Making the Grade: A Look Back on the Kansas Recruits to Date (2023 edition)

[Bundy]

Before the looming national signing day of the 2023 cfb season, we take a quick look back to the past. The Kansas Jayhawks and coach @Bundy have hauled in a pair of solid recruiting classes to date on paper, but how have they fared on the field?

 

TE Steel Blue, ⭐⭐⭐⭐, Sheldon, Eugene, OR (2021)

Blue is a true sophomore, which has been rarity around the country. Through the first two classes, he was the highest rated recruit in Kansas history, but the flash of his recruiting status has been muddled thus far when it comes to on the field results.

2022: 25 receptions on 60 targets, 223 receiving yards, 8.92 avg, 0 TD, Longest Reception of 52 yards

2021: 9 receptions on 22 targets, 62 receiving yards, 6.89 avg, 0 TD, Longest Reception of 24 yards

CAREER SUMMARY: 34 receptions on 82 targets, 285 receiving yards, 8.38 avg, 0 TD, 52 Long

Blue has gotten on the field in all 25 career opportunities to date, but has been inconsistent if not hidden in the Tyler Summers quarterbacked offense. He's also been playing in the shadow of Kansas career receiving leader Alex Atkins, but has seen time between TE and WR. With a crowded TE room behind him, Blue will need to step up to solidify the starting TE role going forward.

OG David Hager, ⭐⭐⭐⭐, Jefferson, Bloomington, MN (2022)

Hager became the first offensive recruit in Kansas history to consistently get on the field as a freshman, starting in all 12 games to date with a 13th coming soon with the pending bowl game. 

2022: 12 starts, 1 sack allowed, 0 pancakes

CAREER SUMMARY: 12 starts, 1 sack allowed, 0 pancakes

Hager has a long, promising career ahead of him. He hasn't been the marquee offensive lineman on the team just yet, with Jose Moustakas commanding the line from the opposite guard spot, but he's now earned valuable reps and held his own against premium competition, and could be in line to be a team captain in the near future.

DE Robert Wims, ⭐⭐⭐⭐, Brookfield Central, Brookfield, WI (2021)

Wims came in to a defensive line heavily known for getting pressure, putting out multiple NFL-caliber pass rushers to date. 

2022: 10 tackles

2021: redshirt

CAREER SUMMARY:  10 tackles

Wims was thrust into action following an injury to Randal Holmes, and he accumulated a few tackles, but isn't quite ready to be a star. We've seen this before in Eli Reyes, who started a bit as a freshman in 2021, rode pine behind Zack Luke in 2022, and then became a solid complimentary piece in 2023, so perhaps Wims could cause havoc as soon as next season.

LB Sung Franzese, ⭐⭐⭐⭐, Lourdes, Rochester, MN (2022)

The unSung signing from last year's class, Sung stepped in and played all over the linebacking corps, making most of his work at the inside LB position, but showing solid work in his natural OLB spot as well. 

2022: 81 tackles, 3 TFL

CAREER SUMMARY:  81 tackles, 3 TFL

CAREER ACCOLADES: 2023 Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year, 2023 1st-Team All-Big 12

Sung is already the most decorated Jayhawks recruit to date, earning hardware and being recognized by coaches as the top defensive freshman in the conference. 

OLB Michael Koehn, ⭐⭐⭐⭐, Cypress Ranch, Houston, TX (2021)

Koehn has been a more traditional recruit, taking time to get accustomed to college life and developing as a player before getting on the field consistently.

2022: 20 tackles

2021: redshirt

CAREER SUMMARY:  20 tackles

Koehn has had a quiet career thus far, but the redshirt freshman should step into a true starting role next year with Aaron Freeman graduating. It remains to be seen where Koehn and Franzese wind up between ILB/OLB splits, but the two could be a dynamic duo for years.

CB Ross Patton, ⭐⭐⭐⭐, Paul VI, Fairfax, VA (2021)

In a crowded DB room, Patton had earned starting reps.

2022: 22 tackles, 1 FF, 2 INT

2021: redshirt

CAREER SUMMARY:  22 tackles, 1 FF, 2 INT

Patton started the year in a depth, special teams role, but ended up working up to seeing a role for himself as the #2 and nickel corner by the end of the regular season. Chaz Tuivailala returns next year, and Tim Keller returns from a non-typical redshirt season he took as a senior this year, but there will be room for Patton, who has shown he can make plays.

CB Warwick Hollins, ⭐⭐⭐, Staley, Kansas City, MO (2021)

Hollins was a local commit in the inaugural recruiting class, a key target to keep KU faithful invested in knowing that the Jayhawks care about those close to home, and not just on a national recruiting scale.

2022: 9 tackles

2021: redshirt

CAREER SUMMARY:  9 tackles

Hollins hasn't had a presence on the defensive side of the ball just yet, but he recorded 9 tackles on special teams this season. 

CB Thon Russell, ⭐⭐⭐, Pleasant Grove, Texarkana, TX (2021)

Russell was snagged as a potential future nickel CB, but it was known that it would take awhile for him to get on the field.

2022: 3 tackles

2021: redshirt

CAREER SUMMARY:  3 tackles

Like Hollins, Russell has a lot of room to grow before we see him as a feature. There's growing buzz to see the triumvirate of Russell, Hollins, and Patton in the coming seasons, as they were all 2021 commits and were heavily hyped.

FS Eric Gaherty, ⭐⭐⭐⭐, New Deal, New Deal, TX (2022)

Gaherty was an afterthought to most teams last year, with many thinking he'd hit his athletic peak in high school. Kansas scooped him up.

2022: 36 tackles, 2 INT

CAREER SUMMARY:  36 tackles, 2 INT

Gaherty came in to summer camp and immediately won the starting FS job. Kansas hasn't asked him to carry the defense on his own as an 18 year old, and they likely never will have to, but they view him as a center fielder in the backfield with turnover potential.

K Jake Ramirez, ⭐⭐⭐⭐, Havelock, Havelock, NC (2021)

Ramirez exploded onto the national radar as a recruit with a big leg.

2022: 22/28 FG, 78.57%, 57 Long, 30/30 XP

2021: 20/25 FG, 80.00%, 51 Long; 35/36 XP

CAREER SUMMARY:  42/53 FG, 79.25%, 57 Long; 65/66 XP

CAREER ACCOLADES: 2023 2nd-Team All-Big 12

Ramirez might have the longest leg in the country, routinely hitting 60+ yarders in warm ups. If the Jayhawks can get close to the opponents 35 yard line, they are nearly guaranteed 3 points. 

P Craig Longergan, ⭐⭐⭐⭐, Horlick, Racine, WI (2022)

Lonergan loved the idea of coming to Kansas after seeing the combination of Kansas' Wisconsin-recruiting focus, as well as seeing the successes of Ramirez as a true freshman.

2022: 60 punts, 27 inside 20

CAREER SUMMARY:  60 punts, 27 inside 20

 

Kansas has had a relatively balanced approach to recruiting, signing guys from both sides of the ball in each of their classes to date. But the defense, while young, has been the one seeing the biggest impact, with more than a handful of guys getting involved early. The core of the Kansas team is being developed, and if the quarterback situation can be closed down, this is a squad with conference contending potential in the next few seasons.