"Matchup nightmare" Tanner Lemaster loved trip to Kentucky

There aren’t many people in high school football who make Kiyaunta Goodwin look like a normal-sized person, but Tanner Lemaster is one of the few.

Lemaster is a 6-foot-6, 240-pound class of 2023 tight end out of Washington High School (OH). He was in Lexington over the weekend for an unofficial visit, chalking it up with recruits like Goodwin while soaking in a perfect day to play some football. While the on-field result wasn’t exactly what Kentucky was hoping for against Tennessee, the atmosphere at Kroger Field still blew Lemaster away.

“It was amazing,” Lemaster told KSR on Monday. “Loved the atmosphere from all of the fans and I felt loved the whole time I was there.”

“He was completely overwhelmed by the atmosphere Saturday for the Tennessee game,” Lemaster’s head coach at Washington, Chuck Williamson, told KSR on Monday. “He said it was unbelievable, the crowd noise and the whole atmosphere and the whole thing he thought was absolutely unbelievable. So he was very impressed by that.”

Led by associate head coach Vince Marrow, Kentucky initially offered Lemaster back in March. UK then got him on campus for a camp opportunity over the summer. Since then, the ‘Cats have been in constant contact with Lemaster, making his top four list in July and eventually his final two, which he announced on Sunday night. His college decision will now come down to Kentucky and Cincinnati.

Commitment coming sooner than you think. #DJRS #BBN #CatsBy90 @CoachFick @MikeDenbrock @_maximus347 @PatLambert13 @ChadBrendel | @UKCoachStoops @vincemarrow @cjconrad1 @RowlandRIVALS pic.twitter.com/Y2BZtG37zV

— Tanner Lemaster (@TannerLemaster_) November 8, 2021

There is no official decision date in place for Lemaster at this time. That being said, he includes in his tweet that one will be “coming soon.”

Considering his status as a high school junior who blew up on the national scene in recent months, most recruiting outlets don’t have a star rating for him. But if you ask 247Sports, they would tell you Lemaster is a three-star talent and a top 400 player in the country already. Following the completion of his junior season, Lemaster was named a first-team performer in the Frontier Athletic Conference.

“He’s got really good hands. He’s a good athlete for his size. Excellent athlete,” Williamson said about Lemaster. “He does a lot of things well. He blocks well, runs good routes, catches the ball.

“You can’t say enough good things about him. I think he’s a 3.9 (GPA) student. He excels in the classroom and on the field he’s just a nightmare matchup for anyone. The last two years he’s had two game-winners; basically, we throw it up and he goes and gets it.”

With that kind of potential, his offers obviously weren’t limited to Kentucky and Cincinnati. Tennessee, Indiana, Iowa State, Central Florida, Vanderbilt, and several other Division I schools have also extended scholarships to him. Lemaster took camp visits to Ohio State and Notre Dame over the summer, as well.

“Once he hit a couple of camps, it kind of exploded,” Williamson added. “(Lemaster) was getting offers left and right.”

But Lemaster is coming down the final stretch of his recruitment and has his two finalists in mind. Cincinnati has made its mark on the national landscape in recent years with undefeated streaks and a brilliant head coach. Kentucky has also been on the rise as a program, but Lemaster points to the family environment he’s experienced in Lexington as one of his biggest factors.

“Honestly the family vibes and the atmosphere are the two main things for me,” Lemaster in regards to what he likes about Kentucky. “I like how they develop their players not only as athletes but as people as well.”

Lemaster has developed a solid relationship with Marrow, who actually used to work with Williamson years and years ago. Marrow was even in to recruit one of Williamson’s tight ends when the latter was an assistant coach at Central Crossing High School (OH) several years back.

Indiana and Tennessee were also a part of Lemaster’s top four. However, the decision to cut those schools out wasn’t all that hard for him. UK and UC clearly stand above the rest.

“It was pretty easy for me,” Lemaster said about cutting his list down to two. “Both the schools have showed me a lot of love, are top in the country for my major, have beautiful facilities, and are good at football of course. They’re both also close to home so that’s something I really liked.”

Coach Williamson also reassured that staying close to home was an important factor in Lemaster’s decision. Kentucky is under a three-hour drive from the town of Washington Court House while Cincinnati is roughly 90 minutes away

But on top of that, Lemaster is determined to play tight end. Some schools have pitched the idea of him potentially moving to tackle, but that isn’t on his mind right now. Marrow wants him at tight end. With his combination of size and athleticism, there’s a good possibility he turns into a high-level pass-catcher at the Division I level.

Let’s hope he does so as a Kentucky Wildcat.