I know I have covered this during the year but wanted to go back over it and also provide some answers to things that have popped up over the course of the year. Here are some thoughts and topics that have come up.
Topic: Why aren't there a lot of weekends with larger amount if visitors:
The staff only has seven mid year spots to work to fill and at last count, none of them are high school players. All of the high school players committed are May grads. That means they have to be filled with portal transfers or juco players. And there is a possibility that might not even happen depending how many spots they can fill with quality players.
There just aren't many spots in this class. The number(s) I keep hearing is 13-14. That could change depending on how many players enter the portal and when they do from KU. KU can get up to seven additional spots back after Dec. 15 or that players last day of class.
For now, the visit lists will be small because there just aren't many spots open.
Topic: Will this staff go after high school players:
I think this staff will go after mainly high school players in the future. But this is a different year for many reasons. First off KU is the youngest Power Five team in the country with underclassmen. KU has 68 followed by Oregon and Colorado.
They can afford to add some players who come from the juco/portal who are more mature have been through a college S&C program and learned what it is like to play in a college type system. This is a good year to do that because there are several levels of freshmen-sophomore who will be around.
Also when you recruit high school players those relationships are built a year or more ahead of that time. When Leipold arrived and assembled his staff in May they were already behind high school recruiting for the 2022 class. Way behind. When they got here there wasn't a board filled with recruits to go after.
If you noticed they immediately started building relationships with the 2023 class. It is hard to make up ground with 2022 high school recruits coming in that late and trying to recruit to a program who is coming off a winless season.
I expect the 2023 class to be filled mainly with high school players and add the right portal of juco players when they can/
Topic: How many juco players will be in this class:
I think five or less. And they will not go out and add juco players just to add them. They are going to be very selective. The names you have seen who are on the board are likely to be the main ones. These are players the coaches all got a chance to see play in games or practice and get to know them. These are players who the staff believe would be good fits.
Who knows, they might only get a couple of them. But if they miss out on some of them they won't just run to the board and throw more juco names on there.
Topic: Will there be a QB in this class from the portal:
I don't believe there will be unless it comes in the spring. I think the staff believes in the current roster to move forward. Now, the one thing that could change is if a QB or two leaves the program. Then that could change the philosophy and they could go after one. I can also see them target a late-bloomer high school player or try to flip a QB if that comes up.
But getting a high school QB will also be difficult because that recruiting starts almost two years early. Most quality HS QBs are committed somewhere no later than the summer before their senior season. Also seeing what Jalon Daniels did might scare off high school QBs who know he has three years to play.
Topic: People have questioned the unofficial visits:
This has come up a few times and I can tell you I believe there it nothing to this at all. If there is, then it is on the recruit or their family.
I talk to parents and recruits who attend the events. Now, I must admit the people I talk to are the ones who staff is really recruiting and even those who might be PWO targets. Every single one of those people had nothing but good things to say about the events. They also get some extra attention.
But those are also the people who get extra access to the coaches in different meetings. This year the staff allowed a lot of recruits to visit for unofficial visits during game days. There is no way to personally recruit and show attention to all of those players on an individual level.
An unofficial visit you are crunched for time. Coaches are getting ready for the game. You can go all over the country and most people have a cookie-cutter approach to the unofficial visits. They are very similar.
They have food to eat and due to NCAA rules you have to pay for it. They have select academic people there to answer basic questions. They bring in Leipold, Ianello, Goff and Stuckey to talk to the group. Around an hour before kickoff the recruits all go to the field and watch the team warm up. Then they watch the game. The time is short and limited on unofficial visits.
Topic: If there are transfers coming from the portal when do we know:
This will be something that goes on all spring. I think there will be players who enter the portal from January through May. Recruiting will be an ongoing thing all those months.
Players coming from the portal don't sign an NLI so they aren't bound to any institution until they attend a class. Now, some players might announce their decisions before that. But they can always change their mind.
I believe after spring football we will see another round of transfers and I think the staff will have spots ready for that time.
I also have a good feeling KU will get seven additional spots back after Dec. 15 to use for the upcoming class.
Topic: Why aren't there a lot of weekends with larger amount if visitors:
The staff only has seven mid year spots to work to fill and at last count, none of them are high school players. All of the high school players committed are May grads. That means they have to be filled with portal transfers or juco players. And there is a possibility that might not even happen depending how many spots they can fill with quality players.
There just aren't many spots in this class. The number(s) I keep hearing is 13-14. That could change depending on how many players enter the portal and when they do from KU. KU can get up to seven additional spots back after Dec. 15 or that players last day of class.
For now, the visit lists will be small because there just aren't many spots open.
Topic: Will this staff go after high school players:
I think this staff will go after mainly high school players in the future. But this is a different year for many reasons. First off KU is the youngest Power Five team in the country with underclassmen. KU has 68 followed by Oregon and Colorado.
They can afford to add some players who come from the juco/portal who are more mature have been through a college S&C program and learned what it is like to play in a college type system. This is a good year to do that because there are several levels of freshmen-sophomore who will be around.
Also when you recruit high school players those relationships are built a year or more ahead of that time. When Leipold arrived and assembled his staff in May they were already behind high school recruiting for the 2022 class. Way behind. When they got here there wasn't a board filled with recruits to go after.
If you noticed they immediately started building relationships with the 2023 class. It is hard to make up ground with 2022 high school recruits coming in that late and trying to recruit to a program who is coming off a winless season.
I expect the 2023 class to be filled mainly with high school players and add the right portal of juco players when they can/
Topic: How many juco players will be in this class:
I think five or less. And they will not go out and add juco players just to add them. They are going to be very selective. The names you have seen who are on the board are likely to be the main ones. These are players the coaches all got a chance to see play in games or practice and get to know them. These are players who the staff believe would be good fits.
Who knows, they might only get a couple of them. But if they miss out on some of them they won't just run to the board and throw more juco names on there.
Topic: Will there be a QB in this class from the portal:
I don't believe there will be unless it comes in the spring. I think the staff believes in the current roster to move forward. Now, the one thing that could change is if a QB or two leaves the program. Then that could change the philosophy and they could go after one. I can also see them target a late-bloomer high school player or try to flip a QB if that comes up.
But getting a high school QB will also be difficult because that recruiting starts almost two years early. Most quality HS QBs are committed somewhere no later than the summer before their senior season. Also seeing what Jalon Daniels did might scare off high school QBs who know he has three years to play.
Topic: People have questioned the unofficial visits:
This has come up a few times and I can tell you I believe there it nothing to this at all. If there is, then it is on the recruit or their family.
I talk to parents and recruits who attend the events. Now, I must admit the people I talk to are the ones who staff is really recruiting and even those who might be PWO targets. Every single one of those people had nothing but good things to say about the events. They also get some extra attention.
But those are also the people who get extra access to the coaches in different meetings. This year the staff allowed a lot of recruits to visit for unofficial visits during game days. There is no way to personally recruit and show attention to all of those players on an individual level.
An unofficial visit you are crunched for time. Coaches are getting ready for the game. You can go all over the country and most people have a cookie-cutter approach to the unofficial visits. They are very similar.
They have food to eat and due to NCAA rules you have to pay for it. They have select academic people there to answer basic questions. They bring in Leipold, Ianello, Goff and Stuckey to talk to the group. Around an hour before kickoff the recruits all go to the field and watch the team warm up. Then they watch the game. The time is short and limited on unofficial visits.
Topic: If there are transfers coming from the portal when do we know:
This will be something that goes on all spring. I think there will be players who enter the portal from January through May. Recruiting will be an ongoing thing all those months.
Players coming from the portal don't sign an NLI so they aren't bound to any institution until they attend a class. Now, some players might announce their decisions before that. But they can always change their mind.
I believe after spring football we will see another round of transfers and I think the staff will have spots ready for that time.
I also have a good feeling KU will get seven additional spots back after Dec. 15 to use for the upcoming class.
