small ties to Kentucky football, having worked out before with former Wildcat offensive lineman, Kiyaunta Goodwin, and having played against current Kentucky freshman defensive lineman Kendrick Gilbert. Gilbert played at Cathedral (IN) High and went up against Bryant’s previous high school, Westfield, two years ago.

So far, Bryant doesn’t have any upcoming visits on his docket as of right now. His high school schedule makes travel challenging, but he has full intentions to take official visits once his senior season wraps up. He adds that he’s in no rush to make a commitment.

“UK will definitely be one of the first schools I visit just because it’s really close to home,” Bryant said.

Kentucky currently has 20 commits locked in for the 2024 recruiting cycle, ranking 25th in the nation according to On3. Three of them are labeled as offensive linemen: three-stars Aba Selm, Hayes Johnson, and Jadon Lafontant.