Kentucky added a big piece to its 2016 recruiting class over the weekend, and that’s meant both literally and metaphorically.

The Cats received a commitment from three-star, 6-foot-4, 285-pound defensive tackle Kordell Looney, the No. 56 defensive tackle in the 2016 class and the No. 35 player from the state of Ohio.

Ben Roberts, Kentucky recruiting beat writer for the Lexington Herald-Leader, first broke the news.

Looney is the 15th player committed to Kentucky’s 2016 class more than 10 months ahead of National Signing Day, and he’s the ninth member of the class from Ohio.

Head coach Mark Stoops grew up the son of a coach in Youngstown, Ohio, and he maintains strong recruiting ties in the state to this day. All nine Ohio commits in UK’s 2016 class, including Looney, rank among the top 50 players from the state in this year’s class.