Quick Take: I said for the last few weeks I did not know if Dakyus Brinkley would decide this summer or let his recruiting go into the season.
At one time I thought he would likely move into the fall with it. But like I said on the podcast the other day… the quicker his decision the better for KU. I felt the Jayhawks were in good shape but the longer it goes from the official visit the tougher it would be.
Brinkley told me it came down to the people at KU and a lot of credit to Jordan Peterson. He said there were a lot of discussions with Peterson the week leading up to his decision.
Brinkley talked a lot about the official visit and how that played a big part. He told me his host was Tristian Fletcher and being around the players helped sell him on Kansas.
“What I learned from them was that every question you ask them, it was going to be a hundred percent truthful answer, honest, even if it wasn't what you wanted to hear,” he told me. “They were going to be honest a hundred percent with you. And I like that a lot because in most programs, players are just going to say anything just to get you there.
“But at Kansas, it was a hundred percent of the truth. And me being around the other players, I felt like it really helped me decide what was going to be home for me, because of my bond with the players. It was an easy connection just to connect with them. And that's something I was really looking forward to. Every player talked to each other, so it was just a great fit.”
Brinkley said he called Peterson when he was on the beach and committed. He talked to Leipold and Onatolu to tell them the news.
Another thing that stood out was he said he heard the trip to Kansas could be boring. But he said it was the opposite. He loved the town and the support around the program and school.
Breakdown: When I watch his film, I see a lot of similarities to DJ Warner. Brinkley is a long, lean athlete who can add more weight to his body. I heard on the visit he was right at 6-foot-4.
He plays standing up on his high school film when he was at Seven Lakes. This year he will play for Katy High. They played with three down linemen, and he would line up on the edge. On some plays they would bring up a fifth person, but it was always Brinkley as the edge rusher.
He sets the line of scrimmage well and pursues down the line laterally. He saw a lot of double teams. When he engages with linemen, he has a strong ability to not stay wired to blocks for long.
He has good explosiveness and speed.
Brinkley was one of the standouts at the Rivals Camp Series event in Dallas. Here is what was said about him:
One of the best-looking prospects at the entire event was Brinkley, who is listed as a four-star outside linebacker but chose to compete as a defensive end on Sunday - and did really well. The Katy (Texas) Seven Lakes standout is long and has lean muscle, so it looks like he’d have no problem playing in space at an elite level and then he was aggressive and physical coming off the edge, too. In today’s game, Brinkley is the perfect edge prospect especially if he adds a few more pounds.
What this means: This will shut down the defensive end recruiting as the Kansas staff has pulled in their top two prospects on the board.
Brinkley and Warner give the Jayhawks one of the best one-two punches I have seen them land in one class at defensive end. All I can say is the future is bright for the edge rusher position in the upcoming years.
At one time I thought he would likely move into the fall with it. But like I said on the podcast the other day… the quicker his decision the better for KU. I felt the Jayhawks were in good shape but the longer it goes from the official visit the tougher it would be.
Brinkley told me it came down to the people at KU and a lot of credit to Jordan Peterson. He said there were a lot of discussions with Peterson the week leading up to his decision.
Brinkley talked a lot about the official visit and how that played a big part. He told me his host was Tristian Fletcher and being around the players helped sell him on Kansas.
“What I learned from them was that every question you ask them, it was going to be a hundred percent truthful answer, honest, even if it wasn't what you wanted to hear,” he told me. “They were going to be honest a hundred percent with you. And I like that a lot because in most programs, players are just going to say anything just to get you there.
“But at Kansas, it was a hundred percent of the truth. And me being around the other players, I felt like it really helped me decide what was going to be home for me, because of my bond with the players. It was an easy connection just to connect with them. And that's something I was really looking forward to. Every player talked to each other, so it was just a great fit.”
Brinkley said he called Peterson when he was on the beach and committed. He talked to Leipold and Onatolu to tell them the news.
Another thing that stood out was he said he heard the trip to Kansas could be boring. But he said it was the opposite. He loved the town and the support around the program and school.
Breakdown: When I watch his film, I see a lot of similarities to DJ Warner. Brinkley is a long, lean athlete who can add more weight to his body. I heard on the visit he was right at 6-foot-4.
He plays standing up on his high school film when he was at Seven Lakes. This year he will play for Katy High. They played with three down linemen, and he would line up on the edge. On some plays they would bring up a fifth person, but it was always Brinkley as the edge rusher.
He sets the line of scrimmage well and pursues down the line laterally. He saw a lot of double teams. When he engages with linemen, he has a strong ability to not stay wired to blocks for long.
He has good explosiveness and speed.
Brinkley was one of the standouts at the Rivals Camp Series event in Dallas. Here is what was said about him:
One of the best-looking prospects at the entire event was Brinkley, who is listed as a four-star outside linebacker but chose to compete as a defensive end on Sunday - and did really well. The Katy (Texas) Seven Lakes standout is long and has lean muscle, so it looks like he’d have no problem playing in space at an elite level and then he was aggressive and physical coming off the edge, too. In today’s game, Brinkley is the perfect edge prospect especially if he adds a few more pounds.
What this means: This will shut down the defensive end recruiting as the Kansas staff has pulled in their top two prospects on the board.
Brinkley and Warner give the Jayhawks one of the best one-two punches I have seen them land in one class at defensive end. All I can say is the future is bright for the edge rusher position in the upcoming years.
