:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69555414/1191461690.0.jpg)
About two weeks ago I took a look at the incoming transfers and next year’s recruiting class, and since then, KU has already gotten more good news on both fronts.
First, 3-star CB Jalon Peoples out of Dallas gave KU a verbal commit recently. He is the first recruit to do so since Leipold came to Lawrence. He’s a national top-500 recruit (per 247) and had over a dozen P5 offers, including Baylor, Iowa, Colorado, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, and Tennessee.
The new staff also got a verbal from 3-star OL James Livingston out of Michigan. Livingston has Arizona State, Indiana, and Iowa State on his offer sheet alongside a myriad of G5 offers.
Peoples and Livingston bring the Jayhawks up to five verbals for the 2022 class - but the best news was yet to come. Joining the 10 incoming transfers will be two more guys, as Michigan LB Cornell Wheeler and Missouri State CB Jeremy Webb have both announced their intentions to play at KU this coming fall.
Webb brings some much-needed depth to the secondary, a position where KU was hit hard with outgoing transfers. Webb originally committed and went to Virginia Tech out of high school, choosing the Hokies over West Virginia, Tennessee, Nebraska, and Ole Miss. Injuries sidelined his career at VaTech, so he transferred to D2 Missouri State (coached by Bobby Petrino), and now looks to return to D1 after a strong and healthy season last year.
But the big news is LB Cornell Wheeler. The Rivals 4-star recruit in the 2020 class (3-star per 247), Wheeler will have four years of eligibility (aided by the Covid waiver) at Kansas. Coming out of high school, he was a consensus top-500 recruit in the country and held offers from half of the Big 10 as well as a couple of SEC schools. Wheeler is a massive addition to KU’s front-7 and should see immediate playing time here in Lawrence.
With KU now up to 12 transfers, it appears that at least half of them should step into starting spots right away. The Jayhawks seem to be putting together some solid pieces on both sides of the ball to replace what they’ve lost. If this staff can keep it up, it may not be too much longer and we can REALLY drink some kool-aid...