3-star '24 S Casey Etienne eyeing Kentucky, Iowa for fall official visits

Casey Etienne is a prospect that has been on the Kentucky football radar for over a year now. The three-star safety out of Fort Lauderdale (FL) Cardinal Gibbons earned an offer from the Wildcats all the way back in May 2022 and was in Lexington for an unofficial visit back in April.

But his recruitment went relatively quiet following that spring visit. Etienne scheduled just one official visit for the month of June, which was to Stanford this past weekend. The sense to begin June was that the Cardinal was in front for the 6-foot-2, 180-pound defensive back. But that visit never happened. Etienne, who is ranked No. 901 overall from the class of 2024 according to the On3 Industry Ranking, is now focusing on a pair of schools for future official visits: Kentucky and Iowa.

“I feel like (Kentucky and Iowa) just show me the most interest,” Etienne told KSR on Tuesday. “I could make an impact as a freshman and learn the defense and I really like the caliber of schools they are. They’re both in big divisions, you know SEC is the top conference and then Big Ten is second. Those are big conferences. I love the coaches, I love the school, I love the culture around the school. Those are my top two schools right now I’d say.”

Had a great time at Kentucky Friday!! Thank you for everything @Mike_Stoops41 @CoachBuffano @UKStoopsTroops @Andrew_Ivins @MohrRecruiting @Redskins32 @5manfree pic.twitter.com/O377KcuxYL

— Casey Etienne Jr. (@jellyfam_case) April 23, 2023

Although no dates have been confirmed yet, Etienne says he intends to officially visit both programs this fall, likely for gameday visits. He’s primarily being recruited to Kentucky by inside linebackers coach Mike Stoops. Safeties coach Frank Buffano has also begun to ramp up his communication with Etienne, who is viewed as a safety by the UK staff.

Etienne has yet to visit Iowa, but the coaches have made in-person visits at his school and are pitching an immediate role as a freshman. The Hawkeyes have been showing him plenty of interest as of late. But as mentioned above, he’s already visited Kentucky and is eager to get back on campus.

“I learned a lot. I like the staff, I love the staff. I talked with a lot of them. I love how they are,” Etienne said of his first visit to UK. “I looked over at some of the players that had been there and that went to the next level now and it’s just surreal knowing that could be me at some point… I’m excited to go back in the fall.”

With at least two visits coming this fall, a decision for Etienne will likely come after those are wrapped up. He also holds offers from the likes of Penn State, Vanderbilt, Iowa State, Maryland, and Syracuse, among others.