KU football lands three more commitments

By Matt Tait     Jan 23, 2012

With recruiting for the Class of 2012 heading into its final full week, Kansas University’s football program made another splash Monday, landing three more commitments.

High school seniors Sean Connolly (offensive lineman) and Greg Allen (cornerback) joined Butler County Community College defensive lineman Chaquil Reed in orally committing to the Jayhawks to get this all-important recruiting week off to a fast start.

By landing Reed, it’s clear that the KU coaches continue to emphasize improvement on the defensive line.

Reed, a 6-foot-3, 290-pound defensive tackle, also had offers from Northern Illinois, Toledo and Troy.

Shortly after his in-home visit with new KU coach Charlie Weis earlier this month, Reed talked with JayhawkSlant.com about why he liked KU.

“They told me they are looking for players that can help right away,” Reed told Jon Kirby. “I feel like their program will get better, and the best is yet to come under Charlie Weis.”

Reed, a two-star prospect, became the sixth junior-college player and fourth defensive lineman in KU’s Class of 2012.

Connolly, a 6-foot-7, 290 pound offensive tackle from St. Edward High in Lakewood, Ohio, backed out of his commitment to Marshall to join the Jayhawks.

A two-star lineman according to Rivals.com, Connolly is regarded as a late bloomer, and he spent the 2011 season playing left tackle.

Like Connolly, Allen, a 5-11, 190-pound cornerback from Alief Taylor High in Houston, also changed his mind. Allen, a three-star prospect, had been committed to Utah, but told JayhawkSlant.com that his commitment to KU is solid.

“I’m done with recruiting and I told them that,” Allen told Kirby. “My mind is made up. It feels good, and I think I made a great decision. I’m ready to get to Kansas in June and get going.”

Kansas has 15 commitments in the Class of 2012, counting Dayne Crist, Jake Heaps and Justin McCay, who already are on campus.

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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.