3-star EDGE Makai Byerson taking 4 official visits before making final decision

June is going to be an important month for Makai Byerson. The three-star EDGE prospect out of Richmond, VA, has scheduled four official visits over the next several weeks, one of them with the Kentucky Wildcats. A commitment could come shortly after he wraps up his mini-tour.

Byerson will officially visit West Virginia (June 2), Rutgers (June 9), Kentucky (June 16), and Virginia Tech (June 23), he tells KSR. His birthday is July 4, and a final decision could come around that time frame or even on the actual day. Byerson is considered the No. 698 overall prospect and No. 44 EDGE from the ’24 class, according to the On3 Industry Ranking.

Although he released a Top 8 list of schools back in February (which included a clever graphic that he and his dad made), the four programs he’ll officially visit have caught his eye the most at this stage in the process. Byerson has also been considering Virginia, Tennessee, Boston College, and Pittsburgh.

“For me, I was blessed to have my recruiting process start a little bit earlier,” Byerson told KSR on Wednesday. “My sophomore year I was taking game visits, going to Junior Days, being able to witness some of that stuff early. So me going to a lot of schools early, I felt like I seen everything I wanted to see. So now, towards the end of my junior year, now I have those four schools really at the top of my list. I’m just ready to narrow it down and get it settled.”

Top 8 🏘️ (recruitment still open) pic.twitter.com/zuyfLJYvtn

— Makai Byerson (@Showtimekai) February 9, 2023

Byerson’s trip to Kentucky will be his second after he came to Junior Day in late January. He was initially offered by defensive coordinator Brad White during the fall but wasn’t able to get on campus until a few months later. Byerson was actually scheduled to visit Tennessee instead of UK for that Junior Day date, but Coach White convinced him to switch the trip to Lexington. The two have been forming a steady relationship over the last several months.

“I wasn’t supposed to go to Kentucky the weekend I visited,” Byerson said. “I was supposed to be at Tennessee, but Coach White convinced me to go ahead and move some things around and when I got (to Kentucky) it was just a whole different experience. I love the facility, I love all the coaching staff, everybody treated me nice.

“Coach White, I was visiting with him the whole time just talking about football, how they see me there in the defense, how the day-to-day life is for a student-athlete. I talked with Coach (Mark) Stoops too. He just reiterated everything Coach White was telling me the last few months before I got up there.”

Suiting up for Manchester (VA) High School, Byerson doubles as a star basketball player. On the gridiron, the 6-foot-4, 235-pounder was tabbed First-Team All-State, Region Player of the Year, and First-Team All-Metro in 2022. He also split time as a tight end for the Lancers.

Virginia Tech — which is roughly two hours away from Byerson’s home and rosters several of his friends — could be tough for the Wildcats (and others) to beat out, but White and company will have an opportunity to shift the tides during his official visit in a couple of weeks.