Part of the reason that Mark Mangino and his staff have been so successful at Kansas has been their ability to identify talent and then develop that talent into front line players at the Big 12 level. With the recent success of the Jayhawks on the gridiron, the staff no longer has to focus on finding hidden gems and coaching up inferior talent. The Kansas staff has been competing and winning hard fought recruiting battles for kids that most teams covet. Which begs the question, who are the most coveted prospects that the Jayhawks were able to sign, and who will have the biggest contribution over the next few seasons? It is easy to give my own opinion, but TheShiver.com decided to reach out to ESPN’s head recruiting analyist, Tom Luginbill to get his thoughts on this incoming class.
A major part of determining the success of an incoming recruiting class is anticipating what your needs will be. Coach Mangino and his staff were clearly looking to build depth in some positions and looking to groom future starters in others. The two most glaring positions of need for this class were at the linebacker and defensive end positions and the staff attacked these holes with aggression. So what are the experts at ESPN’s opinions?
“Well, for starters I can tell you the DE’s from the JUCO class were recruited because they have so much upperclassman depth on the d-line. They need depth and guys that can play some this year and be starters in 2010. They have the same issue at linebacker, which is why they have the JUCO linebackers in as well. “ Luginbill explained to TheShiver.
The position with most glaring need for this season was clearly the linebacker position. Kansas just suffered through the graduation of one of its most heralded linebacking corps with the loss of Mike Rivera, Joe Mortensen, and James Holt. The staff was left scrambling to put together a competent linebacking corp with their existing talent. Angus Quigley was moved from running back to middle linebacker last season to improve depth, and it appears that he may indeed start this season. Arist Wright, Jake Schermer, and Justin Springer also return to fill in the other linebacking slots. Perhaps the most important signing of this class was the late addition of Juco All American linebacker Vernon Brooks from Blinn JC. Brooks should allow the Jayhawks to play in a more conventional 4-3 scheme against running teams and has good enough speed to cover the middle of the field against the spread as well. With all of these upper classmen playing at the linebacker position, who has the best chance to contribute early for the Jayhawks at linebacker amongst their incoming freshmen?
“Huldon Tharp we feel will end up at linebacker, again a spot where he could see significant time early on due to graduation and seniors to be in 2010. While he is capable of playing as a freshman, they may not need him to and could benefit from redshirting. ” Luginbill explained.
Tharp is one of the prize recruits of the 2009 class for coach Mangino and the staff. He was one of the top players in the state of Kansas and a star linebacker and running back at Mulvane H.S. At 6′1″ and 210 pounds, he has good size for an incoming freshman, but will need to pack on another 20 pounds before he can look at becoming an everydown player for the Jayhawks. Luckily, he will likely see the field early becuase of his superb athleticism, which explains why he was the #68 ranked athlete in the 2009 class by ESPN. Another key for Tharp will be his ability to rebound from an ACL injury that happened over the summer of 2008.
A position of strength for the Jayhawks this season will be in the defensive backfield, considering that the Jayhawks return their entire secondary from last season. Kansas was able to bring in a bevy of talent and signed 5 safety’s and another corner in Tyler Patmon. Considering that Jayhawks will be facing 4 and 5 wide receiver spread offenses most of the season, it makes perfect sense that they are looking to bring in more speed at the safety position. Keep in mind as well that Mark Mangino and Defensive Coordinator Clint Bowen have openly discussed going to a nickel scheme as the base defense, which will put another safety or corner on the field on all downs. If you want play this type of defense, you need to have some fast safeties and kids who are willing to deliver a hit in space. It looks like the staff signed a few kids who just may be up for the job.
“We really like Prinz Kande and he could be in the same situation as Tharp given the current upper classman depth at safety. However, because of so much spread offense, fewer linebackers are staying on the field which could open up a spot for him to see some time in a nickel role or as a reserve sub-package safety early on.” Luginbill explained. ”Keep in mind that a JUCO CB is coming in as well and Daymond Patterson is transitioning from WR to CB. Darian Kelly is like Kande and you can see a trend here in terms of Mangino’s adjustment to the spread offense by employing more DB’s in the line-up. ”
Prinz Kande and Darian Kelly are the types of player that will more than likely herald the future of defenses in the Big XII. Both are extremely quick and hard hitting for players their size. Kelly will more than likely play in a hybrid free safety/OLB role due to his hitting ability and his proven ability to recover in space when guarding the run and play action. Kande has the ability to play either safety spot, but could end up at the strong side safety position due to his more polished fundamentals and recovery speed. Both players have excellent frames and look to contribute by their second year.
The final component of a stellar defense is perhaps the most important, the defensive line. This was easily the biggest area of focus for the defensive recruiting staff last season. KU was able to land some highly touted prospects in Kevin Young and Jacoby Thomas to play defensive end and also brought in Randall Dent Jr. to play on the inside. In order to immediately bolster their pass rushing depth, the staff also brought in some defensive end help from the Juco ranks in Quintin Woods and Travis Stephens. Since there is already a some decent upperclassmen on the front line, many of these youngsters should be able to learn from some veteran upperclassmen like Jake Laptad and Max Onyegbule. So who has a chance to contribute early?
“We like Kevin Young a little better than Jacoby Thomas and with the JUCO kids signed, these guys are going to have time to really develop and mature without being thrown into the fire if they are not ready” said Luginbill.
Kevin Young and Jacoby Thomas could be the lynchpin anchors for the defensive line a few years down the road, but Luginbill is correct in his assessment that they shouldn’t be rushed into playing to early. Young was one of the most highly sought after local recruits in some time. Kansas was able to garner an early commitment out of the Olathe, KS prospect in 2008, but when Nebraska came calling he switched his comittment last October. Fortunately for the Jayhawks, he had a last minute change of heart before he was due to grey shirt at Nebraska and enrolled at Kansas instead. The word in from sources have also made it clear that Young has been putting on muscle and may be ready to contribute this season. Jacoby Thomas is a more raw prospect, but has impressive upside as well. The Texarkana, TX native has good speed and height for a defensive end, but will need to add another 30 pounds before he will be looking to contribute on a consistent basis.
The nice thing about having an experience and talented team returning for Kansas is the flexibility that it allows the staff in grooming younger players. KU will be in a nice position to redshirt most of their incoming players to increase their depth for years to come, but sometimes a player makes a splash and plays his way into a contributing role his true freshman year. The above mentioned players all have a chance to contribute right away and should be impact players for years to come.
Tom Luginbill is the National Recruiting Director for ESPN’s Scouts Inc. He has an extensive background in professional football talent evaluation and coaching. He played quarterback at Georgia Tech (1994) and Eastern Kentucky (1995).
