Kentucky football: Cats roll a twin Yahtzee luring Wade’s to Lexington

Double Yahtzee’s are normally reserved for signing day in the Kentucky football realm, but Friday it was a “twin” win for the Wildcats as twin brothers Destin and Keaten spurred their home Volunteer state instead they decided to commit to Kentucky.

Wildcat defensive backs coach Steve Clinkscale led the charge in their recruitment and swaying the Spring Hill, Tennessee duo away from Louisville, Virginia, and home-state school Tennessee in the battle of the class of 2022 recruits.

The pair were recruited back when they were just sophomores, but the Big Blue was the first to officially offer them a scholarship in 2019.

Coaching changes as both Louisville and Tennessee could have been a factor in the decision as Kentucky has remained solid in its staff and upward trend both in the Southeastern Conference but across the college landscape boasting a family vibe to recruits.

Twin brothers Destin and Keaten Wade commit to the Kentucky football family

Still, the brothers wisely took in-person visits to the four finalists weighing each carefully, but in the end, they thankfully will be donning blue and white after visiting Lexington last week.

Both are 4-star athletes by Rivals rankings meaning the Wildcats now boast 4 of their 7 commits as 4-stars joining Grant Bingham of Paintsville and Jeremiah Caldwell from Belleville, Michigan.

Destin, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound junior quarterback, and Keaten, a 6-4, 223-pound outside linebacker.

Tennessee has a loaded talent pool of prospects in the 2022 class where Keaten is listed as the No. 4 recruit in Tennessee in 2022 and No. 16 outside linebacker in the country.

Destin shows up on the Rivals ranking boards as the No. 13 player in the state and No. 26 athlete in the country.

Growing up their path seemed to be on the basketball court with the brothers envisioning themselves in the NBA, but as they developed it moved to the gridiron and the NFL. And they know how to win.

Yet they wanted to be a package deal and sign with a school, coaches, and team that felt like family something they are used to. Older brother Cameron played football at Navy.

Mom Valerie spoke about the bond after the announcement to mainstreetpreps who covers teams around the Nashville area where Summitt High School is.

"“I almost think, really, the only people who are most important to them are each other. They start out that way in the womb, they grow up together and that’s just their mini-circle. Sometimes it feels like the rest of us are like Charlie Brown’s teacher, you know? ‘Squak-squak-squak.’”"

Destin and Keaten were instrumental in guiding Summit High School to the Class 5A championship game each of the last two seasons. Unfortunately, Keaten missed a majority of the year due to a foot injury suffered a week before the Spartans season-opening game against Independence. Ironically the school that brother Cameron played at.

Keaten played in three games, including the title contest recording six tackles, four tackles for loss, and getting to the quarterback three times. In only his single appearance on offense, he pulled in a 21-yard touchdown pass from his brother.

Could Keaten be the next great pass rusher like Josh Allen, Bud Dupree and Za’Darius Smith, each of who went to the NFL after careers as Wildcats? Only time will tell but defensive coordinator and outside linebacker coach Brad White looks to have another stud in his stable and Keaten mentioned this after the signing to the Williamson Home Page.

"“It’s awesome that I’m going to be coached by the best. I know that I’ll be in good hands, and [I’m going to] just trust them and make it to the next level [the NFL].”"

Under center, Destin led the Spartans to their first state championship at a 28-7 win over Oak Ridge and was named a Class 5A Mr. Football finalist capping off a 14-1 season.

He completed 81 of 129 passes for 1,390 yards with 19 touchdowns and five interceptions. Destin also led the Spartans in rushing with 1,509 yards and 18 touchdowns on 165 carries.

New Kentucky offensive coordinator Liam Coen has found a quarterback with the tools to thrive in his NFL pro-style offense. One who can go under center and be a duel threat and Destin is excited.

"“He’s been great. They don’t have a certain offense, it depends on the quarterback and what they can do. I’m excited to learn more about it.”"

“The scheme they have for both me and Destin, they showed us how it correlates to the next level and that was a big reason why we chose to go there,” Keaten said.

Stay tuned for another big announcement Saturday when Kentucky could be the school of choice as Kiyaunta Goodwin from Charlestown, Indiana.