Rockford (Ill.) Guilford safety Messiah Tilson (6-foot-2, 165) began his official visit to Kentucky Tuesday; a surprise considering the Wildcats were not among his top-6 schools less than a month ago. Tilson has an extensive list of official visits, including Illinois (April 11), Iowa (April 18), Wisconsin (April 23), Rutgers (June 6), Minnesota (June 13) and Kansas (June 20).
The Illinois native has held an offer from UK since defensive backs coach Frank Buffano extended the opportunity in December. The coach made a visit to the player's high school this winter.
"[We talked about] things they are trying to build in that program and what they have been trying to do recently and trying to get back to that program; that's a good football program. Really just how long he has been there and how he will be there still if I decide that and just a very consistent program. Then, just knowing that he will work with me and develop me to get to that next level that everybody wants to play at," Tilson told CatsPause.com in February.
Rated a 90 on a scale to 100 by 247Sports, Tilson is considered the nation's No. 25 safety.
The SEC program hosted 80% of its official visitors, including 16 commitments, in the month of June a year ago. The full list of official visitors can be found HERE. The Wildcats have commitments from two players in the 2026 recruiting class: Paducah (Ky.) Tilghman offensive tackle Jarvis Strickland and San Antonio (Tex.) Cornerstone Christian wide receiver Davis McCray.