Of course there is the reason it is a big commit because this kid can flat out play and I think he will play sooner than later, but his commit goes beyond that. Here are a few reasons...
1.) It stops the cyclical JUCO pattern at CB/DB. In 2013, we took Dexter McDonald, Cassius Sendish, Isaiah Johnson, and Kevin Short. Those guys left within a couple of years, so in 2015 we had to take Brandon Stewart, Marnez Ogletree, and LB Bates. These guys will be gone in a couple of years, so in 2017 we were looking at loading up on JUCO guys again. Now we may have to take a JUCO safety in the next class, but Mayberry gives us 6 CB types in the past two classes, which means we will have bodies at the spot and thus don't have to load up on JUCOs - we can now take a JUCO at this spot because we want to and not need to, which is huge with our roster situation.
2.) Speaking of 6 CB/DB types, we are now looking at having young depth at this spot. This is huge in the BIG 12. Now not all of these guys will pan out, but KU hasn't had a solid two deep at CB in a long time. I see some versatility with this group. I see three guys in Kyle Mayberry, Shola Ayinde, and Marquis Smith as guys who I would define as true CBs and three guys in Ian Peterson, Shaquille Richmond, and Tyrone Miller who I think who could play anything from CB to NB to FS. In this league, the FS and NB basically have to be CBs. This helps us compete with what we are going against because it looks like we will have a lot of 5 DB groups on the field going forward.
3.) Beating KSU for a recruit. Now I don't think we are at the stage where we will win every recruiting battle against KSU. But it is important early on to beat them out for a guy and get a little bit of momentum on the recruiting trail. This is a minor monkey off the back for the staff to get their first recruit who was also heavily recruited by their in-state rival...
1.) It stops the cyclical JUCO pattern at CB/DB. In 2013, we took Dexter McDonald, Cassius Sendish, Isaiah Johnson, and Kevin Short. Those guys left within a couple of years, so in 2015 we had to take Brandon Stewart, Marnez Ogletree, and LB Bates. These guys will be gone in a couple of years, so in 2017 we were looking at loading up on JUCO guys again. Now we may have to take a JUCO safety in the next class, but Mayberry gives us 6 CB types in the past two classes, which means we will have bodies at the spot and thus don't have to load up on JUCOs - we can now take a JUCO at this spot because we want to and not need to, which is huge with our roster situation.
2.) Speaking of 6 CB/DB types, we are now looking at having young depth at this spot. This is huge in the BIG 12. Now not all of these guys will pan out, but KU hasn't had a solid two deep at CB in a long time. I see some versatility with this group. I see three guys in Kyle Mayberry, Shola Ayinde, and Marquis Smith as guys who I would define as true CBs and three guys in Ian Peterson, Shaquille Richmond, and Tyrone Miller who I think who could play anything from CB to NB to FS. In this league, the FS and NB basically have to be CBs. This helps us compete with what we are going against because it looks like we will have a lot of 5 DB groups on the field going forward.
3.) Beating KSU for a recruit. Now I don't think we are at the stage where we will win every recruiting battle against KSU. But it is important early on to beat them out for a guy and get a little bit of momentum on the recruiting trail. This is a minor monkey off the back for the staff to get their first recruit who was also heavily recruited by their in-state rival...
