Recent recruiting visits continue to be fruitful for the Kansas University football program.
One day after landing two commitments in the Class of 2012 — Dallas linebacker Courtney Arnick and El Camino CC defensive tackle Jordan Tavai committed to KU on Sunday — the KU coaches picked up two more oral commitments on Monday, as City College of San Francisco quarterback Turner Baty and Sugar Land, Texas, athlete Tyree Williams both pledged their services to the Jayhawks.
Baty, 6-foot-2, 220 pounds, announced his commitment Monday night. He comes to KU with three years of eligibility remaining and the understanding that Notre Dame transfer Dayne Crist is expected to be KU’s starter this fall.
That hardly seemed to matter to Baty, who threw for 3,100 yards, 42 touchdowns and completed 64 percent of his passes during CCSF’s run to a national title in 2011. From the time he arrived in Lawrence on his visit up to the time he committed Monday night, Baty raved about the Jayhawks, his new teammates and the treatment he was given while in Lawrence.
“I have always been told no and that people don’t think I can do it,” Baty told Jon Kirby of JayhawkSlant.com. “I have been a quarterback on a team that won a state title and a national title. It gives me an edge. I don’t care what my stars or rating is. I will go in and work harder than anyone else. That’s how I am going to approach it.”
With BYU transfer Jake Heaps forced to sit out the 2012 season and the other QBs on KU’s roster limited in their experience, Baty gives KU coach Charlie Weis proven depth and experience at quarterback.
Earlier Monday, Williams, 6-0, 190, announced that he had picked Kansas over SMU. The main reasons Williams picked KU were the coaching staff and the town itself.
“I felt like it was the right spot for me,” Williams told Kirby. “I thought coach Weis and Dave Campo are great coaches. I want to be a part of the turnaround at Kansas. I love the coaching staff and how they interacted with the players.”
Similar words came from Tavai, 6-3, 280, on Sunday night.
“I want to play for (KU assistant coach) Buddy Wyatt and coach Dave Campo,” Tavai told Kirby. “I want to get into Kansas and help turn the program around. The two schools were even but I thought Kansas had the better coaches. Kansas has the coaches with the NFL experience that will help me.”
The addition of Baty and Williams brings KU’s count to 18, including the three transfers who already are on campus (Crist, Heaps and wide receiver Justin McCay). That number does not include Butler County CC defensive tackle Chaquil Reed, who committed to KU last week but seemed to switch his commitment to K-State over the weekend.
Weis said earlier this month that he expected the Class of 2012 to be in the 20s. He also said he would purposely save a few spots for more transfers.
