Kansas football head coach Les Miles has some of the best coaches and recruiters in the Big 12 conference on his staff.
It’s no secret that there’s a strong correlation between schools that recruit well and schools that perform well on the field. Considering how much Kansas football has struggled on the field, it’s no shocker that the Jayhawks haven’t recruited very well over the past decade.
Now, that’s not to say there haven’t been some diamonds in the rough like Hakeem Adeniji or Joe Dineen, but for the most part, Kansas rarely lands highly-rated prospects. As a matter of fact, the Jayhawks landed one of their highest rated recruits ever on the fourth of July.
On that day, four-star receiver Keon Coleman announced that he’d be committing to Kansas over other schools like Oklahoma, Auburn, and Georgia. It was a huge deal for Kansas and the 2021 recruiting class, as well as receivers coach Emmett Jones.
Jones helped recruit Coleman to the Jayhawks, and he’s one of the best around when it comes to selling Kansas football. Jones is currently rated as the No. 7 overall recruiter in the Big 12 according to 247Sports. Kansas offensive coordinator Brent Dearmon also cracked the top 10 coming in at No. 10.
Some of Jones’ recruits include Velton Gardner, Andrew Parchment, and Steven Parker.
Jones is known for his connections in Texas, especially in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, so it’s no surprise that many of his commits come from that area. Having those connections is invaluable too, given how many great prospects come from that area.
As mentioned, Dearmon has been hard at work recruiting during his first off season as the Jayhawks’ offensive coordinator. He helped bring in highly-recruited running back Devin Neal, who had offers from Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas State, and many others. Dearmon also brought Deldrick Withers and Edgar Amaya into Kansas football’s 2021 recruiting class.
Of course, there’s a lot more that goes into it that “stars” and ratings. If Kansas is going to get over the hump and start competing in the Big 12, they’re going to need solid recruits who are willing to help turn the program around. The thing is, most of those solid recruits have high ratings by their names.