Relationships helped Kentucky land 3-star RB Tovani Mizell: "It just felt like family"

Tovani Mizell celebrated his birthday on Friday while on an official visit to Kentucky over the weekend. He was surprised with a birthday cake by the coaching staff and was able to spend the following day with his family for Father’s Day. Even though he was multiple states over from his residence in Florida, Mizell felt as close to home as he possibly could have.

A few days later, the “Boogeyman” committed to the Wildcats.

“I would say the main reason why was the relationship I’ve got with Coach (Jay) Boulware and Coach (Liam) Coen,” Mizell said during Wednesday morning’s edition of KSR. “I have a really strong relationship with them. While I was on the trip I got to build my relationship even stronger with Coach (Mark) Stoops and Coach (Vince) Marrow, so I think that was pretty cool. When I was there on campus it just felt like family. All the coaches were very cool and easy to talk to.”

Mizell, a three-star running back out of Fort Lauderdale (FL) Western, chose Kentucky over the likes of North Carolina and Oklahoma. Considered the No. 490 overall prospect from the class of 2024, he officially visited UNC earlier in the month and was scheduled to be in Norman this weekend, but that trip will no longer take place. Mizell, who was once committed to Georgia, learned everything he needed to know on his OV to Kentucky. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound back is locked-in with the Wildcats.

“The players were bonding very well, they made it easy for me to talk to them,” Mizell said. “We was just chopping it up, talking about football. It just felt like family. It didn’t feel like no regular program, it felt like everybody was close. So that’s one thing that I liked about the program. Even the coaches too.”

Mizell, who plans to enroll next summer, is the seventh commit for Kentucky’s 2024 recruiting class and the third in as many days. His connections with several of the coaches factored into his decision. Specifically, Coen’s track record as an offensive coordinator played a major role. Mizell sees himself playing in the NFL down the road, and learning under someone who has been there before is a good place to start.

“(Coen) coached in the NFL, he knows what it looks like,” Mizell said on KSR. “He runs a pro-style offense, (the Los Angeles) Rams had a real good offense. So that’s pretty much the main thing. He was just telling me how they plan to use me and stuff like that. He was telling me that all the people that he coached, once they go from college to the NFL, everything is just easier to pick up and easier to learn. I just want to be as ready and as prepared as possible for the next level.”

Another sticking point for Mizell was Marrow’s recruiting pitch. The Big Dog compared Mizell to one of Kentucky’s all-time great running backs, adding that he’ll fit right in with what the Wildcats’ are looking for in their system.

“Coach Marrow was telling me that I remind him a lot of Benny Snell and he thinks I fit perfect in the system that they run,” Mizell added. “I got good size, good speed, I’m a SEC back. Just saying he can’t wait to have me play and be the next great running back.”