Benjamin Eziuka fits the mold of a Kentucky center

The center position might get the least respect relative to expectations. The best of the best aren’t the biggest or longest athletes on an offensive line, but they’re often lined up across from the two biggest players on the defense. All the while, they’re tasked to call out assignments at the line of scrimmage, then do something no other offensive lineman has to do — snap the football.

While attending various Kentucky football camps through the first two weeks of June, center is the last position I’m watching. Simply put, the other positions generate a little more excitement. Wide receivers make acrobatic catches, edge rushers show off various moves, but today one center caught my eye. Once he got in the action, Eric Wolford rarely took him out. That’s because the Kentucky offensive line coach loved what he saw from Benjamin Eziuka.

“It was really nice,” Eziuka told KSR shortly after camping on Wednesday. “Obviously, you can see his resume. The guy is one of the best coaches around. He’s gonna work you hard. He came to my school a week or two ago and he told me when I go to camp he’s going to work me hard and he lived up to it.”

Eziuka fits the profile of successful centers on the Big Blue Wall. The rising junior in the 2026 class is 6-foot-3, 320 pounds from Detroit Central Catholic, a city that’s been kind to the Kentucky football program. He’s got a good head on his shoulders too, with a 4.8 GPA. He checks a lot of boxes, which is why after a rock-solid performance in the middle of the offensive line, Eziuka received his first Power Four scholarship offer.

“Coming in, I didn’t really expect it, but I knew I had a really good day today and it seemed like he liked me. I knew it was a possibility, but it was definitely a surprise when it actually happened,” said Eziuka.

“I’ve gone to camps for a couple years and these coaches are interested, they like me, but none of them pulled the trigger. For it to finally happen, it’s just a surreal feeling.”

Eziuka started his summer camp circuit at Notre Dame. Next week he’ll travel to camp at Cincinnati, followed by trips to Tennessee, Wisconsin, and Michigan. He has offers from almost every school in the MAC. That offer sheet will certainly grow as he gets more and more exposure ahead of his junior season.

There’s one more thing that makes Eziuka a fascinating underclassman prospect. As we saw a few years ago in Lexington, Central Catholic transitioned to a Wildcat offense last fall. Wolford knew the 2026 prospect could move well while blocking the run. Today’s one-on-one drills were all about pass protection, a skill he clearly aced. Ben Eziuka is a name to watch on the recruiting trail for the Kentucky Wildcats.