KU lands speedy WR Marquis Jackson

By Matt Tait     Jan 27, 2011

Kansas fooball coach Turner Gill landed more speed to his recruiting class on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2011 with an oral commitment from receiver Marquis Jackson, a Texas native.

With less than a week remaining until signing day, the Kansas University football team continues to stack the Class of 2011.

Wednesday, just two days after landing a junior-college linebacker with blazing speed, the Jayhawks learned that Marquis Jackson, an all-state wide receiver from Arlington Heights High in Fort Worth, Texas, had orally committed to Kansas.

Jackson, a 6-foot, 205-pound, three-star prospect, had no shortage of offers, as he turned down scholarships from Arkansas, Baylor, Houston, Kansas State, Minnesota, Nebraska and UTEP to join the Jayhawks.

Like so many members of the Class of 2011, Jackson’s biggest asset appears to be his speed. The first-team all-state selection, who hauled in 44 passes for 1,186 yards this season, has consistently been clocked in the sub-4.5-second range in the 40-yard dash. His high school coach, Ged Kates, told Rivals.com Wednesday that there was much more to Jackson’s game than his wheels.

“When recruiters would come through the one word that stood out was ‘explosive,'” Kates told Rivals. “At every camp he was the fastest guy. He’s 205 pounds so he’s not small for a receiver. He’s our second-best squatter and squats over 500 pounds.”

Special teams and tight ends coach Aaron Stamn was the lead recruiter for Jackson and Kates said Stamn’s efforts to land the star receiver went a long way.

“I know he really likes coach Stamn and that was one reason,” Kates said. “I know he really enjoyed being around (head) coach (Turner) Gill. When coach Stamn was here and asked Marquis what he wanted at the next level, he told coach Stamn he wanted to play for coaches who will get the most out of him but feels like a family.”

The addition of Jackson, along with this week’s commitments from defensive ends Michael Reynolds and Javonte Daniel as well as linebacker Tunde Bakare, have put KU’s current recruiting class — Gill’s first complete class — on the brink of cracking the Top 30 nationally. The 2011 signing period opens Wednesday, with national signing day. Most of KU’s recruits are expected to make their commitments official then.

Cornerback jumps ship

While KU coach Turner Gill continues to add players to the Class of 2011, one prospect, cornerback Kenneth Lynn, appears poised to drop the Jayhawks.

Lynn, a 5-11, 165-pound corner from Dallas, originally committed to Iowa State but switched his commitment to the Jayhawks late last month.

Wednesday, CycloneReport.com reported that Lynn had switched back to ISU and that his high school coach expected it to stay that way.

Lynn’s second change of heart is not a huge surprise. Former KU wide receivers coach Darrell Wyatt, who left for Texas earlier this month, was the lead recruiter for Lynn. With Wyatt gone, it seems as if that was enough to entice Lynn to stick with his original choice.

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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.