KU Football lands signing day surprise

For the second year in a row, KU football has had a surprise on signing day.

Last year, it was three-star RB Octavius Matthews. Unfortunately, once Matthews got to KU, a heart condition forced him to stop playing football.

This year, three-star LB Kenny Bastida, 6’1” 230 lbs, out of Ft Lauderdale, FL, has picked the Jayhawks over an impressive offer sheet. Bastida’s three finalists were Kansas, Pitt, and Indiana, but he also held offers from LSU, Wisconsin, Penn State, Michigan State, NC State, North Carolina, Syracuse, and Rutgers. JayhawkSlant reports that an injury his junior year in high school didn’t slow down his recruiting much, with many of those offers coming between his junior and senior season.

Kansas coaches have obviously been focusing on defense in this recruiting class, and Bastida looks like he may have the physical tools to be able to contribute as early as 2018, although KU does return starting linebackers Joe Dineen and Keith Loneker Jr., along with contributors Kryon Johnson, Osaze Ogbebor, and Dru Prox. Look for Bastida on special teams in 2018 with the potential to make a run at a starting job in 2019.