Weekly Recruiting Letter 6.14.2015

WEEKLY RECRUITING LETTER

As the Kansas Jayhawks MBB coaching staff gets ready for the world games, the Kansas Jayhawks Football coaching staff has been hitting the recruiting trail hard, picking up a commitment and expanding their hand in states in which they recruit.

News:

• Hunter Harris, center, has verbally committed to the University of Kansas (football). This gives KU yet another prospect from the state of Texas.
• Isahiah Loudermilk, a top DT in the state of Kansas, has listed Kansas State, Kansas, and Texas Tech in his top three among others. Loudermilk not only has a great name but is a standout prospect of 8-man football as well.
• The Kansas Jayhawks have been rumored to be in the top three along with Baylor and Iowa for the services of Chris Daniels, DT, from Trinity High school in Texas. Daniels is a four-star prospect and ranked 111^th in ESPN's Top 300.
• The KU MBB team has made the top 3 for the top two prospects in the class of 2016, ranking as high as number two for the services of the top-ranked recruit PF Harry Giles via ESPN. However, KU may be strapped for scholarships next year.
• Gary Trent Jr., the SG from Apple Valley, Minnesota, has received a scholarship offer from Kansas. Trent Jr. is ranked the number one prospect for the 2017 class via ESPN.

People to Watch:

• 1. Harry Giles, PF (Basketball)

Giles is from High Point, NC and is the consensus number one-ranked recruit in the class of 2016. Duke is listed as the leading school in his recruitment with Kansas ranked second with Kentucky and North Carolina rounding out the top four.

• 2. Chris Daniels, DT, (Football)

From Trinity High School in Euless, Texas, Daniels is a four-star prospect and listed as having high interest in the University of Kansas. Along with Iowa and Baylor, it is a diverse list at the top three. Many wonder why Daniels would be so high on KU as they are not one to receive many four-star prospects, at least in football. If KU keeps up the pressure, it would be interesting to see if Daniels does in fact choose to be the headliner for the new class of prospects.

• 3. David Beaty, Head Coach (Football)

Okay, Okay, yes, coach Beaty is not a 17-18-year-old high school student going to camps across the country in hopes of landing a scholarship. Instead, he is bringing a relentless recruiting effort to the recruiting trail and a different type of recruiting culture to the University of Kansas.

That shows when I'm able to tell you about an A.J. Brown, a four-star WR with interest, or Chris Daniels, a four-star DT with even higher interest.  It can become difficult for many people to believe these guys have a chance to become Jayhawks and it's easy to dismiss as hopeless optimism. I will say it is going to be hard for Coach Beaty to reel in multiple four-stars, however, it is far from impossible for the program to pick up at least one. He is a man not afraid to venture out of state; last year's class had 17 players from the state of Texas along with an additional five recruits from out of state.

Coach Beaty is bringing a culture and reputation that he made for himself at Texas A&M and applying it to his coaching staff and program. Kansas has four of their five commits from the state of Texas for the 2016 class, and the fifth is from Utah. With the possibility of adding Tre Bryant (Illinois) and his teammate Lamar Anderson, he will add more to a list of out of state commits.

Kansas does have the problem of not owning their home state, and though they are doing very well in the state of Texas, they will never "win" Texas. Coach understands that and is doing everything he can to get his face out there.  However, it is very possible for KU to win the Sunflower state as far as recruiting goes. Kansas State does well for themselves, but it's not overwhelming. David Beaty has held many camps and that has a lot to do with Hunter Harris committing to the Jayhawks earlier this week.  Beaty understands winning starts with recruiting and getting the right kind of guys in the system. It may not happen this year or even the year after but it is happening and when it does, opposing teams will have to fear much more than just the Phog.

If there are and questions or concerns feel free to comment or tweet myself @Nicky9Toes.