Top juco RB to visit KU

By Matt Tait     Jan 12, 2014

Kansas University football recruiting.

Junior College All-American De’Andre Mann, a standout running back at Hartnell College in Salinas, Calif., has scheduled an official visit with Kansas University for the weekend of Jan. 17.

Mann, a 5-foot-10, 205-pound Miami native, is the top rated juco running back in the country according to JCGridiron.com. His 1,706 yards (155 per game) led California in rushing during the 2013 season. In 2012, he finished with more than 1,400 yards from scrimmage and 17 touchdowns.

Mann has offers from Colorado State, Georgia State, Hawaii, Idaho, New Mexico, Purdue, Utah State and Western Kentucky. The three-star prospect currently has visits set up with KU, Georgia State (Jan. 24) and Purdue (Jan. 31) and is hoping to make a decision soon.

In an interview with Rivals.com’s Rob Cassidy, Mann admitted that he knew very little about the KU program before getting brought up to speed by the coaching staff. KU coach Charlie Weis visited Mann in California last season but could not contact him due to recruiting rules.

“Everybody is excited about me coming up,” Mann told Cassidy of the reaction of the KU coaches. “I know that they have a great staff with guys that have coached in the NFL. They have a great running-back coach, too. I’m excited to see the campus.”

Regardless of how things play out, Mann appears eager to make a decision.

“I’m ready to get this process over with,” he told Jon Kirby of JayhawkSlant.com. “I want to know where I will be playing so I can focus on that. I want to get it over so I can get down to business.”

D-End also visiting

Kapil Fletcher, a 6-4, 255-pound defensive end and teammate of Mann’s at Hartnell, also is planning a visit the weekend of Jan. 17.

Fletcher, a two-star prospect drawing interest from Colorado, Hawaii, Mississippi State, New Mexico and others, has just two years of football experience but finished the 2013 season with 45 tackles, six sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss.

“The coaches have said I am versatile because in pass situations I can play outside and I can also play against the run,” Fletcher told Kirby. “Since I haven’t been playing football for that long they said I have not developed any bad habits.”

WR to walk on?

According to a tweet from @sportsinkansas, Michael Glatczak, of Butler, will join the KU program this offseason as a preferred walk-on.

Glatczak, a 5-foot-11, 174-pound speed receiver, was a standout at Centralia High during his prep days. He led the Grizzlies in both receptions (27) and yards (402) during the 2013 season and ranked second on the team in touchdowns, with three, while working mostly out of the slot.

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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.