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As Les Miles continues to work toward building a respectable football program in Lawrence, it all comes down to the Jimmy’s and Joe’s. KU hauled in a top-60 class per 247Sports back in February, and has a great start so far for the 2021 group.
The Jayhawks currently rank #38 (per 247Sports) with 11 commits so far in the class of 2021, which is currently good for fifth among Big 12 teams. All 11 commits are currently three star players, but four of them are national top-1000 recruits.
Here’s a quick look at the prospects:
2021 Football Verbal Commits
Name | Juco | Pos | Size | 247 Rank | Hometown | Other Offers | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Juco | Pos | Size | 247 Rank | Hometown | Other Offers | Notes |
Ben Easters | QB | 6'3" 195 lbs | 3* | Brownsburg, IN | BG | Interest from CIN, IU, Lou | |
Devin Neal | RB | 5'11" 188 lbs | 3* | Lawrence, KS | Neb, OSU, KSU, Iowa | Top 700 recruit | |
Keon Coleman | WR | 6'4 185 lbs | 4* | Opelousas, LA | Everyone | Top 150 recruit | |
Jaddai Henry | WR | 6'4" 192 lbs | 3* | Carrollton, TX | Howard, W&M | Top 1100 recruit | |
Majik Rector | WR | 5'9" 152 lbs | 3* | Lancaster, TX | TTU, Rut, BG, Tul | Top 1200 recruit | |
Kelan Robinson | WR | 6'2" 183 lbs | 3* | Grand Prairie, TX | Duke, LTU, Tul, Mem, Tol | - | |
Mason Brotherton | TE | 6'4" 242 lbs | 3* | Mena, AR | CC, Lib, ULM, Mem | Other P5 interest but no offers | |
De'Kedrick Sterns | OL | 6'4" 250 lbs | 3* | Del Valle, TX | Duke, CSU, Haw, Nev, UNT | Top 1200 recruit | |
Edgar Amaya | OL | 6'3" 300 lbs | 3* | Russellville, AL | Illini, Char, AF, Navy, Tul | - | |
Christien Hawks | OL | 6'4" 260 lbs | 3* | Norton, KS | AF, Zips, CMU, EMU, WMU, CC | - | |
Larson Workman | OL | 6'5" 265 lbs | 3* | Ganado, TX | ArkSt, CC, EMU, FIU | - | |
D'Marion Alexander | DE | 6'5" 215 lbs | 3* | China Spring, TX | Minn, ASU, Bay, TCU, TTU | Top 900 recruit | |
Deldrick Withers | DE | 6'4" 245 lbs | 3* | Little Rock, AR | ULM, ULL, UCF | Top 1100 recruit | |
Tommy Dunn | DE | 6'3" 255 lbs | 3* | Garland, TX | Navy, Rice, AF, UTSA | - | |
Andrew Simpson | LB | 6'1" 220 lbs | 3* | Bellflower, CA | Oreg, CMU, USU | Top 1100 recruit | |
Trey Staley | LB | 6'2" 200 lbs | 3* | Snellville, GA | Army, Troy, CMU, Zips | - | |
Cameron Grays | CB | 6'2" 195 lbs | 3* | Eight Mile, AL | Aub, FSU, IU, MU, Tenn | Top 800 recruit | |
DeVonte Wilson | CB | 6'3" 190 lbs | 3* | Quincy, FL | Ohio, ECU, Lib, WKU, Marsh | - | |
Omar Burroughs Jr | S | 5'10" 170 lbs | 3* | Bradenton, FL | Tenn, GT, AppSt, FAU, SMiss | Top 1100 recruit | |
Cam'Ron Dabney | ATH/DB | 5'11" 175 lbs | 3* | Gainesville, GA | Syr, ASU, BG, Cin, CSU | - | |
James Wright | ATH/DB | 6'1" 195 lbs | 3* | Sumter, SC | ECU, Army, Char, Tem, WKU | - |
After a 2020 class heavy on defense, it makes sense that this one would lean more toward offensive players. Reminder that these are verbal commitments only, and can change at any time.
Local product Devin Neal at Lawrence High is the highest rated recruit on the board. If the commitment holds, Neal will arrive in Lawrence in time for Pooka Williams’ potential senior year. However, the Jayhawks also have Velton Gardner (who saw PT as a freshman last year) and Amauri-Pesek Hickson on the roster, so as is usual at Kansas, competition at that spot will be tough.
The other player I want to highlight is LB Andrew Simpson, who reportedly had an offer from Oregon prior to his commitment to KU.
Outside of these two guys, the class is a “typical” KU recruiting class, full of three-star players with mostly G5 offers. However, I have much more faith (or is it hope?) in this coaching staff than with the previous three regimes to eventually turn these guys into serviceable D1 college football players. It’s a solid foundation so far, and just a couple of higher-ranked players at key spots could set KU up very nicely for the future.
Obviously there is still a long ways to go, and Kansas looks to add about 14 or so more players to this class. I for one am excited to see if the Les Miles effect on the recruiting trail is real, or if we’ve all just been blown a bunch of smoke.