KU football lands oral commitment from QB Jordan Darling

By Matt Tait     Jun 4, 2012

Quarterback U? Perhaps.

Monday night, Kansas University’s football team received its fourth commitment from the Class of 2013 when Shawnee Mission East prospect Jordan Darling orally committed to the Jayhawks.

Darling, 6-foot-4, 226 pounds, is the second quarterback in the class to pick KU — Bishop Miege High QB Montell Cozart committed in March — and the fifth QB brought to town by new head coach Charlie Weis since he took the job last December.

According to Rivals.com, Darling committed to Weis in person Monday with his mother and father there with him.

“I told coach Weis I wanted to commit to them because they believed in me to offer early,” Darling told Jon Kirby. “And I believe in them. I remember being at the junior day when coach Weis told all of the recruits in the room they could be part of something special. I wanted to be a part of it.”

Quarterbacks coach Ron Powlus also played an integral part in landing the three-star prospect.

“He’s a great coach,” Darling told Kirby. “He’s been through the recruiting and knows what it takes. It will be nice to play for a guy that has done it and is successful.”

Darling joins Cozart, Basehor-Linwood High tight end Ben Johnson and St. Louis linebacker Kellen Ash as KU’s commitments from the Class of 2013 so far.

Record-setting spring

The KU football program had a record-setting spring in the classroom, the university announced Monday evening.

KU’s team grade-point average of 3.0 for the spring semester was the program’s all-time best for a semester and a drastic improvement from the 2.46 GPA the team recorded during the fall semester.

“I am delighted,” Weis said. “That mark exceeded my expectations by a wide margin. To be able to jump more than half a letter grade in one semester, and exceeding the best GPA ever by a quarter-grade merits my congratulations to the entire team. Good things happen when you go to class, go on time and use academic support.”

Four football players recorded 4.0 GPAs this spring and 32 others topped the 3.0 mark.

“When we hired Charlie Weis, he and I agreed that performance in the classroom was a top priority,” KU athletic director Sheahon Zenger said. “What this achievement indicates is that coach Weis and his team fully embraced that goal and delivered.

“This is clearly a family priority as well,” Zenger added, “since Charlie Weis, Jr., also achieved a 4.0. Coach Weis obviously holds his family to as high a standard as he holds his team.”

Kansas football was one of nine KU programs to eclipse the 3.0 mark during the spring semester. Volleyball led the way with a 3.44 mark, followed by soccer (3.32), softball (3.25), swimming & diving (3.25), men’s golf (3.14), women’s golf (3.11), tennis (3.05) and women’s track & field (3.0).

Farley to transfer

Jake Farley, a 6-1, 220-pound sophomore linebacker from Cedar Falls, Iowa, will transfer to Northern Iowa, where he will finish his career playing for his father, Mark, Weis announced Monday.

“Jake met with me on Friday and told me he would like to finish his career playing for his dad,” Weis said in a press release. “How could I debate that one? On behalf of the KU program, I wish Jake success and happiness as he returns home to be with his family.”

Farley red-shirted during the 2010 season and did not play during 2011.

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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.