Today, the first day high school recruits are allowed to sign national letters of intent, Kansas University is expected to sign 24 high school players in what could be the most talented recruiting class in head coach Mark Mangino’s tenure. Wednesday morning, four-star recruit Bradley McDougald signed with the Jayhawks, pusing KU’s Rivals.com ranking from No. 31 nationally to No. 29, which is 11 spots higher than KU was ranked a season ago.
The following is a look at the Jayhawks’ projected newcomers:
D.J. Beshears
Position: Wide receiver
Height/weight: 5-foot-9, 185 pounds
Hometown: Denton, Texas
Last school: Ryan High
Picked KU over: Iowa State
Notable: Originally committed to play at Iowa State, but switched to Kansas last month. As a senior at Ryan High in 2008, he finished with 1,450 receiving yards to go along with 21 touchdowns. Both a receiver and a safety in high school, Beshears, the No. 100-ranked receiver nationally, expects to play cornerback once he arrives at Kansas.
Position: Defensive end
Height/weight: 6-foot-4, 275 pounds
Hometown: Grand Prairie, Texas
Last school: South Grand Prairie High
Picked KU over: Minnesota, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Texas Tech, Arizona
Notable: Rated as the No. 91 overall prospect in the state of Texas and the No. 29 strongside defensive end nationally. As a junior in 2007, he recorded 50 tackles, including 10 tackles for loss and five sacks for South Grand Prairie High.
Position: Offensive tackle
Height/weight: 6-5, 260
Hometown: Owasso, Okla.
Last school: Owasso High
Picked KU over: Tulsa
Notable: Tapped as the No. 23 player in Oklahoma during the preseason and the No. 71 offensive tackle in the class.
Julian Jones
Position: Inside linebacker
Height/weight: 6-2, 253
Hometown: Lawton, Okla.
Last school: MacArthur High
Picked KU over: New Mexico State
Notable: The two-star linebacker recorded 76 tackles and eight sacks as a high school senior this season. Described by high school coach as “raw,” but considered to have much upside.
Prinz Kande
Position: Defensive back
Height/weight: 5-11, 182
Hometown: Euless, Texas
Last school: Trinity High
Picked KU over: New Mexico, Wisconsin
Notable: One of three four-star prospects expected to sign with the Jayhawks. Rated as the No. 16 safety in the Class of 2009 and the No. 36 player overall in the state of Texas. An all-district first-team selection as a prep senior.
Darian Kelly
Position: Defensive back
Height/weight: 6-2, 195
Hometown: Girard, Kan.
Last school: Girard High
Picked KU over: Kansas State
Notable: A two-position star. Also enjoyed a successful prep basketball career. Missed his junior season due to a broken leg, but did enough as a senior to be named the state’s No. 2 player — behind only Bryce Brown of Wichita East High, the top-ranked high school player in the nation.
Dexter Linton
Position: Defensive back
Height/weight: 6-0, 185
Hometown: Arlington, Texas
Last school: Bowie High
Picked KU over: Louisville, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Purdue, Texas Tech, Wisconsin, Houston
Notable: As a prep junior, totaled 103 tackles, two interceptions and 11 pass break-ups. Ranked the No. 23 safety in the Class of 2009 and the No. 69 player in the state of Kansas. Was a high school teammate of fellow Kansas commitment Christian Matthews, a quarterback.
Tom Mabry
Position: Offensive tackle
Height/weight: 6-5, 270
Hometown: Althoff, Ill.
Last school: Althoff High
Picked KU over: Kansas State
Notable: Sizeable lineman who earned all-state honors as a junior. Told Rivals.com one of his top priorities before arriving in Lawrence is to gain weight.
Position: Quarterback
Height/weight: 6-3, 180
Hometown: Arlington, Texas
Last school: Bowie High
Picked KU over: Louisville, Michigan, Utah, Tulsa
Notable: Three-star dual-threat prospect threw for 2,256 yards and 19 touchdowns (with six interceptions) as a senior. Also rushed for 660 yards and 10 touchdowns on 79 carries. Rated as the No. 32 dual-threat quarterback in the country by Rivals.com.
Bradley McDougald
Position: Defensive back
Height/weight: 6-0, 181
Hometown: Dublin, Ohio
Last school: Dublin Scioto
Picked KU over: Ohio State, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Colorado
Notable: No. 11 nationally on Rivals.com’s safeties ranking.
Position: Wide receiver
Height/weight: 6-4, 190
Hometown: Tampa, Fla.
Last school: Jesuit High
Picked KU over: Troy, Auburn, Cincinnati
Notable: Son of former major-league first baseman Fred McGriff, McGriff, a three-star prospect, is rated the No. 50 wide receiver in his class. Was an all-county selection by the Tampa Tribune after finishing his senior season with 732 yards and five touchdowns. Also played defense in high school.
Chris Omigie
Position: Wide receiver
Height/weight: 6-5, 185
Hometown: Arlington, Texas
Last school: Martin High
Picked KU over: Ole Miss, Nebraska, Purdue, Washington State, Army, Buffalo, Ohio, Rice, UTEP, Baylor, Colorado State, Iowa
Notable: Three-star prospect exploded onto the scene as a senior in ’08, catching 55 passes for 937 yards and nine touchdowns after finishing with totals of 14 catches, 199 yards and one touchdown as a junior. Rated as the No. 76 receiver in the class and the No. 100 prospect in the state of Texas.
Position: Fullback
Height/weight: 6-2, 229
Hometown: Plano, Texas
Last school: Plano East High
Picked KU over: Nebraska, Notre Dame, Purdue, Texas Tech, Florida
Notable: Built on a successful junior season by rushing for 873 yards and eight touchdowns on 107 carries. Also caught 31 passes for 228 yards. A four-star prospect, Opurum is rated as the nation’s No. 3 fullback and is also ranked in the overall top 50 in the state of Texas.
Tyler Patmon
Position: Cornerback
Height/weight: 5-11, 180
Hometown: Cedar Park, Texas
Last school: Vista Ridge High
Picked KU over: Iowa State
Notable: An all-district selection as a senior despite suffering a shoulder injury midway through the season. The No. 63 cornerback in the Class of 2009, Patmon is a three-star prospect.
Calvin Rubles
Position: Cornerback
Height/weight: 6-2, 180
Hometown: Richardson, Tex.
Last school: Tyler Junior College
Picked KU over: N/A
Notable: A junior-college transfer, Rubles is a three-star prospect and one of at least five defensive backs expected to sign with Kansas. Also attended the same high school as former Jayhawk standout Aqib Talib.
Position: Running back
Height/weight: 5-9, 175
Hometown: Coconut Creek, Fla.
Last school: Monarch High
Picked KU over: N/A
Notable: Son of former Kansas great Tony Sands, Deshaun was the Jayhawks’ first known commitment in the Class of 2009. Rushed for 1,276 yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior in ’08, averaging 5.4 yards per carry to finish second in Florida’s Broward County in rushing.
Tyrone Sellers
Position: Defensive end
Height/weight: 6-4, 215
Hometown: McCook, Neb.
Last school: McCook High
Picked KU over: Kansas State, Wyoming, Iowa
Notable: Three-star prospect rated as the No. 1 overall player in the state of Nebraska. Athletic defender who finished with 85 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, eight sacks and three pass break-ups as a junior.
Riley Spencer
Position: Offensive tackle
Height/weight: 6-6, 270
Hometown: Hesston, Kan.
Last school: Hesston High
Picked KU over: Kansas State, TCU
Notable: A two-star prospect, Spencer is rated as the No. 9-ranked player in the state of Kansas.
Travis Stephens
Position: Defensive tackle
Height/weight: 6-3, 265
Hometown: Houston, Texas
Last school: Blinn Community College
Picked KU over: UTEP, UAB, Arizona, Houston
Notable: A junior-college All-American last season, Stephens potentially could earn time early in his Kansas career. He recorded 29 tackles-for-loss as a sophomore in ’08 and has been a longtime target of the Jayhawks.
Huldon Tharp
Position: Linebacker
Height/weight: 6-0, 208
Hometown: Mulvane, Kan.
Last school: Mulvane High
Picked KU over: Stanford, Boise State, Illinois, Iowa State
Notable: Rated as the No. 6 prep player in Kansas despite suffering an ACL injury last summer that caused some college teams to back off.
Jacoby Thomas
Position: Defensive end
Height/weight: 6-3, 223
Hometown: Texarkana, Texas
Last school: Texas High
Picked KU over: New Mexico, Southern Mississippi, Louisiana Tech, SMU, UTEP, Iowa State
Notable: Finished his senior season with 76 tackles, including eight sacks, and four forced fumbles and likely will switch from defensive end to linebacker at Kansas.
Jordan Webb
Position: Quarterback
Height/weight: 6-1, 204
Hometown: Union, Mo.
Last school: Union High
Picked KU over: N/A
Notable: No. 9 player in Missouri and the No. 28-rated pro-style quarterback nationwide. Threw for 4,308 yards and 55 touchdowns as a junior — compared to just seven interceptions — and added 633 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground.
Quintin Woods
Position: Defensive end
Height/weight: 6-6, 245
Hometown: Flint, Mich.
Last school: Bakersfield Community College
Picked KU over: Kansas State, Washington State, UTEP, Boise State
Notable: Finished his sophomore season at Bakersfield C.C. with 80 tackles, 14 tackles for loss and eight sacks. Originally a Michigan commitment before he failed to qualify academically, Woods — a four-star prospect — is expected to have the ability to contribute immediately to a KU pass rush that was lacking last season. Considered the No. 36 junior-college player in the country by Rivals.
Kevin Young
Position: Defensive end
Height/weight: 6-4, 227
Hometown: Olathe, Kan.
Last school: Olathe North High
Picked KU over: Kansas State, Nebraska, UCLA, UNLV, Washington State, SMU, Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa State
Notable: The state’s No. 5-rated prospect and the No. 32 ranked strongside defensive end in the nation. Concluded his senior season with 35 tackles, including four for loss, and six sacks. Originally a Kansas commit, switched to Nebraska before recently switching back to Kansas.
