UK wideout commit interested in Tennessee, set to visit Tuesday

Shocky Jacques-Louis committed to Kentucky in late April, but the South Florida wideout continues to pickup notable offers — and heavy interest — from several blue-blood programs including Tennessee and Michigan.

Vols coaches watched Jacques-Louis practice during the spring evaluation period, extending an offer to the Fort Myers (Fla.) native shortly thereafter just last week.

Since then, Jacques-Louis has emerged as a potential priority target for Tennessee’s final receiver spot in the 2018 class.

“I kind of figured it was coming. I (did) well that day. So when it did come, I was excited because growing up I always liked watching big schools like Tennessee, FSU and Florida,” Jacques-Louis said.

“Those are schools that I always watched.”

Jacques-Louis, a 6-foot-1, 175-pound athlete who excels in baseball and basketball, too, has immediately connected with Tennessee receivers coach Kevin Beard. Jacques-Louis said he likes Beard’s “swag” and that it’s easy to relate with the assistant coach since they both hail from similar backgrounds. The Vols’ first-year coach notoriously made his bones down in South Florida, playing and coaching at Miami, so Jacques-Louis said they’ve bonded over “real conversations about life.”

“Where he comes from, where I come from. We can (relate),” he added.“We Florida boys got that type of swag, so that’s what we can connect on. I just know it because that’s how he talks.”

As a junior, Jacques-Louis had 20 receptions for 314 yards and five touchdowns for Dunbar. He said his favorite wideouts are Tavon Austin and Percy Harvin because “they can turn nothing into something.”

“I’m a playmaker, (too). I always watch their highlights.”

For now, Jacques-Louis is “still solid to Kentucky,” but the recent rash of offers has given him some pause. He’s received scholarships from Tennessee, Michigan, Michigan State, Pitt, Oregon State and Louisville just in the last month.

To make sure he’s 100 percent comfortable with his decision, Jacques-Louis said he’s “definitely visiting other schools, and Tennessee will definitely be one of them that (gets an official visit).”

Due to family financial constraints, Jacques-Louis plans to see most of these schools — particularly Michigan and Tennessee — with his family on official visits this fall. However, he is also scheduled to be on Rocky Top for the first time Tuesday, as a trip with his 7-on-7 team is set to include stops at Florida, Florida State and then Tennessee.

Another wrinkle in Jacques-Louis’ decision is the recruitment of his twin brother Rocky Jacques-Louis. With 26 sacks last season, the undersized defensive end broke JeVon Kearse’s single-season sack record in Lee County, but Rocky’s recruitment has been much slower than his brother’s.

For now, the 6-foot-2, 205-pound defensive end holds early interest from UCF and Central Michigan, but Shocky is hoping other schools — starting with Kentucky — take notice, too.

“If there’s an opportunity where we like the same school, we’re going to take that chance to go to that school to be together because we’ve never been apart our whole lives. It would just be easier if he was there,” Shocky said.

“He likes Kentucky. I’m pretty sure Kentucky likes him, but I guess he’s not on the top of their list. They haven’t offered him yet.”