🏀 KuBuckets Archive

I don't know if the original recruiting post was part of the purge or not, and I'm too lazy to check so here's the updated version of KU's 2017 recruiting class.

Peyton Bender, QB, 6-1, 180, Itawamba CC, Fulton, MS, Committed 11/20/16 ^

Earl Bostick, OL, 6-6. 260, Barnwell HS, Barnwell, SC, Committed 1/29/17

Antonio Cole, CB, 6-1, 190, HIghland CC, Highland, KS, Committed 1/22/17

Hasan Defense, CB, 6-0, 175, Kilgore JC, Kilgore, TX, Committed 11/21/16 ^

Jay Dineen, LB, 6-2, 225, Free State HS, Lawrence, KS, Committed 5/16/16

Joey Gilbertson, OL, 6-4, 290, Northwest HS, Wichita, KS, Committed 6/20/16

Quan Hampton, WR, 5-8, 165, Texarkana HS, Texarkana, TX, Committed 1/22/17

JJ Holmes, DT, 6-2, 330, Hutchinson CC, Hutchinson, KS, Committed 12/6/16 ^

Kerr Johnson, WR, 5-11, 180, Santa Rosa JC, Santa Rosa, CA, Committed 12/14/16 ^

Kyron Johnson, LB, 6-1, 195, Lamar HS, Arlington, TX, Committed 6/2/16 ^

Liam Jones, K, 5-9, 165, Choctaw HS, Choctaw, OK, Committed 8/17/16

Travis Jordan, ATH, 6-1, 185, John Ehret HS, Marrero, LA, Committed 4/3/16

Octavius Matthews, RB, 6-1, 200, Itawamba CC, Fulton, MS, Committed 2/1/17

Willie McCaleb, DE, 6-3, 250. Northwest Mississippi CC, Senatobia, MS, Committed 12/13/16 ^

Cooper Root, LB, 6-3, 215, Wichita Collegiate HS, Wichita, KS, Committed 12/20/16

Keyshaun Simmons, DE, 6-2, 270, Pearl River CC, Poplarville, MS, Committed 11/30/16 ^

Kenyon Tabor, WR, 6-4, 212, Derby HS, Derby, KS, Committed 8/2/16

Shakial Taylor, CB, 6-1, 180, Mesa CC, Mesa, AZ, Committed 12/13/16 ^

Robert Topps, DB, 6-2, 182, Marist HS, Chicago, IL, Committed 6/22/16

Dominic Williams, RB, 5-9, 186, Parish Episcopal School, Frisco, TX, Committed 9/14/15

Takulve Williams, WR, 5-11, 180, St. Augustine HS, New Orleans, LA, Committed 5/17/16

^ Signed LOI

Thanks for keeping us updated. More linemen please. RCJH

Your missing Hasan Defense, DB, 6, Kilgore College, Texas . Committed today lol jk

@kjayhawks That's what happens when you have no free time and fall asleep before the KU game is over.

Best thing about Hasan Defense other than his name is that he'll have 3 years of eligibility when he makes his way to campus.

Looks like a solid class so far. Really do need to add some 3-star OL to that group though.

@Texas-Hawk-10 Agreed and i think he announced after you made this.

@kjayhawks He definitely announced after I redid this. I think I posted early morning and he announced around lunchtime.

@Kcmatt7 The secondary is the biggest need at this point because KU is already thin back there and where most of the upperclassmen on that side of the ball are. Defense was an important get for KU because of his position. A couple more OLIne would be nice, but the secondary is the top priority at this point in recruiting.

@Texas-Hawk-10 I don't really expect any DBs we bring in this season to get any PT unless they go Mike Lee on everyone. We have like 13 returning DBs on the roster for next season.

To me, building up an O-Line is the most important thing for a team like us. If you control the line of scrimmage on the offensive side of the ball, you get to dictate the pace the entire game is played at. So in my eyes, we need to add 3-5 solid OL every single offseason. Then red shirt everyone of them and get them on a 5 year program. That way we have an experienced and strong O-Line. Same basically goes for D-Line too. If you can control the run and get pressure on the QB, you dictate the pace. You do absolutely need a good secondary, but I seem to think that comes much easier than building an Offensive and Defensive line. You are able to plug freshmen and sophomores in more because it doesn't require near the physicality that line play does.

Here is how I would break down the scholarships if it were up to me:

• QB- 4
• RB - 6
• WR - 9
• TE - 4
• OL - 20
• DT - 10
• DE - 6
• LB - 8
• CB - 9
• S - 6
• K - 2
• P - 1

@Kcmatt7 KU doesn't have a lot of DB's returning next year. Smithson, Shaw, Allen, Bates, Olgetree, Graham, and Stewart are all seniors this year. Mike Lee is the only underclassmen getting big reps this year. KU needs help on the back end because they don't have much returning next year. There's a lot of good, young OLinemen that will be back and continuing to develop. DB, specifically safety, is the priority position right now because KU is losing almost everyone in the secondary after this season.

Copy pasting a post from a Wazzu poster that popped onto the Phog. Lines up with what I was seeing with Bender's highlights in regards to his release.

"Thought I would stop by and give you some inside input to Bender's game from a WSU perspective. Peyton's throwing technique is top notch. He has a very quick release and throws perfectly in the slot. For his size, he has a very good arm and can make most throws. That very strength is what got him in trouble at WSU in his limited opportunities and in the scrimmages. He had a gun slinger mentality and threw into multiple coverage way too much.

Peyton only started one game for us and it was in our biggest game against Washington in the Apple Cup. His pocket awareness was very sub par in the game and will need to be something he will need to improve on to be successful. If the coaches can rain him in to not force the action, he has a chance to be pretty good. Hopefully he has the mental capacity to be able to pick up the playbook and make smart decisions. Just make sure to have him avoid the greek system, that was his excuse for being academically ineligible his last semester at WSU.

Good luck, hope he works out and takes you to a couple bowl games."

Kansas signed 6'3 270 Juco D lineman KeyShaun Simmins yesterday, from Pearl River Community College in Miss. He doesnt have any stars on rivals currently but we still need to fill this class with who we can and coach them up. @Texas-Hawk-10 what do you think of this guy buddy

Work keeps me from posting up to date all the time (I'm taking today off), so since my last post, it appears that KU has lost a DLine recruit while adding two more. DT Zacchaeus McKinney who was a HS DT prospect from Weatherford, TX decommitted from KU 9 days after he committed and appears like Texas may now be the front runner for him.

KU has replaced McKinney with a pair of JuCo DLinemen. DE KeyShaun Simmons from a JuCo in Mississippi and earlier this month, KU picked up DT JJ Holmes who is a big bodied (6-2, 330) DT from Hutch CC.

Tom Keegan actually did his best to figure out the scholarship numbers for KU this year and believes that KU will have 16 available scholarships for 2017 and could potentially be up to 80ish scholarship players. That number will likely fall into the 70's due to natural attrition, but KU should be very close to having normal range scholarship numbers after the 2018 class. KU coaches are said to be looking for at least 1 DB to fill one of the two remaining scholarships for 2016.

KU is back down to 13 players as Jamie Tago decommitted today after returning home to Hawaii and plans to sign with Hawaii where he originally began his career.

Thanks for the recruiting updates. Wow, there is a lot of work to do for our coaching staff.

Looks like KU added a couple more JUCO defenders today in DE Willie McCaleb from Northwest Mississippi Community College and CB Shakial Taylor from Mesa Community College.

@chsguy2008 Yes I'm starting to worry we are getting too many juco guys.

Jucco guys for short term results to save the new raise? Hope not...

@dylans or to give us extra depth... Every team brings on Juco guys once they run out of 4 year guys worth landing.

@dylans We've had quite a few decommitments this class so I think the JuCo heavy class this year is a combination of thise decommits and recruiting misses this year more than anything else.

When all a 2-10 team can offer is playing time, not many top prospect will consider. Once the team get to .500 or better with Bowl prospects, recruiting should pick up.

@kjayhawks @dylans I also think it is to help replace some of the senior production on defense we had this year. If you look most of the juco guys we have gotten are defensive players.

The early signing period came last week and KU signed 8 including 3 new players. If Tom Keegan is right about 16 being KU's limit this year, then KU's class is done for now. The 3 new players are WR Kerr Johnson from Santa Rosa JC, DE Willie McCaleb from NW Miss. JC, and CB Shakial Taylor from Mesa CC.

All 3 of those players signed LOI's along with QB Peyton Bender, CB Hasan Defense, DT JJ Holmes, LB Kyron Johnson, and DE Keyshaun Simmons. All 8 of those guys will report to KU in January and go through spring practice.

KU picked up commitment #17 today from Wichita LB Cooper Root. KU beat out KSU to land Root. We'll see how many more recruits KU can land this class.

The first post on here is the final list of KU's 2017 class. It includes 21 players, 8 of whom are already on campus including QB Peyton Bender. This class break down includes 9 JuCo's and 12 HS players which is not ideal for Beaty, but we also know Beaty doesn't actively seek that ratio like Weis did so I don't think this is a big deal long term. KU's 2017 class is generally considered 9th or 10th in the Big 12, but the walk-ons KU has landed should help with the depth as well. Adding the two Alabama transfers into the mix as well makes this class better than it looks on paper. KU will never be a place that consistently finishes in the top half of the Big 12 in recruiting so player development will always be much more important to KU than at other schools like Texas and OU that bring higher floor guys.

The position breakdown of this class is 1 QB, 2 RB, 5 WR, 2 OL, 2 DE, 1 DT, 3 LB, 4 CB, and 1 K. Both of the OLinemen are HS kids so that's important for future development purposes.

The most important player in this class by far is QB Peyton Bender. KU has the skill position players, the OLine is returning 4/5 starters from last year and will only be better so if Bender shows why Mike Leach wanted him, KU's offense will take a big step forward in 2017.