Monday, December 10, 2007

Texas DE gives pledge to Kansas

By J-W Staff Reports

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Kansas University's football team received an oral commitment this weekend from D.J. Marshall, a 6-foot-4, 230-pound defensive end out of Mesquite, Texas.

Marshall, a former Iowa State commitment, changed his mind last week, according to Rivals.com. He also had offers from Minnesota and Baylor.

"I really want to go somewhere where I felt I could win early and have a chance to compete," Marshall told Rivals. "I think at Kansas we will have a chance to play for a title."

KU now has 14 known commitments, including three defensive ends.

Comments

chezlog (anonymous) says...

Today - the Orange Bowl.
Tomorrow - the Title!

Welcome D.J. , we love ya already!

December 10, 2007 at 2:07 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

LAJayhawk (anonymous) says...

"I think at Kansas we will have a chance to play for a title."

Wow. Just to hear someone outside the KU universe say those words. Chills up my spine. I just can't believe how this program has seemingly turned around on a dime. Absolutely amazing. Only one thing to say....

Rock Chalk Jayhawk.

Amen.

December 10, 2007 at 5:41 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

sevenyearhawk (anonymous) says...

"I think at Kansas we will have a chance to play for a title."

and not a basketball player ... WOW, indeed!!!

December 10, 2007 at 6:58 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

ohioburg (anonymous) says...

I wouldn't say it turned around on a dime. I've seen steady improvement since Mangino arrived. Even though the record was only 6-6 after a bowl season the year before (6-7), last year could arguably have been 10-2 if they finished off games. This year they played all four quarters and it shows.

December 10, 2007 at 7:48 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

mvjayhawk (anonymous) says...

Zlatnik and Marshall look like solid guys for the next several years. Welcome to KU, Mr. D.J.!

December 10, 2007 at 8:01 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

scootja32 (anonymous) says...

360 bench with a 36 inch vertical

explosive and strong with a good build

looks like a solid prospect

December 10, 2007 at 8:24 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

quigley (anonymous) says...

What we really need is a speed rush guy. I think that might be the one thing missing from this years defense.

December 10, 2007 at 8:28 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

justanotherfan (anonymous) says...

With the way we have been able to develop guys, that 6-4, 230 should turn into 6-4, 255 or 260 after a year or so in the program. That's a good commitment, though. From what scootja posted, he should be a nice player on the edge. Hopefully he can run, too.

December 10, 2007 at 8:28 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

rockchalkblock (anonymous) says...

D.J Marshall = Quinton Groves

December 10, 2007 at 8:46 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

okiehawk (anonymous) says...

Next year is going to be critical concerning Kansas' long term fortunes. Our schedule will be significantly more difficult. Some of us old timers recall great Kansas years, i.e. '68 orange bowl, only to lapse into mediocrity the following years due to a let down in our momentum due to the feeling that we have done really great things compared to former Kansas teams and, therefore, we can relax a little. Mangino needs to show he can sustain progressively better years. I think Mangino can and will do that. Based on our recruiting and experience at key positions and the coaching staff, we have all the tools to make this into a consistently winning program. Our recruiting is getting easier, but we still have to go find the gems in the rough that Oklahoma and Texas have overlooked, passed on or for some personal reason do not wish to play for these yearly powers -- like Reesing and the other Tex-Ok Hawks. But this is all something to concern ourselves with in Mid-January. For now, let's beat a terrific Virginia Tech team and finish well. Go Hawks.

December 10, 2007 at 11:18 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

quigley (anonymous) says...

Rivals.com page on D.J. If the staff can get the 40 time down a bit, he could be a real force at DE.

http://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/...

December 10, 2007 at 11:47 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

DBK (anonymous) says...

Has anyone seen the latest recruiting rankings for the state of Kansas? We're definitely doing better than KSU, but the top-tier kids aren't really even considering either of us. That's one difference between us and Mizzou--they seem to be a little more successful keeping an in-state 4- or 5-star kid from bolting to the SEC or Pac-10 every now and then. I realize KU's littered with "2-star" kids that Mangino's coached-up and made into really good football players--imagine what he could do if he was coaching-up 4- and 5-star recruits! :-)

http://rivals100.rivals.com/viewrank....

December 10, 2007 at 1:14 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

jawk1 (anonymous) says...

52 Tackles for loss in Jr Season? Cripe, was the guy lined up in the backfield? That's unbelievable.

December 10, 2007 at 2:35 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

LAJayhawk (anonymous) says...

ohioburg-
Clearly there has been improvement over Mangino's time, bringing us to 3 bowls and getting us eligible for a 4th in 5 years. However, back to back 6 and 6 teams in the regular season is mediocre. We were all ecstatic to be getting chances at bowl games as that opportunity never arose during the Allen years, but we hadn't lifted above the pack. I was at several of the games last year when we gave it away, and watched the others (or in the case of Baylor listened on the radio -- that one still hurts). So I am fully aware of what "could have been." Making the statement, however, that last years team "could arguably have been 10-2" is just an excercise in futility. They weren't . They were 6 and 6. Not "finishing off games" is still losing.

Now, Mangino took what is essentially the same squad and turned them into 11-1. That is simply great coaching. I'm sorry if you don't like the term, but in my opinion that is turning a mediocre team around on a dime and making them a top of the pack squad.

I hope we can make a powerful statement in Miami and keep that momentum going for years to come.

December 10, 2007 at 3:45 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

JBurtin (anonymous) says...

I would have to disagree with the term as well. Turning around on a dime makes it sound like they were a terrible team and Mangino has suddenly pulled miracles out of a hat.

The truth is that being close to going 10-2 is meaningful in terms of understanding the progress that was made.

Last year's team wasn't a bad team that needed to be turned around. They were a very young team that needed some experience and was missing a couple of key pieces.

The mediocre records before that were caused simply by having mediocre talent to work with.

People were freaking out after last year as if they expected a young team to miraculously be better than the senior laden squad of the year before. It was unbelievable how many idiots were calling for Mangino's head when they had just watched a team full of very talented young guys get very close to a really good season. It wasn't that hard to predict that they would have a good season this year if you were paying attention.

I didn't predict they would start off the year by rattling off 11 wins, but I did think they had a great chance to win their first 7 and a fair chance at all of the rest of the games depending on how good those teams ended up.

The truth is the growth of this team has been slow and steady, just as Mangino has always maintained.

Keep Sawin' Wood boys, Keep Sawin' Wood.

December 10, 2007 at 4:23 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

jayhawk02 (anonymous) says...

I also like his 3.3 GPA. Won't have to worry about him not making grades. Just icing on the Jayhawk's cake :)

December 10, 2007 at 5:09 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

seattlehawk_78 (anonymous) says...

The only problem with 11-1 is that the bar has been set pretty high. We have every reason to believe that next year will also be successful but I wonder how many fans will jump off the bandwagon if we go 8-4 or 9-3, which in my mind is still a successful season and will get us in a bowl.

One of the most critical components of our continued success is filling Memorial Stadium every Saturday. If the fan interest isn't there then I can see a limit as to how far this program can go.

December 10, 2007 at 5:28 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

LAJayhawk (anonymous) says...

Clearly if you want to argue linguistics and the societal representation of the term "on a dime," we could be here all day. Obviously in my previous post I made it rather clear that I thought this team had made marked improvements over previous seasons. Last year's team, again in my own opinion, was a good team that had a lot of unrecognized potential. I felt that to such a degree that I made a bet at the beginning of this season on the Jayhawks winning the Big 12 championship. My odds were 60-1. While I missed an enormous payday by an eyelash, the fact that they went into Arrowhead with 3-1 odds for winning the title certainly shows the strides this team had made -- especially over last year.

When I made the statement in my first post, I thought it was clear to anyone not looking to argue for the sake of argument, that I was extremely proud of the steps these kids had taken as well as the tremendous leadership and hardwork brought to them by their coaching staff. It was, again, clearly not meant to take anything away from the steps taken in the last few years, but to appreciate the fact that the nation -- recruits included -- are starting to look at Jayhawk football as a program that can compete. And as you said seattlehawk, that should not be an expectation of 11 straight wins, but a team that competes for the Big 12 North in order for chances at the Big 12 championship and a major bowl.

But if you really want to argue more on the term "on a dime," well, then have at it. I'm sure there are plenty of other pointless angles from which you can take it.

December 10, 2007 at 6:19 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

NH_JHawk (anonymous) says...

Good point seattlehawk. If we can't fill the stadium every Saturday then we deserve to stay mediocre. Fan support is crucial. Personally I'd kill for more opportunities to go to the games but kinda hard living so far away. And speaking of recent attendance, what was up at that AZ game after Thanksgiving? Surprising to see that many empty seats considering we were playing a quality top 25 opponent.

December 10, 2007 at 8:04 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

DallasHawk (anonymous) says...

2 Tickets for Face Value KU vs. vt

sec. 146
row 23

please contact if interested: jcrook@cox.net

December 10, 2007 at 9:25 p.m. ( | suggest removal )