8A SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY FEBUARY 4, 2009
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2009
Kansas football commitments
According to Rivals.com as of Tuesday:
Prinze Kande ★★★ 5, 5-11, 182 pounds, Euless (Texas)
Trinity
Kansas' highest-touched recruit, Ranked 36 among all Texas recruits. Played in the Offense-Defense All American Bowl.
Toben Opurum ★ ★★ ★ FB, 6-2, 229 pounds, Plano (Texas)
East
Quinton Woods ★★★ DE, 6-6, 245 pounds, Bakersfield (Calif.) JUC0
Recorded eight touchdowns and 8.2 yards per carry in senior season. Short-yardage back ranked third among nation's full-backs and 48 in Texas preseason top 100.
New D-Line coach Kerry Locklins first visit. Originally signed with Michigan out of high school.
D.J. Beshears ★★ * WR/DB, 5-9, 185 pounds, Denton (Texas) Ryan
Ranked as Top-100 receiver, told Jayhawkslant.com Kansas recruited him to play defensive back. Caught 88 passes for 1,450 yards and 21 touchdowns senior season.
Randall Dent ** * DE, 6-4, 256 pounds, South Grand Prairie (Texas)
Strong-side defensive end surprised Kansas with commitment on first visit despite offers from Minnesota, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Texas Tech and Arizona.
Gavin Howard *★★* OL, 6-5, 260 pounds, Owasso (Okla.) Ranked in Oklahoma postseason Top-25 and 72 among offensive tackles nationwide. Good footwork but will need to bulk up to handle D-I defensive linemen.
Julian Jones ★★★ LB, 6-2, 253 pounds, Lawton (Okla.)
MacArthur
Ranked 65 among nation's linebackers and 20 among Oklahoma recruits. Coaches laud his athletic ability. Came on the scene with 76 tackles and eightsacks in 2008.
Darian Kelly $ \star $ $ \star $ DB, 6-2,195 pounds, Girard (Kan.) No. 22-ranked safety and No. 2 recruit in Kansas. Also heavily recruited to play basketball.
Dexter Linton ★★ ★ DB, 6-0, 185 pounds, Arlington (Texas)
Bowie
Ranked one spot behind Kelly on nation's safety rankings. Labeleda hard hitter and had 103 tackles as a junior.
Christian Matthews * * * QB, 6-3, 180 pounds, Arlington (Texas) Bowie
Yes, is Linton's teammate. Dual-threat quarterback averaged 654 rushing yards in three years of high school play — including 84 yards per carry in 2008. Averaged 9.6 rushing touchdowns. Finished 2008 with 19 passing TDs and six interceptions.
Erick McGriff ★★★ WR, 6-4, 190 pounds, Tampa (Fla.) Jesuit Will initially spend time on campus dodging stories about being former MLB slugger Fred McGriff's son. Has good hands and size comparable to Kansas' Dezmon Briscoe.
Chris Omigie * ** WR, 6-5, 185 pounds, Arlington (Texas) Martin
Committed alongside McGriff. Somewhat symbolic, as the duo will join A.J. Steward and Tim Biere as team's tallest pass catchers. At 6-5 Omigie is the tallest. Despite being featured in a run-heavy offense, had 55 receptions for 937 yards and nine touchdowns.
Tyler Patmon * * * DB, 5-11, 180 pounds, Cedar Park (Texas) Vista Ridge
Should be ready to go despite torn labrum during senior year. Named First Team All-District after just three games.
Calvin Rubles * ** DB, 6-2, 180 pounds,Tyler (Texas) JUCO Clocked running a 4.4-second 40-yard dash. Was also recruited by UCLA and UAB.
Deshaun Sands * * * RB, 5-9, 175 pounds, Coconut
Creek (Fla.) Monarch
All-State as a junior when he rushed for 1,486 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Tyrone Sellers ** ★ ★ DE, 6-4, 215 pounds, McCook (Neb.)
Top ranked player in state of Nebraska, was named First Team
All-Nebraska as a junior.
Travis Stephens * ** DT, 6-3, 265 pounds, Blinn (Texas)
JUCO
First Team All-America selection. Had 29 tackles for loss last season and has bulked up since playing at 215 pounds as a freshman.
Huldon Tharp ★★★ LB, 6-0, 208 pounds, Mulvane (Kan.) Missed senior season with ACL tear but recovery has progressed nicely and shouldn't be a problem.
Jacoby Thomas ★★★ DE, 6-3, 223 pounds, Texarkana (Texas) 76 tackles, eight sacks and four forced fumbles landed him in Texas' Top 100. Expected to play linebacker.
Jordan Webb **** QB, 6-0, 204 pounds, Union (Mo.) Was Missouri's No. 9-ranked player and 28th among nation's pro-style QBs. Already enrolled at KU and will take part in spring football. Committed after junior season in which he passed for 4,308 yards, 55 touchdowns and rushed for 633 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Kevin Young ★★★ DE, 6-4, 227 pounds, Olathe North Chose Kansas over 10 other offers. Ranked 32nd among nation's strong-side defensive ends. No. 5 among players in the state of Kansas.
Tom Mabry $ \star $ OL, 6-5, 270 pounds, Althoff (III.) All-City and All-State as a junior. Also received offer from Kansas State. Third offensive lineman signed by offensive coordinator Ed Warinner — his first two were Jeff Spikes and Ben Lueken.
Riley Spencer $ \star $ OL, 6-6, 270 pounds, Hesston Helped his team to 10-1 last year. Ranked ninth among Kansas recruits.
— Stephen Montemayor
Rivals.com Big 12 Team Rankings National rank in parentheses
1. Kansas (4), total commits: 20, 5-stars: 3, 4-stars: 11, 3-stars: 6
2. Oklahoma (12), total commits: 22, 5-stars: 0, 4-stars: 10, 3-stars: 11
3. Texas A&M (18), total commits: 27, 5-stars: 1, 4-stars: 4, 3-stars: 21
4. Nebraska (25), total commits: 21, 5-stars: 0, 4-stars: 5, 3-stars: 16
5. Oklahoma State (27), total commits: 24, 5-stars: 0, 4-stars: 6, 3-stars: 12
6. Kansas (31), total commits: 23, 5-stars: 0, 4-stars: 3, 3-stars: 18
7. Texas Tech (T33), total commits: 25, 5-stars: 0, 4-stars: 4, 3-stars: 16
8. Missouri (35), total commits: 25, 5-stars: 1, 4-stars: 1, 3-stars: 15
9. Colorado (45), total commits: 16, 5-stars: 0, 4-stars: 3, 3-stars: 6
10. Baylor (57), total commits: 26, 5-stars: 0, 4-stars: 3, 3-stars: 13
11. Kansas State (70), total commits: 20, 5-stars: 0, 4-stars: 1, 3-stars: 10
12. Iowa State (73), total commits: 23, 5-stars: 0, 4-stars: 1, 3-stars: 10
Rivals.com 2009 Team Recruiting Rankings Projections as of Tuesday
School Total 5-star 4-star Avg.
1. Ohio State 26 2 16 3.77
2. LSU 22 4 10 3.82
3. Texas 20 3 11 3.85
4. Alabama 21 3 9 3.71
5. USC 17 4 9 3.88
6. Michigan 21 1 13 3.67
7. North Carolina 29 1 13 3.34
8. Florida State 19 2 9 3.68
9. Miami 20 2 9 3.6
10. Georgia 17 1 12 3.82
Rivals.com Top-Ranked Recruits 2009
Name Position Hometown Commitment
1. Bryce Brown RB Wichita Miami
2. Rueben Randle WR Bastrop, La. Undecided
3. D.J. Fluker OL Foley, Ala. Alabama
4. Sheldon Richardson DT St. Louis, Mo. Missouri
5. Matt Barkley QB Santa Ana, Calif. USC
6. Trent Richardson RB Pensacola, Fla. Alabama
7. Russell Shepard QB Houston, Texas LSU
8. Devon Kennard DE Phoenix, Ariz. USC
9. Vontaze Burfict LB Corona, Calif. Undecided
10. Jelani Jenkins LB Olney, Md. Undecided
11. Dre Kirkpatrick DB Gadsden, Ala. Undecided
12. Manti Teo LB Honolulu, Hawaii Undecided
13. Ray Ray Armstrong ATH Sanford, Fla. Miami
14. Alex Okafor DE Pflugerville, Texas Texas
15. Jacobbi McDaniel DT Greenville, Fla. Florida State
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