For the second time in three days, Kentucky has secured a commitment from a talented Ohio offensive lineman.
Dominic Black announced on Wednesday that he has committed to Kentucky. The Wildcats faced fierce competition on the recruiting trail from Virginia Tech, Michigan State, Tennessee, and Indiana, but Cutter Leftwich was able to beat Curt Cignetti and the defending National Champs to the finish line.
Black is a four-star talent from New Madison Tri-Village, a rural township in Western Ohio near the Indiana border. Both Rivals and 247 rank Black as a Top-200 overall player in the 2027 recruiting class. He’s Rivals’ No. 9 player from Ohio and the 12th-ranked offensive tackle in America.
It’s abundantly clear that Ohio is still open for business in the Kentucky football recruiting department. The Cats now have five Ohio natives in the 2027 recruiting class, including three offensive linemen and a pair of four-star talents.
Eric Wolford left the Kentucky offensive line room in disarray. The Wildcats needed bodies. Kentucky aggressively attacked the transfer portal, but that’s just a short-term solution. High school recruiting was the only way UK could truly rebuild the Big Blue Wall. Kentucky now has four offensive linemen in the 2027 class, and they’re still looking to add more.
Black checks all of the boxes the Wildcats need. An exceptional athlete, the high school hooper has no trouble pulling down the line of scrimmage or getting to the second level of the defense. A relentless blocker, Black is bringing some tenacity to the trenches.
“What they like about me is my physicality and effort,” Black previously told KSR+. “Those things are big-time for me. I play really hard, or I try to at least, and that’s what they like. You can teach things but you’ve gotta want it and that’s what they like about me. They talked about my athleticism and think I can play any position on the line and they like my versatility. My athleticism and my feet are two other things they talked about.”
Black’s coaches don’t have to tell him to “play through the whistle.” In fact, it’s opposing coaches who you’ll find complaining that he’s going too hard. This is another huge recruiting win for the Wildcats.
PlayerPositionHigh SchoolRankingJake NawrotQB (6-4, 190)Arlington Heights (Ill.) Hersey4-star (No. 60 overall)Dominic BlackOT (6-5, 280)New Madison (Oh.) Tri-Village4-Star (No. 245 overall)Malachi BrownDL (6-4, 265)Corbin (Ky.) High4-star (No. 273 overall)Marquis BryantS (5-11, 185)Rolesville (N.C.) High4-star (No. 287 overall)Elijah BrowniDL (6-1, 290)Prattville (Ala.) High4-star (No. 299 overall)Iveon LewisWR (6-2, 180)Richmond (Va.) Huguenot4-star (No. 346 overall)Tristin HughesS (6-1, 190)Rocky River (Ohio) High4-star (No. 390 overall)Ian WalkerT (6-5, 305)Pennington (N.J.) The Pennington SchoolHigh 3-star (No. 423 overall)Larron WestmorelandS (6-5, 180)Corbin (Ky.) HighHigh 3-star (No. 451 overall)Miles BrownCB (6-0, 180)Martin (Tenn.) WestviewHigh 3-star (No. 477 overall)Antwoine Higgins Jr.EDGE (6-2, 230)Cincinnati (Ohio) PrincetonHigh 3-star (No. 493 overall)Reed GerkenIOL (6-4, 290)Perrysburg (Ohio) HighHigh 3-star (No. 584 overall)Tank ProctorTE (6-5, 220)Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage3-star (No. 608 overall)Ty AshleyLB (6-2, 200)Owensboro (Ky.) High3-star (No. 614 overall)Kelsey GeraldRB (5-11, 191)Lantana (Fla.) Santaluces Community3-star (No. 628 overall)Austin ColesWR (6-4, 190)Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas3-star (No. 648 overall)Mason BallRB (6-0, 190)Jacksonville (Ark.) High3-star (No. 655 overall)Brady HulliOL (6-1, 285)Somerset (Ky.) Pulaski County3-star (No. 661 overall)Griff GallowayEDGE (6-3, 240)Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day School3-star (No. 664 overall)Matthias BurrelliOL (6-4, 320)Gahanna (Ohio) Lincoln3-star (No. 755 overall)Miguel WilsonCB (5-10, 170)Mobile (Ala.) Vigor3-star (No. 762 overall)Conrad HartTE (6-5, 235)Lexington (Ky.) Christian Academy3-star (No. 801 overall)Drew WilliamsLB (6-1, 205)Sequoyah (Ga.) Canton3-star (No. 847 overall)