Lexington Catholic K/P Max DeGraff commits to Kentucky

A local football prospect is electing to stay home.

On Friday morning, Lexington Catholic High School’s do-it-all player, Max DeGraff, announced on social media that he has committed to the University of Kentucky. DeGraff, who specializes in kicking/punting while also thriving on the offensive side of the field for the Knights, will join the Wildcats as a preferred walk-on next season.

The 5-foot-11, 160-pound high school senior also had an opportunity to play at Eastern Kentucky, but ultimately went with the hometown Wildcats.

Staying Home!🔵⚪️#committed #BBN @UKFootball @CoachPerry_UK @Coach_Matsakis @UKCoachStoops Thank you to my family, friends, and coaches who have helped me along the way. @JJHousleyUK @Coach_B10 @CoachJay_15 @LexCathFootball pic.twitter.com/gVeGt2g8M5

— Max DeGraff (@MaxDeGraff23) December 9, 2022

DeGraff, who was also named to KSR’s 2022 All-State Offensive Team on Friday, first received the opportunity to play college football at Kentucky back in September. He was offered at the time by offensive analyst/quality control coach Mark Perry and had been on UK’s campus in the spring. DeGraff is considered a 4.5-star kicker and a 4.0-star punter by Kohls Kicking, ranking 65th in the entire country according to the outlet. DeGraff connected on 58 of his 59 extra-point attempts and four of his six field-goal attempts during his senior season.

Here’s what Kohl’s Kicking had to say about DeGraff:

DeGraff had an excellent showing at the 2022 Kohl’s National Scholarship Camp. He was smooth with his leg swing and his power has improved. He charted 22 points in the field goal portion of camp and was impressive with his kickoff ability when he charted a 75 yard blast with 3.71 seconds of hang time. DeGraff competed at the 2021 Eastern Winter Showcase Camp. He was strong once again in his kickoffs and field goals at the event. He scored 9 points in the field goal charting and had a big ball of 67 yards with 3.71 seconds of hang time.

via Kohl’s Kicking

He posted a video on Twitter last season of himself drilling a 60-yard field goal during practice.

60 yd field goal🙌 @LexCathFootball @HKA_Tanalski pic.twitter.com/foe5xerGHk

— Max DeGraff (@MaxDeGraff23) October 21, 2021

While special teams is where he stood out in the eyes of the Kentucky coaching staff, DeGraff was Lexington Catholic’s top offensive option this past season. He hauled in 64 receptions at wide receiver for the Knights, resulting in 1,425 yards and 21 touchdowns across 13 games played. DeGraff ranked third in the entire state in receiving yards per game at 109.6 and 10th in total individual scoring.

The last time Kentucky brought on a walk-on from Lexington Catholic, David Bouvier worked his way into a scholarship role as a senior wide receiver in 2018, which resulted in him playing all 13 games for the ‘Cats (two starts) while recording 209 receiving yards and two touchdowns.