KU football adds two recruits on early signing day, signs 10 players in all
An expected Kansas football commitment became official Wednesday as Georgia cornerback Valerian Agbaw signed with the Jayhawks and coach Les Miles.
That wasn’t the only good news for KU on Wednesday, as a few hours later, three-star junior-college defensive lineman Malcolm Lee also pledged to the Jayhawks.
Both were part of a 10-person early signing class announced by KU on Wednesday afternoon.
“We assembled needs and I am really proud of how (KU’s assistant coaches) have done and all of the hard work they have put in,” Miles said. “They have done a great job of assembling a small class, but one that is talented and addresses some very specific needs.”
Agbaw, rated three stars for both Rivals and 247Sports, announced recently that he would be moving up his decision following an official visit to KU on Dec. 14. He had originally planned to sign during the late period.
Lee, meanwhile, selected KU over listed offers from Houston, Iowa and Central Florida. The 6-foot-5, 270-pound Lee played defensive end for Iowa Western Community College last season.
KU also was able to lock in quarterback Thomas MacVittie, a previous commitment that Miles called “arguably the best pocket-mobile quarterback” in this year’s junior-college class. Miles added that he was pleased to get a pair of taller receivers in Ezra Naylor and Andrew Parchment from Iowa Central CC.
”We have really good receivers here at Kansas, but not necessarily the tall guys you are used to seeing in the SEC,” Miles said. “We went after some 6-4, 6-3 guys and put them in our class in Ezra Naylor and Andrew Parchment, and that will certainly make that quarterback position that much more effective with a nice tall place to look to throw the football.”
Miles later spoke glowingly about a pair of Kansas recruits in Shawnee safety Jayden Russell and Andale tight end Mason Fairchild, saying both are “good players and are going to have great careers.”
“We want to recruit first and foremost in the 500-mile footprint,” Miles said. “We want to recruit Kansas.”
Only one verbal commit — Da’Jon Terry, a high school defensive tackle from Meridian, Miss. — had yet to turn in expected paperwork Wednesday.
Miles, because of earlier roster decisions made by previous coach David Beaty, will have about 15 scholarships to give in this recruiting cycle.
“This is a small class that does not have the full numbers. It is the hand that we are dealt in terms of numbers,” Miles said, “but in my opinion we put a great class together.”
Miles also completed his 10-man coaching staff Wednesday, hiring Jeff Hecklinski as tight ends coach. Hecklinski was offensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator for Indiana State the last two seasons.
KU football signings
Player, Position, Height, Weight, Previous school (Hometown)
Valerian Agbaw, CB, 5-10, 170, McEachern HS (Powder Springs, Ga.)
Mason Fairchild, TE, 6-5, 250, Andale (Andale, Kan.)
Justin Ford, CB, 6-0, 175, Golden West (Calif.) College (Concord, N.C.)
Malcolm Lee, DL, 6-5, 270, Iowa Western CC (Omaha, Neb.)
Torry Locklin, QB, 6-2, 195, Rockdale (Rockdale, Texas)
Thomas MacVittie, QB, 6-5, 225, Mesa (Ariz.) CC (Cincinnati)
Ezra Naylor, WR, 6-4, 210, Iowa Central CC (Atlanta)
Andrew Parchment, WR, 6-2, 185, Iowa Central CC (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
Jayden Russell, S, 6-3, 190, St. Thomas Aquinas (Shawnee)
Caleb Sampson, DT, 6-3, 280, Coahoma (Miss.) CC (Covington, La.)
This story was originally published December 19, 2018 at 11:57 AM.
