Weekly Recruiting Letter: The Opening Special 7.7.15

WEEKLY RECRUITING LETTER: THE OPENING SPECIAL

As the men's basketball team is competing overseas and doing a wonderful job of representing not only the university but the country as well, I ask you to turn your attention to a very special weekly recruiting letter edition.

As I have mentioned before the Kansas Jayhawks have extended scholarships to many football recruits some who may seem "unattainable" and others who have narrowed their lists down to only a handful of school's including the Kansas Jayhawks. Some of these prospects will be participating in "The Opening" Finals this weekend. Those who are not familiar with the event, The Opening is a tour of football camps that stretch from February to July. These camps measures a prospects skillset, mainly testing them in position drills, positional competitions and the ever so exciting one on ones. A total of 150 prospects are invited to the finals which is held in Beaverton, Oregon which is home to the Nike Football Headquarters. This location is often referred to as "Football Heaven". I should note that as I write this post, the Elite 11 Finals has already begun. I know this post may not be KU specific but it does mean a lot of the Big 12 competition and see which schools are gaining recruits, losing recruits and staying the same.

Below is a look at the Elite 11 Finals. As you can see there are only three QBs committed to play in the Big 12, though that is a low number in the grand scheme of things it means that Kansas could someday play against three of the top QBs in the class of 2016. There are two uncommitted QBs in this group which is slightly uncommon. Usually there is one guy who hasn't committed by this time in the summer but this is also one of the biggest decisions in a young man's life so who can't really blame them. It is worth noting that Alabama holds the crystal ball prediction on Jawon Pass and Sterling - Cole is considered a heavy Florida Gator lean. It's always hard to predict who wins these things but look for Jacob Eason and Shea Patterson to look locked in and ready to prove their worth. These two have been flip flopping as number one and two on the recruiting boards for the last year.

The prospects will be split into 6 different teams. These teams will compete against one another not only within their team or group but as well as the other teams. There will be a 7on7 tournament that will tie everything together at the end. This is where the QBs usually separate themselves and playmakers alike. And don't forget about the big guys. These hog mollies will face off man to man. Have you ever wondered or thought a big guy is only ranked in the top five in a class because of his height and weight? I know I have, I encourage everyone to watch this event. It isn't the sexiest drill in the world but it sure is fascinating to see these young men compete.  The Kansas Jayhawks have a total of eight players that are viewed to still be in the running for the services of the names I have highlighted below. As it currently stands the Jayhawks are ranked above the Iowa State Cyclones and Kansas State Wildcats in in the 2016 Big 12 recruiting rankings. I did not see Iowa State in play for any of these 150 recruits and Kansas State was in the running for a little over a handful as well. It looks like Kansas is pushing hard to get out of the bottom of the cellar and with a possible Tre Bryant commitment on the way. Look for the other schools in the Big 12 to notice.

Here is a complete list of the competitors.