Kansas University may have landed the biggest fish yet in its 2005 recruiting class Sunday, earning a sudden commitment from Rodney Allen of Garden City Community College, according to rivals.com.
Allen, a 6-foot-3, 265-pound defensive end, chose Kansas over Kansas State, Iowa State, Oklahoma State and Cincinnati.
Allen was a junior-college teammate of Wayne Wilder, a defensive tackle who signed with KU as a mid-year transfer in December and now is with the program. Allen won’t sign until Feb. 2, and he won’t come to Lawrence until summer.
Allen was one of two recruits to commit Sunday. The Jayhawks also received a nonbinding oral commitment from Sirod Williams, a 6-foot, 226-pound defensive end from Garfield Heights, Ohio. Williams chose the Jayhawks over Cincinnati, Bowling Green, Illinois and Arizona State after visiting Lawrence this weekend.
Allen cited his comfort level and relationship with KU assistant Clint Bowen, who is in charge of in-state recruiting, as his reasons for choosing the Jayhawks.
“Everybody is so positive,” Allen told rivals.com. “The staff is really nice. I can’t explain it, but it’s a good fit for me.”
Allen’s commitment makes him the highest-rated recruit headed to KU for the 2005 season, based on rivals’ rankings. He’ll add immediate depth to defensive end at KU, a position returning Jermial Ashley and Charlton Keith, but losing David McMillan, an All-Big 12 Conference pick in 2004.
“I think he’ll be that real physical defensive end you see at the Big 12 level,” Jon Kirby of rivals.com said. “He’s a manchild. He and Wayne Wilder on the defensive line at Garden City were awfully tough to beat.”
Allen’s commitment comes in the wake of a KU recruit changing his mind Sunday.
| ¢ Marcus Anderson, OL, CC of San Francisco¢ Paul Como, DE, Saddleback (Calif.)¢ Jacob Cox, OL, Iowa Central¢ Brian Murph, WR, Butler County¢ Eric Washington, LB, Minnesota West¢ Wayne Wilder, DL, Garden City¢ Rodney Allen, DL, Garden City |
Jacob Lacey, a 5-10, 155-pound defensive back from Garland, Texas, decided to play at Oklahoma State instead of Kansas.
Lacey committed to the Jayhawks after taking his official visit in December to Lawrence, then took a visit Jan. 14 to OSU and had a change of heart.
“I loved everything about Kansas, and the coaches up there are great guys,” Lacey told rivals.com, “but I just liked my opportunities a little bit better at Oklahoma State.”
KU has 22 known commitments for 2005, including six who already signed as mid-year transfers in December. The other 16 will sign Feb. 2.
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Team awards: The Jayhawks had their annual awards banquet Saturday night at the Kansas Union, and passed out a slew of awards to celebrate the 2004 season.
Center Joe Vaughn — who played in Saturday’s Hula Bowl — was named the team’s offensive MVP, while cornerback Charles Gordon was named MVP on the defensive side. Clark McCracken was named special teams MVP.
In all, 14 awards were passed out.
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Rankings, already?: It’s not too early to think about the 2005 season, is it?
Collegefootballnews.com doesn’t think so. The Web site released its pre-preseason rankings last week, putting the 119 Division I-A teams in order based on returning talent and 2004 success.
KU came in 51st in the rankings. CFN listed the Jayhawks as a Top 25 contender, but added “unfortunately, this is a bounce-back year for the Big 12 North, so it’ll be a fight to get a winning record.”
Texas (6th) was the top-ranked Big 12 Conference team, while Iowa State (30th) was the top North team.
Not surprisingly, Southern California topped the field.
