Another domino falls for the Kansas Jayhawk football staff and Kansas is once again adding talent from the junior college level. Jayhawkslant.com is reporting that Iowa Western safety Isaiah Johnson has committed to Kansas. The addition of Johnson makes for the third junior college defensive back to set to join the roster and it marks the second in as many days. Kansas still has an offer out for Kevin Short who would round out a very solid junior college defensive backfield class.
As for Johnson, he's a 6'1" 210 pound safety reporting 4.5 speed. Johnson played his high school football in North Carolina and settled in at Iowa Western. Johnson led the NJCAA in interceptions this season and he is friends with a few of the so called "dream team" of junior college prospects for the 2013 class. Most importantly Marquel Combs has expressed interest in playing with Johnson and Combs is a high level defensive tackle that would add a lot to an already improving Kansas defensive line.
Another very positive thing about Johnson is expected to be on campus this Spring and he still has three years of eligibility after taking a redshirt during his first year at Iowa Western.
The commitment of Johnson marks another addition from the junior college ranks and it would certainly appear that Charlie Weis is looking to dramatically reshape this program and the approach at Kansas in a hurry. With the players already committed, the defense has the potential to look drastically different and the competition level day to day is going to increase.
Looking at the list of those that could commit in the very near future you would have to include cornerback Kevin Short, defensive tackle Marquel Combs and wide receiver Rodriquez Coleman. It doesn't take a whole lot of digging online to realize these players are watching the pieces fall in place and it is starting to look like a pretty appealing thing to be a part of.
When Weis took over Kansas he talked about Kansas being 2-10 and Kansas State being 10-2. What was the difference? I think we all know one of the ways Bill Snyder has been successful is by maximizing his recruiting ties in the junior college ranks. At this moment, Kansas appears to be making a play with that same strategy and in terms of recruiting momentum, Charlie Weis and the Jayhawks are winning the battle. Obviously the results on the field will tell the final story, but it is exciting to see some energy and buzz surrounding this program despite the 1-11 season.