Updated 4:37 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 4:
After a series of flips late in the fall reshaped the image of its 2025 recruiting class, the Kansas football team officially signed 15 incoming freshmen on Wednesday, the first day of the early signing period.
KU’s recent additions from the month of November, receivers Bryson Hayes and Jaden Nickens and running back Justin Thurman, joined the Jayhawks’ 12 other commitments in agreeing to play for the Jayhawks.
The rest of the class includes the earliest commitments, quarterback David McComb and linebacker Malachi Curvey; spring additions Anderson Kopp and John Kelly; seven players who pledged to KU during summer official visit weeks in wideouts Jackson Cook and Tate Nagy, defensive linemen Josiah Hammond, Adrian Holley and Garrett Martin and safeties Darrion Jones and Brandon Schmelzle; and late-summer addition Chris McCorkle.
“We want to make sure we find guys that love the game of football,” head coach Lance Leipold said. “It takes a lot of work. How important is football to them? Everyone may say it, everyone’s got dreams and aspirations, but do you really understand what it’s going to take and, do you love it enough to go do it, because it is pretty much 365 days a year?
“… I think the competitiveness, I think we’ve added athleticism, I think we’ve gotten a little faster in some spots, and again as a whole I really like this group.”
The Jayhawks’ class ranks 56th in the nation on 247Sports, 60th on On3 and 68th on Rivals. KU has also gotten commitments from a pair of transfers this offseason in Bangally Kamara, a linebacker from South Carolina who committed to the team in early November, and Iowa transfer running back Leshon Williams, though their signings were not announced on Wednesday morning.
While KU did not lose any of its committed freshmen in the immediate days before signing day, the class certainly featured more intrigue late in the game than its 2024 predecessor. As KU flipped Hayes from Nebraska, Nickens from Oklahoma and Thurman from Notre Dame, it also lost offensive lineman Juju Marks to Nebraska, linebacker Kenyon Rivera to Memphis and tight end Joeseph Skipworth to Mississippi State.
“That’s happening all over the country right now, more so than ever,” Leipold said. “And I think there’s probably a lot of reasons for that. I think the new model in which we’re operating will always play a factor. I also think sometimes this early official-visit time … you want young men to make great solid decisions and be comfortable but I think there’s probably some second-guessing, sometimes whether it be with distance or other things that go along with it.”
One encouraging sign for the Jayhawks in 2025 is the presence of three in-state recruits in Hayes, Nagy and Schmelzle.
“I think when you see improved play on the field, improved commitment to facilities, all those things,” Leipold said, “I hope the high school coaches feel that though we can’t please everyone, we’ve continued to work at it and show that we truly want in-state players in our program, and build from there.”
The 15 freshman signees and two committed transfers is a rather small number compared to 38 players who went through senior day prior to the Colorado game on Nov. 23 and one transferring out; as such, KU will need to continue to ramp up its ongoing activity in the transfer portal to restock its roster ahead of next season.
The 2025 signees
Jackson Cook, wide receiver, 6-foot-2, 180 pounds, South Gwinnett, Loganville, Georgia
Malachi Curvey, linebacker, 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, Ankeny Centennial, Waukee, Iowa
Josiah Hammond, defensive tackle, 6-foot-4, 270 pounds, Union, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Bryson Hayes, wide receiver, 6-foot, 180 pounds, Maize, Wichita, Kansas
Adrian Holley, defensive end, 6-foot-4, 240 pounds, Michigan City, Westville, Indiana
Darrion Jones, safety, 6-foot-3, 175 pounds, Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Florida
John Kelly, running back, 6-foot-1, 190 pounds, Cypress Christian, Cypress, Texas
Anderson Kopp, offensive lineman, 6-foot-4, 280 pounds, Brophy Prep, Phoenix, Arizona
Garrett Martin, defensive end, 6-foot-4, 240 pounds, Saguaro, Scottsdale, Arizona
David McComb, quarterback, 6-foot-4, 210 pounds, Edmond Memorial, Edmond, Oklahoma
Chris McCorkle, cornerback, 6-foot-1, 175 pounds, Cardinal Mooney, Bradenton, Florida
Tate Nagy, wide receiver, 5-foot-10, 165 pounds, Blue Valley West, Overland Park, Kansas
Jaden Nickens, wide receiver, 6-foot-3, 190 pounds, Sierra Canyon, Simi Valley, California
Brandon Schmelzle, safety, 6-foot-2, 195 pounds, Axtell, Axtell, Kansas
Justin Thurman, running back, 6-foot, 195 pounds, Jesuit, Tampa, Florida
Nick Krug
