Kansas football: Recruiting class of 2021 starting off strong

Head coach Les Miles has done a great job so far on Kansas football’s 2021 recruiting class, but it’s still early.

In the past, Kansas football has struggled to bring in talented recruits. The hiring of Les Miles gave the program some credibility, which reflected in the class of 2020. The Jayhawks’ class of ’20 ranks No. 48 in the country according to Rivals, and seventh in the Big 12 Conference.

In the recruiting class of 2021, Miles and his staff are starting off strong. They’ve currently got five commits in their class, all three-star athletes; don’t let the stars fool you.

Devin Neal, a local three-star running back out of Lawrence High School picked Kansas football over Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas State, and Oklahoma State. Neal’s one of the top recruits in the state, so making him a Jayhawk was a huge victory for Miles and his staff.

READ MORE: Jayhawks land extremely athletic running back Devin Neal

As of now, Kansas football’s recruiting class of 2021 ranks No. 27 in the nation and No. 4 in the Big 12 Conference. Yes, there’s a long way to go before the next signing day, but this is a really good start. If the Jayhawks can somehow stay in the top half of the Big 12, that’d be a monumental win for Miles considering that hasn’t happened since Kansas’ class of ’09.

There’s no doubt that the coaching staff is working hard to recruit though, even though we’re in the middle of a global pandemic with no face-to-face contact on the recruiting trail. To help keep recruits interested in Kansas, the staff hosted a “virtual junior day.”

It was a creative and well-received response to a tough situation, and it could be the difference between a good and great recruiting class.

Recruiting is one of the most important aspects of turning a program around. It’s not all about landing the highest-rated prospect though. Sometimes, it’s about landing the right prospect, one that wants to build something from the ground up at Kansas.