3-star EDGE Makai Byerson can see himself at Kentucky after official visit

Kentucky football wrapped up its second big recruiting weekend of the month on Sunday. With plenty of highly-rated prospects in Lexington over the last few days, the hope for Big Blue Nation is that it will lead to some momentum in the form of commitments. One of the prospects on campus this weekend was three-star EDGE Makai Byerson, who left town impressed with what he saw.

“They solidified everything,” Byerson told KSR shortly after he arrived back home in Virginia, referring to how his official visit cemented what he already knew about the Kentucky program through phone calls, text conversations, and a previous unofficial visit. The 6-foot-3, 235-pounder attended UK’s Junior Day back in January.

Coming off his official, Byerson says that the Wildcats are near the very top of his list of college options alongside West Virginia, which he officially visited at the beginning of the month.

“(Kentucky is) definitely 1A, 1B right now,” Byerson added. “I can definitely see myself in the blue and white.“

@showtime_m4 Kickin it in Lexington #UK #officialvisit #collegelife #bbn ♬ original sound – myah

The Kentucky coaching staff is recruiting a handful of EDGE targets from the 2024 class, including the likes of four-star Brian Robinson, four-star Jacob Smith, four-star Dominic Nichols (who also OV’d at UK this weekend), three-star Amontrae Bradford, and three-star Caleb Redd (another official visitor for UK over the last few days). Three-star EDGE Antwan Smith already committed to UK shortly after his official visit last weekend.

That being said, defensive coordinator Brad White is high on what Byerson, who is ranked No. 732 overall in the ’24 class per the On3 Industry Ranking, could bring to the table if he winds up choosing the ‘Cats. White told Byerson he already has the size and strength necessary to be successful in the SEC.

“Me and Coach White sat down and we went over the defense and went over a lot of film,” Byerson said. “Compared it to Josh Allen, (Josh) Paschal, those boys, and how he thinks I can have a similar play style like them and how he feels like I will fit perfectly in the defense. I had a meeting with (head coach Mark) Stoops, we talked about how I’m a priority for them and answered any questions I had.”

Byerson gave a brief breakdown of what he did during his official visit. His player hosts were the Wade twins, Keaten and Destin, but he added that everyone — current players and fellow official visitors — spent a lot of the weekend together. There were plenty of good meals (lunch on the baseball field) and friendly video game competitions along with a photoshoot and tours of the campus, facilities, and downtown Lexington.

Sunday, the final day of the trip, was centered around meetings with Kentucky coaches.

Taking a wider look at Byerson’s recruitment as a whole, along with UK and WVU, he’s also considering Rutgers and Virginia Tech. He’s already OV’d at Rutgers (June 9) and will head to VT this coming weekend (June 23) for his fourth and final trip before making a decision, which will likely come in early July.

Byerson was tabbed First-Team All-State, Region Player of the Year, and First-Team All-Metro in 2022 for Manchester High School. He also split time as a tight end for the Lancers and doubles as a star basketball player on the hardwood.