This player from New Orleans is KU football’s first top-100 signing ... ever
Kansas coach David Beaty accomplished something Wednesday that has never been done in the football program’s history: He received an official commitment from a player ranked in the Rivals Top 100.
Corione Harris, a cornerback who ranks 97th in Rivals’ 2018 class, stuck with his longtime pledge to KU on Wednesday, signing with the Jayhawks over Mississippi State. He is former high school teammates at Landry-Walker High School in New Orleans with KU safety Mike Lee.
In an article posted Wednesday, Rivals analyst Woody Wommack said Harris “projects as a shutdown corner at the next level” before saying the news “marks a major recruiting victory (for KU) and puts other programs on notice that the Jayhawks are going to be a presence in New Orleans going forward.”
Harris originally gave an oral commitment to KU in February along with many others from the state of Louisiana. The other top-100 player, receiver Devonta Jason, reopened his recruitment Dec. 10 before signing with Mississippi State.
Rivals’ rankings go back to 1999, so even after KU’s most successful seasons, it has never landed someone as highly ranked as Harris.
“He has all the tools you want to see from a corner on film to challenge for a starting job the minute he steps on campus,” said Jon Kirby, recruiting analyst for Jayhawk Slant and Rivals.
Harris, who is a four-star recruit on Rivals and 247Sports, is 266th in 247Sports’ composite ranking.
Jesse Newell: 816-234-4759, @jessenewell
2018 KU football recruiting class
Name | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Last school |
Charles Cole | DT | 6-3 | 280 | Butler County CC (El Dorado, Kan.) |
Mac Copeland | OL | 6-5 | 250 | Wichita Collegiate HS |
Foster Dixson | DE | 6-5 | 250 | West Los Angeles CC |
Miles Emery* | DE | 6-5 | 235 | Blue Valley North HS |
Davon Ferguson | ATH | 5-11 | 185 | Hartnell CC (Salinas, Calif.) |
Corione Harris | CB | 6-1 | 170 | Landry-Walker HS (New Orleans) |
Elmore Hempstead | DB | 6-0 | 185 | Fort Scott (Kan.) CC |
Elijah Jones | DB | 6-3 | 185 | Ellsworth CC (Iowa Falls, Iowa) |
Azur Kamara | DE | 6-6 | 230 | Arizona Western CC (Yuma, Ariz.) |
Jacobi Lott | OL | 6-5 | 308 | Tascosa HS (Amarillo, Texas) |
Jeremiah McCullough | DB | 6-0 | 205 | Hartnell CC (Salinas, Calif.) |
Stephon Robinson | WR | 5-11 | 170 | El Camino CC (Narbonne, Calif.) |
Najee Stevens-McKenzie | DE | 6-4 | 215 | ASA College (Brooklyn, N.Y.) |
Anthony “Pooka” Williams** | RB | 5-10 | 165 | Hahnville HS (Boutte, La.) |
Nick Williams | OL | 6-8 | 260 | Ritenour HS (Overland, Mo.) |
*Signing not official; **expected to sign with KU or another school Thursday
This story was originally published December 20, 2017 at 11:01 AM with the headline "This player from New Orleans is KU football’s first top-100 signing ... ever."