Minnesota football transfer considering Kansas

By David Mitchell     Feb 20, 2004

Kansas University already signed one former Minnesota football player this winter, and the Jayhawks might be in line for a second.

The father of defensive tackle Scott Stephenson said KU likely would be one of five schools his son would visit after being granted his release from Minnesota last month.

Stephenson was a high school All-American at Cretin Derham Hall in Saint Paul, Minn., and committed to Minnesota without making any other campus visits, despite being recruited by Notre Dame and several other major colleges.

“This time, Scott’s not going to make that mistake,” Jim Stephenson said. “He’s going to make some visits and not jump into anything. There’s no deadline. There’s a lot of schools interested in Scott. We’re waiting for schools to ask him to make visits.”

Some already have. The family left Thursday night for a trip to Iowa State. Nebraska also is in the mix.

Jim Stephenson said Kansas had invited his son to make a visit to Lawrence, but KU’s coaches requested his trip come later in the process.

Scott Stephenson played nine games, including two starts, as true freshman defensive end in 2002. He bulked up to 6-foot-3, 290 pounds last fall, but was used primarily on special teams.

Now Stephenson is looking for a new home and a chance to make an impact. Wherever he goes, the lineman will be forced to sit out the 2004 season in accordance with NCAA transfer rules.

Stephenson already has a few friends at Kansas. Former Gopher defensive end Charlton Keith — who spent his sophomore season at Minnesota West Community College — signed with Kansas on the Feb. 4 national signing day and is expected to enroll this summer.

“We bumped into Keith the other day,” Jim Stephenson said. “He opened up his wallet and gave me Chris Dawson’s business card.”

Chris Dawson was the director of strength and conditioning at Minnesota during Keith and Scott Stephenson’s freshman season before taking a similar post at KU. Dawson played a key role in Keith’s decision to come to Kansas, and he could factor again in Stephenson’s next move.

“They had a great relationship,” Jim Stephenson. “He’s a great guy. We have a great deal of respect for him. … You have to have a good relationship with the coaches. It’s very important that you have Chris Dawson down there.”

  • Jones on display: KU’s Adrian Jones was one of 26 offensive tackles expected to take part in Thursday’s first day of the NFL combine in Indianapolis.
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