Why 2022 recruiting changed for Kansas Jayhawks football — and what it means for future
When Ohio State transfer Craig Young visited Kansas’ campus, coach Lance Leipold heard about it right away.
That’s because the 6-foot-3, 223-pound linebacker/safety Young made quite an impression with his physique — so much so that one of Leipold’s current KU players commented that the coaching staff wasn’t messing around while trying to land him.
Young eventually picked KU. The school announced his signing this week, along with six other immediately eligible transfers.
In many ways, though, Young is a representation of what Leipold and staff were targeting when they locked in their 14-person recruiting class for 2022:
Older, physically developed players who can help the team compete in areas of need. Quickness at spots where the strength and conditioning program hasn’t completely taken hold with younger players.
And experience in a conference that already has numerous rosters boasting that strength.
“He’s a very talented athlete,” Leipold said of Young, “and now, it’s a time for him to maximize it while he’s here at Kansas.”
Leipold said he and his coaches came to two main conclusions after rewatching their games after the season ended: 1. KU struggled too often from not being correctly aligned, and 2. The Jayhawks needed to elevate their overall talent level to increase competition in practices.
A more blunt way to say the latter part: Leipold wants his players to earn starting positions instead of winning them by default because there aren’t other viable options available.
Leipold does have some flexibility, though, that his predecessors didn’t.
Because KU — for the first time in a long time — found itself in an enviable position scholarship-wise, Leipold didn’t need to focus primarily on filling his roster with high school talent. Instead, the challenge now is balancing out a young roster by adding the correct blend of veterans.
That means adding transfers who not only have played before but are more physically mature. The plan is for those guys is to compete for jobs while also allowing the team’s underclassmen to naturally develop within KU’s new infrastructure.
Leipold sees KU’s seven transfers — four coming from the Big Ten — as crucial help in that way. For example, Michigan State’s Kalon Gervin will elevate the talent level at corner. Young will bring a speed element at a safety/linebacker hybrid spot that the Jayhawks lacked a season ago. Meanwhile, running backs Ky Thomas (Minnesota) and Sevion Morrison (Nebraska) provide KU offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki an ability to get more creative with his play calls and formations.
Adding older players also could provide a shortcut for KU to compete against Big 12 foes. In particular, Iowa State and Oklahoma State overwhelmed the Jayhawks a season ago with upperclassmen-heavy rosters.
“You start seeing where our youth and overall physical development isn’t completely where it’s going to be someday, and we have to address that,” Leipold said. “We have to address the fact that we want to be a program that’s going to embrace competition, not just on Saturdays, but daily within our program.”
Young should help. Once KU landed him, Leipold said he had a coaching buddy in the industry reach out to say that he’d seen Young go through an individual workout at an Ohio State camp, and it was one of the most impressive things that coach had seen in his life. Young originally was a track star in high school, earning sectional honors in both the 100 and 200 meters.
“He’s a long, good-looking, athletic linebacker,” Leipold said.
And now, he’s part of a KU recruiting class that looks different from those of the recent past. Because of extra COVID eligibility, new redshirt rules and a KU emphasis on high-school athletes in previous years, the Jayhawks are close to butting up against the 85-scholarship limit for the first time in nearly a decade.
That allowed Leipold to dive fully into transfers who can help right away.
While also searching for players who could turn out to be starters for the team’s Sept. 2 opener against Tennessee Tech.
2022 KU football recruiting class
High school players
Joey Baker: 6-4, 250 offensive lineman from Southlake, Texas
Brian Dilworth: 5-11, 180 cornerback from Hollywood, Florida*
Mason Ellis: 6-2, 188 safety from Mulvane, Kansas
James Livingston: 6-7, 275 offensive lineman from Dexter, Michigan
Kaleb Purdy: 5-10, 170 safety from St. Peters, Missouri
Ethan Vasko: 6-3, 180 quarterback from Chesapeake, Virginia
Transfers
Kalon Gervin: 5-11, 190 redshirt junior cornerback from Michigan State*
Eric Gilyard: 5-11, 228 junior linebacker from Central Florida*
Nolan Gorczyca: 6-6, 289 sophomore offensive lineman from Buffalo*
Sevion Morrison: 6-0, 210 sophomore running back from Nebraska*
Tevita Noa: 6-3, 250 tight end from Salt Lake City, Utah
Lonnie Phelps: 6-3, 244 junior defensive end from Miami (Ohio)*
Ky Thomas: 5-11, 205 sophomore running back from Minnesota*
Craig Young: 6-3, 223 junior safety from Ohio State*
Preferred walk-ons
Kael Farkes: 6-3, 240 offensive lineman from Lenexa, Kansas
Grant Glasgow: 6-1, 180 kicker from Lawrence, Kansas
*signing announced Wednesday
This story was originally published February 2, 2022 at 6:52 PM.
