Top 100 lineman Joe Fennell spurns major BCS offers to commit to WKU

Every year it seems like a recruit spurns a number of major scholarship offers to head to a smaller or under-the-radar program. With the class of 2013, that might be Fort Myers (Fla.) offensive guard Joe Fennell, who committed to Western Kentucky in the middle of August.

"It feels so good to get this off my shoulders," Fennell told InsideHilltopperSports.com. "I know where my heart is, my mind is, where I want to go. And that's Western Kentucky."

The 6-foot-5, 320-pound standout held offers from schools such as Auburn, Florida, Florida State and Nebraska among others. A four-star, Fennell is one of the highest-ranked players to commit to the Hilltoppers and gives the program a big boost on the recruiting trail going forward.

"The coaching staff is great there," he said. "They've got a pretty good program, and a lot of people are there from my area."

Fennell is the 10th commitment in Western Kentucky's 2013 class. He is ranked by Maxpreps as the No. 2 offensive guard in the country and No. 71 overall in the class.