Big recruiting weekend looms for Kansas University football

By Matt Tait     Jan 17, 2014

Kansas University football recruiting.

After a monthlong dead period, college football coaches hit the road recruiting again Thursday.

Kansas University coach Charlie Weis sent assistants to various parts of the country, but they all figure to be back in time for this weekend’s home basketball game between 15th-ranked KU and No. 9 Oklahoma State, slated for 3 p.m. Saturday at Allen Fieldhouse.

Around 12 football recruits will be in town for official visits this weekend, when the showdown between the Jayhawks and Cowboys will be a focal point for the visits.

Weis has said in the past that he believes Allen Fieldhouse is one of the best recruiting advantages KU has because it allows athletes to experience the love and support KU students and the community have for Kansas athletics.

A handful of the players in town this weekend already have committed to Kansas (Joe Dineen, Tyler Patrick, Kent Taylor, Apa Visinia, Traevohn Wrench) and are simply taking their official visits to get one more look at their future home. But the others remain undecided. With KU still having around a dozen open spots in the Class of 2014, these next couple of weekends will be big for Kansas football.

Here’s a quick look at some of the players expected in this weekend:

l WR Darious Crawley, 5-11, 191, Cypress Ridge High, Houston. Three-star prospect seems to be locked in on Kansas, Michigan State and TCU as his finalists. Has been used all over the field but is being recruited by Kansas as a wide receiver. He’ll make the trip by himself.

l LB Josh Ehambe, 6-3, 230, Prime Prep Academy, Arlington, Texas. The versatile two-star prospect also has offers from Colorado State, Louisiana Tech, New Mexico, SMU and Washington State.

l DE Kapil Fletcher, 6-4, 255, Hartnell C.C. Two-star prospect drawing interest from Colorado, Hawaii, Mississippi State, New Mexico and others, has just two years of football experience but finished 2013 with 45 tackles, six sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss.

l DT Lay’Trion Jones, 6-3, 285, Garland (Texas) High. The Jayhawks began recruiting Jones in December and quickly liked what they saw. KU is by far the biggest name on his offer list.

l RB De’Andre Mann, 5-10, 205, Hartnell C.C. Three-star juco All-American is seeking the best fit in terms of system, teammates and coaching staff. Also has offers from Colorado State, Georgia State, Hawaii, Purdue and others.

l WR Derrick Neal, 5-10, 155, Lincoln High, Dallas. Three-star prospect who originally committed to play football at Texas Tech but then changed and committed to play basketball at UT-Arlington is back in football mode, with KU and New Mexico as his leaders. Baylor and TCU also may be in the picture.

D-end picks Kansas

Daniel Wise, a 6-foot-2, 244-pound defensive end from Hebron High in Lewisville, Texas, gave an oral commitment to KU on Thursday.

Wise, a two-star prospect who made an official visit to KU last fall, had offers from Colorado, Louisiana Tech, Missouri and Texas Tech. According to Jon Kirby of JayhawkSlant.com, Wise committed to Kansas on Thursday night and canceled an upcoming recruiting visit to Missouri.

Wise is the 14th commitment in the current class, leaving KU with room to add up to 12 more.

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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.