Kentucky making heavy push for '23 4-star safety DaKaari Nelson

When the Kentucky Football staff failed to make DaKaari Nelson’s top 11 back in March, they made sure to ramp up the interest to a whole different level. So far, it’s paying off.

Nelson is a 6-foot-3, 195-pound safety out of Selma, AL who we briefly wrote about on Monday when he dropped his updated list of preferred college programs. This time around, Kentucky made the list — down from 11 to a top 6 — as did the likes of Clemson, Penn State, Oregon, Tennessee, and Auburn. UK is the only school of the six that was not among the previous top 11.

Nelson is considered a 4-star defensive back and is ranked as the No. 249 overall prospect in the class of 2023, according to the On3 Consensus.

Almost that time … final 6️⃣ @ALLGASTRNG @GasCrew7v7 @ChadSimmons_ @SWiltfong247 @adamgorney pic.twitter.com/XCv12wwBag

— Trickster 🃏 (@dakaari_nelson) April 25, 2022

So what’s changed over the last month that allowed Kentucky to sneak back into contention?

“My top 11, those were the schools that kept in contact pretty often, like Kentucky they were one of the schools, but I didn’t wanna have a lot of schools but they were one of the last few that didn’t. And once they see that they didn’t make it, they kept in contact way more often,” Nelson told KSR on Tuesday. “Another reason they crept into my top six is because I have a couple of teammates that went and visited and they was telling me how well they liked it and all. Like how fast I need to hurry up and get up there and how much they speak on me up there.”

Nelson was originally offered by former Kentucky offensive line coach Eric Wolford, who is now working the same position at Alabama. That scholarship came back in late December, roughly a month before Wolford would join the Crimson Tide. As a result, safeties coach Frank Buffano assumed recruiting duties with Nelson, which has clearly yielded positive results so far.

During their conversations, Buffano tells Nelson that he’s a “perfect fit” for what Kentucky is looking for in the secondary: long, physical, and quick. UK’s recent success on the field over the years has played a significant factor in Nelson’s overall interest.

“Of course they got a good basketball team, but with them having a winning — well what I consider a winning football team that really boosted them,” Nelson said of Kentucky. “How they had a turnaround season. This season was the first season that I’ve been in high school that I actually watched Kentucky football and heard about it. But they’ve been doing a lot, they’ve been doing good.”

Of his top six schools, Nelson has yet to visit Kentucky and Oregon, but that will change for both programs over the summer. He plans to take a trip to both in the coming months, although no dates have been finalized as of right now.

He does hold a slight connection to the Kentucky program, too. Nelson’s brother is good friends with Wildcats sophomore wide receiver Chris Lewis, who is from the same area in Alabama as Nelson’s family.

Nelson plans to take a few more visits this summer before ultimately making a commitment. His plan as of now is to decide sometime during the middle of his senior season and the end of it.