New DE prospect to visit 'Canes

The University of Miami is in the running for a four star defensive end from Gainesville HS (GA) who recently opened up his recruitment and taking visits. Read on to find out what he is saying about the University and his upcoming trip schedule.

This past weekend, Gainesville High School (GA) defensive end Keith Wells played in the Offense-Defense High School All-American Game in Miami, Florida.

“I played real well, I had two and a half sacks and nine or ten tackles,” Wells said. “I felt like not a lot of people could stop me off the edge.”

The 6-foot-5 edge rusher has recently opened up his recruitment after committing to Florida State in the summer. However, recently, he decided to open up his commitment and see what other schools have to offer him.

“I am still committed to Florida State, but I am keeping my options open right now,” Wells said. “I want to be one hundred percent on FSU being where I want to be. I saw places this summer but I didn’t get to see what they are like because there weren’t really any students. But after I take my visits, I’ll know where I want to go.”

Of those schools that he opened up his recruitment for was the University of Miami.

“It was actually the coaches that got in contact with me at the All-American game,” Wells said. “They are definitely trying to get me in there at least for a visit. I want to go down there and see what they have to offer me and my mom.”

“(Clint Hurtt) said as far as recruiting, they wanted to get me, but I committed before the season, before they had a chance to recruit me,” Wells said. “When I was at the game, they heard we were going on visits and was considering different schools so they contacted me and talked to me. They want me to come down and definitely see the campus so I can evaluate them too. They are looking for guys to come in and play right away, and that is what I am trying to do.”

Wells hasn’t finished scheduling his visits yet, however plans on taking his visit to Miami within the next two weeks. Other schools receiving visits upcoming for Wells are Florida State, Alabama, and Tennessee.

“Right now, my top five is Florida State, Ohio State, Miami, Auburn, and Tennessee,” Wells said.

What will Wells be looking for throughout the rest of his recruiting process?

“I want to go to a place where I feel comfortable and a place I’ll be successful at,” Wells said. “I don’t need to go to a program that is necessarily winning, but one that will be good enough to be a top school but isn’t quite there yet. Also, academics need to be good and one that is real big on family.”

The University of Miami is known as one of the more family oriented schools around college football circles, it is an aspect of the University that attracts Wells and upon his visit, should learn more about it.”

“I had heard a lot of prospects from Miami talk about it, but I want to get down there and see that aspect of it, because its important that they are big on family,” Wells said. “Family environment is big, both the players being close and the players being close to the coaches.”

The Offense-Defense All-American Game was the first chance for Wells to visit Miami.

“That was my first trip to Miami,” Wells said. “It was good. It was unfortunate to see a lot of the things to do down there, but I enjoyed my trip and I plan on making a few more trips down there.”

Of his other recruiting schools, Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel has made a good impression on Wells.

“He is one of the most genuine coaches I’ve met,” Wells said. “Some coaches just have staffers call you, but he uses his phone call every week on me and my mom and that means a whole lot.”

Relationship building was an important aspect of Wells’ recruitment. Other than Coach Tressel, making an impression throughout the process was former Auburn defensive coordinator Will Muschamp and John Blake from North Carolina.

“(Coach Muschamp) was definitely the most efficient and hardest recruiter I had,” Wells said. “Also Coach Blake from UNC, I had a good relationship with him.”

Wells’ team finished with a 7-4 record on the season and lost in the first round of the state playoffs. Wells reports a score of 17 on the ACT and 3.0 grade point average in the classroom. He will be a summer enrollee.