Once Olathe North High three-star tight end Josh Moore switched his school of choice Thursday from Ohio State to Kansas, it proved that as a recruiter, an assistant coach is only as a good as the head coach is popular.
Moore, who wasn’t considering Kansas when Charlie Weis was the coach, cited interim head coach Clint Bowen as a big reason he committed to KU.
For whatever reasons, Kansas high school coaches never warmed to Weis, who didn’t appear to put a huge premium on in-state prospects.
Just six Kansans on KU’s roster were signed to scholarships as part of Weis’ three recruiting classes. Class of 2012: Offensive lineman Brian Beckmann and receiver Tre Parmalee; Class of 2013: Quarterbacks Montell Cozart and Jordan Darling and tight end Ben Johnson; Class of 2014: running back/safety Joe Dineen.
Johnson and Dineen shape up as the best prospects of that bunch. Starting center Joe Gibson, defensive lineman T.J. Semke and reserve linebacker Beau Bell came to Kansas as a walk-ons and earned scholarships.
Moore’s commitment gives KU a second pledge from a highly rated football in-state recruit. The first came from Ryan Willis, a 6-foot-4, three-star quarterback from Bishop Miege High, ranked No. 3 in the preseason.
Keep in mind, non-binding verbal commitments shift more in football than basketball, so it’s worth mentioning three local offensive linemen who made verbals to BCS schools. Blue Valley High’s four-star prospect A.J. Harris, ranked No. 1 in the state, committed to Missouri. Baldwin High’s Christian Gaylord, No. 2 in the state, committed to Nebraska. Free State’s Scott Frantz, No. 6 in the state, and Mill Valley High’s Evan Applegate, No. 7, both pledged to Kansas State.
There are no signs that the three prospects would consider switching, but signing day is nearly four months away. (Harris is excited about playing for Missouri offensive line coach A.J. Ricker, who was at Illinois when he started recruiting Harris.)
Ohio State reportedly had been cooling on Moore of late, but it remains a big commitment for KU and for Bowen’s chances of landing the job on a permanent basis, especially if it emboldens others to switch their commitments to the closest Div. 1 school, which now has a man in charge who has a healthy respect for in-state talent, a man who has the respect of Kansas high school coaches.
Regardless of whether it’s Bowen, KU’s next coach must be able to recruit high school talent from Texas and Kansas.
