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The Kansas Jayhawks are coming off their best season in over 15 years, a true season to remember. If last year's season wasn't enough to convince you the Jayhawks are on their way to becoming one of the powerhouses of the Big 12, this season certainly was. Even so, if you still doubt the Jayhawks, you'd best take a look at their 2024 high school recruiting class, specifically, who signed on Early Signing Day this week. Let's have a look at this year's signees and transfers so far.
2024 Kansas Jayhawks Early Signees
Deshawn (DJ) Warner, 4-Star, 92 Rated EDGE, Goodyear, AZ
Dakyus Brinkley, 4-Star, 90 Rated EDGE, Katy, TX
Isaiah Marshall, 3-Star, 89 Rated QB, Southfield, MI
Austin Alexander, 3-Star, 89 Rated CB, Chicago Heights, IL
Carter Lavursky, 3-Star, 89 Rated OT, Scottsdale, AZ
Jalen Todd, 3-Star, 89 Rated CB, Southfield, MI
Harry Stewart, 3-Star, 88 Rated RB, Frisco, TX
Damani Maxson, 3-Star, 88 Rated S, Houston, TX
Aundre Gibson, 3-Star, 87 Rated CB, Goodyear, AZ
David Abajian, 3-Star, 87 Rated OT, West Hills, CA
Carson Bruhn, 3-Star, 86 Rated TE, Sioux Center, IA
Jacorey Stewart, 3-Star, 86 Rated LB, Alpharetta, GA
Red Martel, 3-Star, 86 Rated, RB, Beggs, OK
Jonathan Kamara, 3-Star, 86 Rated LB, Goodyear, AZ
Greydon Grimes, 3-Star, 85 Rated DL, China Spring, TX
Harrison Utley, 3-Star, 85 Rated OT, Norman, OK
Kene Anene, 3-Star, 84 Rated IOL, St. Paul, MN
2024 Kansas Incoming Transfers (So Far)
Dylan Wudke, 3-Star, 84 Rated EDGE, Youngstown State
Devin Dye, 3-Star, 86 Rated S, Utah State
DeShawn Hanika, 3-Star, 89 Rated TE, Iowa State
*All rankings and ratings are based on 247sports.com, see the list here on their website for more.
What Makes This 2024 Jayhawk Class Special?
One might look at this class and brush it off as an above-average, decent but nothing special class. If you're a fan of a school that has long since been strong in the recruiting department (Or if you're Kansas State and Missouri) that's to be expected. However, this class ranks 48th overall in the nation, outranking typically strong recruiters such as Oklahoma State, Utah, and UCLA. Not only that, but this Kansas class also boasts two of the Top 25 EDGE rushers in the nation, DJ Warner and Dakyus Brinkley. If Austin Booker decides to stay another year, this could be the most dangerous defensive line in the Big 12 by next year. They beat out schools like Ohio State, Michigan, and Oklahoma for those two players, and played hard with the recruiting mainstays for not just these two, but the rest of this class. A far cry from when Kansas was losing out quickly to guys like JaMarr Chase, who committed to the Jayhawks only to decommit and commit to LSU days later. The Jayhawks held their water with gusto, and that is a testament to how far this program has come.
This class also has Mr. Football for Michigan and State Champion quarterback Isaiah Marshall, whose play has been compared to that of Lamar Jackson's and Kansas's own Jalon Daniels. The biggest way to tell that Jayhawk Football is on the upswing though, is by looking to the past. This is the best recruiting class that Kansas has had in its entire history, and it's all thanks to the efforts of guys like Athletic Director Travis Goff, Offensive Line Coach Scott Fuchs, Defensive Coordinator Brian Borland, and of course, Head Coach Lance Leipold, who brought strong recruiting tactics and a new lease on Jayhawk Football these past two years. Leipold gushed about his incoming class in a recent interview with The Kansas City Star, telling Shreyas Laddha "We are very excited about this class...I think we hit our needs of course, but I think this is a special class in a lot of ways. It's extremely talented...this group has gotten close already."
This is also the most amount of early signees the Jayhawks have ever had, and they have highlighted how tightly knit and committed they are to the Jayhawks. Many have already played together, such as DJ Warner, Aundre Gibson, and Jonathan Kamara at Desert Edge High School, and the group already has a strong bond with one another. When all is said and done, with the combination of talent and camaraderie this class has, this could be the greatest class of Jayhawks in school history, and could bring the Jayhawks their first-ever Big 12 title. As the great Jayhawk radio personality, Bob Davis once said, the Hawks are cookin', and the Jayhawks aren't coming anymore, they're already here.
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