4-star '24 OL AJ Dennis considering Kentucky visit after high school season

Andrew “AJ” Dennis announced his decommitment from the Michigan State Spartans back on Oct. 16. The four-star class of 2024 offensive lineman is officially back on the market after being locked in since early April, and there are plenty of new suitors interested in his talents.

Kentucky is one of them. Dennis officially announced his scholarship offer from the Wildcats on Tuesday, although he told KSR that associate head coach Vince Marrow told him he had an offer the moment he decommitted. UK was his third offer since reopening his recruitment, joining Clemson and Utah. Dennis, a 6-foot-4, 285-pound product of Mt. Pleasant (MI) High, has been in contact with both Marrow and offensive line coach Zach Yenser since his decommitment, but Marrow and Dennis have been in contact dating back over a year ago.

“September 1 of last year, Coach Marrow and I started building a relationship, starting talking over the phone and texting,” Dennis told KSR. “There was a previous relationship there.”

After an amazing conversation with @OL_Coach_Yenser I am blessed and honored to receive an offer to play football at the University of Kentucky!!!!@AllenTrieu @Rivals_Clint @ESPNRittenberg @TheD_Zone @samspiegs @BernreuterHugh @SamAliSports pic.twitter.com/X5fjHNiggi

— Andrew (AJ) Dennis (@andrewdennis_08) October 31, 2023

That previous relationship has helped Dennis and Marrow pick up right where they left off. Dennis never got the chance to visit Kentucky when he was being recruited the first time around, but that will change soon. Once his high school season wraps up, Dennis intends to make his first-ever trip to Lexington for a visit.

“They want me on campus,” Dennis said. “Right now we’re still in the heat of playoffs. So we’re gonna try to ride this thing out as long as we can and I’ll start taking my visits when that’s done.”

Obviously, with someone as talented as Dennis — ranked No. 329 overall in the 2024 class by the On3 Industry Ranking — UK won’t be his only trip. He listed the likes of Clemson, Utah, Nebraska, Stanford, Rutgers, Maryland, and Auburn as schools in constant contact since he backed off his pledge to Michigan State. Kentucky has reason to stand out though. Dennis likes how the ‘Cats recruit players from his area. He also pointed to Mark Stoops’ bowl game record and being the school’s all-time wins leader as things that caught his eye.

“They like recruiting northern kids — Michigan, Ohio,” Dennis added. “You see that with Deone Walker and Khamari (Anderson). They do a good job of recruiting the state. They like those northern kids because it’s a little bit different style of ball up here. Little bit more running the ball, nose on the grindstone. That’s one of their big messages if they want me to be a part of that.”

With so many new schools and coaches reaching out, Dennis is working on building new relationships at this point. But that’s where his connection with Marrow comes into play. They’re already familiar with each other, which isn’t the case with some of the new schools involved.

“It’s easier because you kinda look and know what you want and what you’re looking for,” Dennis said of being recruited a second time. “But at the same time, I wasn’t necessarily as highly recruited before I committed compared to what I am now. So that’s one of the difficult things. Lots of new schools are joining the mix so you gotta get a feel for them over the phone. And that determines if you wanna visit or not.”

Dennis is a versatile lineman who can play multiple positions in the trenches. He primarily plays left tackle, left guard, and right guard for his high school team. Tackle is his preferred position though, and that’s where Kentucky is recruiting him to play at the college level. Dennis and Mt. Pleasant will take on Forrest Hills Central this Saturday in the second round of the Michigan playoffs.