Vero Beach DEs Keanu Koht, Travonte Oneal Discuss Recruitment

Two explosive defensive ends from Vero Beach, FL - including a Florida Gators target - open up about their recruitment.

One of the most highly recruited players the Sunshine State, Keanu Koht, plays for Vero Beach High School. His teammate and fellow defensive end, Travonte Oneal, is also a very talented prospect starting to gain notice.

No college program can have enough pass rushers. The teams that usually end up in the college football playoff also usually have defensive ends destined for the NFL draft. It’s no coincidence. Above is a video interview with Koht and Oneal from December 29th, 2019.

In addition to the recruiting interests mentioned by Koht, other programs are already starting to communicate with him as well. Look for several SEC, ACC, and Big 10 programs, as well as Notre Dame, to come after him. He has the potential to be an elite pass-rushing specialist.

The Florida Gators offered Koht last July.

The Gators and Crimson Tide appear to be two schools that are high on Koht’s list now, but that list can change quickly. Expect for Koht to take his time and make a decision down the road. He’s not the type of player to make a rash decision.

Koht’s recruitment is about to blow up, after he tallied eight sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss in 2019. Any school going after him will need to truly make a concerted effort to gain his signature on National Signing Day.

Oneal is a really unique prospect. Just about a year ago, this young man was only 190-pounds. Now, a year of serious weight lifting and adding protein has led him to being 225-pounds.

He recorded six sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss as a junior.

With Oneal’s frame, he could be a 260-pound strong-side end after one full calendar in a college weight training program. That’s the transformation programs like Florida and Florida State made famous over the course of the past forty years. It’s nothing new.

Florida provides the athletes, the colleges need to transform them. Take smaller, yet more athletic players and slowly add weight to them. Before you know it, you turn them loose and they produce.

Koht and Oneal fit this profile. In the long run, Koht is probably going to be just a little bit thinner than Oneal, but both players project at the defensive end position in college. Look for Koht to play weak side and Oneal to play strong side.