RADCLIFF, Ky. (WDRB) -- The long-awaited decision finally came Wednesday for one of the state's top football recruits.
North Hardin's Octavious Oxendine announced Wednesday he was committing to Kentucky.
"I actually didn't know until about two days ago where I actually wanted to go," Oxendine said. "It's a big relief to finally get it out of the way and find a home for yourself."
Oxendine said his final two came down to the Wildcats and Tennessee. In keeping his decision secret, it wasn’t until the middle of his signing day news conference that UK head coach Mark Stoops heard the good news.
"That's another really big guy in state," Stoops said after viewing a text on an assistant coach's phone. "That's why I was hoping to get that commitment today. I had to back this (news conference) up to make sure we could talk about him."
What eventually swayed Oxendine’s decision was pretty simple.
"Just being home and how the fans are," Oxendine said. "You can tell there's a lot of Big Blue Nation fans down here. You get fans everywhere, but these fans are crazy for you, and they love you."
Oxendine finished his senior season with 33 tackles and 12.5 sacks on the Trojans’ way to a 6A semifinal finish. He is rated as a four-star recruit and a Top-25 defensive tackle in the country by Rivals.com.
His announcement came in front of a packed North Hardin gym.
"It just shows the community and how much you put back is how much you get back," Oxendine said. "I feel like they all love me, and I love them very much, more than they'll ever believe. It's a great community around here anywhere you go. They love all their athletes. Football is a big sport around here and it shows."
Now that he's made his decision, Oxendine said there's no chance he'll change it.
"I don't have any regrets and I feel like it's 100% shutdown," he said. "And I'm ready to go to Big Blue Nation."
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