Jayhawks venture to Windy City for latest football commitment

By Matt Tait     Jun 24, 2016

The Kansas University football program is not stopping at Louisiana when it comes to mining new recruiting territory.

Late Wednesday night, roughly 12 hours after picking up a commitment from three-star defensive back Akayleb Evans, of McKinney, Texas, the Jayhawks landed an oral commitment from three-star defensive back Robert Topps, of Chicago’s Marist High.

Topps chose the Jayhawks over offers from 15 Division I programs and interest from several others.

Chicago is not necessarily known as a hot bed for football talent, and, although KU has a major alumni presence in the Windy City, the Jayhawks have landed commitments from just seven Illinois natives dating back 15 recruiting classes to 2002.

Of those seven, all but two came from the southern part of the state, closer to St. Louis.

Current Jayhawk and Class of 2015 defensive lineman Jacky Dezir and 2007 commitment Jason Hind, an offensive lineman, both came from Glen Ellyn, Ill., which sits roughly 30 miles west of Chicago.

It’s too early to tell how hard KU coach David Beaty and his staff will recruit Chicago in the future, but reeling in their sixth three-star prospect in the Class of 2017 from that area certainly qualifies as a good start.

Like so many athletes these days, Topps announced his commitment on Twitter, saying, “I want to thank God, my coaches, my family and all of the schools that have recruited and shown interest in me. It’s been a long journey and lots of hard work. I am extremely blessed and proud to say that I am officially a Jayhawk! #RockChalk.”

Not long after Topps made the announcement, KU coach David Beaty hopped on Twitter to flash the customary #NeatDeal hashtag that typically indicates good news of this type, only this time there was an extra tag attached: #GottaLoveChiTown.

KU defensive coordinator Clint Bowen was the lead recruiter for Topps, and the newest Jayhawk told Jon Kirby of JayhawkSlant.com that Bowen offered up a flattering comparison when recruiting Topps.

“When I first talked to coach Bowen, he told me he likes my length and he told me I reminded him of Aqib Talib and how he was built,” Topps told Kirby. “That meant a lot to me.”

Topps, KU’s sixth 3-star prospect in the current class, is the third defensive back and 10th prospect overall in the 2017 class to commit to Kansas. He has yet to visit the KU campus but plans to do so soon.

“When they talk to me, they treat me like family,” he told Kirby of the KU coaching staff. “That goes a long way. Even though I haven’t visited there they kept me up to date with information about the school and videos of the campus. I felt like I knew a lot about the Kansas program. I have been told how nice the school is. I feel great and I know this is definitely the right move.”

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Written By Matt Tait

A native of Colorado, Matt moved to Lawrence in 1988 and has been in town ever since. He graduated from Lawrence High in 1996 and the University of Kansas in 2000 with a degree in Journalism. After covering KU sports for the University Daily Kansan and Rivals.com, Matt joined the World Company (and later Ogden Publications) in 2001 and has held several positions with the paper and KUsports.com in the past 20+ years. He became the Journal-World Sports Editor in 2018. Throughout his career, Matt has won several local and national awards from both the Associated Press Sports Editors and the Kansas Press Association. In 2021, he was named the Kansas Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. Matt lives in Lawrence with his wife, Allison, and two daughters, Kate and Molly. When he's not covering KU sports, he likes to spend his time playing basketball and golf, listening to and writing music and traveling the world with friends and family.