Kansas Football: The future is bright for Jayhawks
The excitement is building around Kansas football. After a huge weekend for recruiting, the 2020 football class is looking like it has the potential to be one of the best in recent years.
According to 247 Sports, the Jayhawks rank second in the Big 12 and 28th in all of college football. It’s still very early in the process, but the coaching staff has set a remarkably solid base.
If Kansas could get a four-star or better commitment, it’s safe to say it will have one of the better classes in the Big 12 for 2020 and one of the best classes in program history as well.
Coach Les Miles certainly understands the impact this class will have on the future, which he made clear in an announcement to the fans which released after the Jayhawks’ monster weekend. Miles talks about his optimism surrounding the class of 2020 and the program as a whole.
"“We are just over two months away from kick-off in the 2019 season. While we prepare for the upcoming season, our coaches have also been doing an incredible job on the recruiting trail.“As you may have seen in recent media reports, we just had one of the biggest recruiting weekends in years. Our class of 2020 is currently ranked in the top 20 nationally and second in the Big 12 Conference.“While these are non-binding verbal commitments for now, which limits my ability to say more, we will continue working on this class and I look forward to sharing more with you after signing day.“By coming to games and bringing your friends and family you’ll help us show potential future Jayhawks the support for this program that I and my staff have felt since arriving on campus. Whether it’s just a couple games or all seven, your presence at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium is key to not only our home-field advantage on gameday but also to helping us build for the future.“If you’ve already purchased tickets, let me express my sincerest thank you! If you would like to support the team in the stadium, mini plans and season tickets are available online now or by calling 800-34-HAWKS. Also, be sure to watch your inbox for single-game ticket information coming soon.“The future of Kansas Football is playing out right now and your support is key! The Jayhawks are coming!”"
He goes on to encourage fans to come out to games and create a home-field advantage. His staff has done a terrific job of building an identity thus far, and Kansas football really needs an identity.
One of the most promising aspects of the class is the confidence that it displays in the program. In the previous five years, the average recruiting class at Kansas ranks about ninth in the conference.
It doesn’t take a genius to understand that having better recruits generally means the on-field product will be better. That’s why it’s so huge that Miles’ coaching staff has gone out and found athletes that want to play for a coach who won a national title.
Everyone understands that the road will probably be tough to start, but it’s a tremendous opportunity.
Mile’s contract at Kansas is for five years and by the time it ends, he’ll be 70 years old. While he may not be the long-term solution at Kansas, he certainly could be remembered as the architect behind a major turn-around at one of the worst Division I football programs in the country.
He resurrected Oklahoma St. back in 2001, bringing them from a record of 4-7 to 8-5 the following year. Part of any program turnaround will involve landing recruits that want to establish a winning program.
So far, the Kansas coaching staff has exceeded expectations in terms of recruiting, but that’s just half the battle. Mile’s and his team will have their work cut out for them next season, but the future is certainly looking brighter for Kansas Football.