Kansas football: St. Louis, MO defensive end commit Cole Petrus brings speed and pressure to the KU defense

Nov 23, 2018; Lawrence, KS, USA; A detailed view Kansas Jayhawks helmets in the first half against the Texas Longhorns at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 23, 2018; Lawrence, KS, USA; A detailed view Kansas Jayhawks helmets in the first half against the Texas Longhorns at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

Recently committing his talents to Kansas football, Cole Petrus brings a solid skillset to the Jayhawk defense.

Kansas football will look to improve its defensive presence in 2021 and with a recent commitment from Cole Petrus, head coach Les Miles is starting to secure a few promising defenders for this Jayhawk defense.

Petrus, a defensive end product out of St. Louis, has committed to Kansas over offers/interest from Missouri, Memphis, Kansas State, and Tulane programs. Despite strong interest from his home state of Missouri, Petrus has decided to take his talents to the Sunflower State.

The decision comes after a shortened high school season that featured some strong highlights for Petrus. He has a great deal of speed, which has enabled him to be an elusive threat when he finds space inside.

Bringing more power to the Jayhawk defense will be a must next season, and the addition of Petrus will bring an interesting skillset to Defense Coordinator D.J. Elliot’s disposal. Having younger talent mixed in with some of our veteran guys like Gavin Potter will hopefully create more chemistry in the trenches.

The Kansas defense is going to need all the help it can get coming off a winless season, and continuing to secure promising athletes such as Petrus will sit well with fans. As February 3rd approaches (National Signing Day), we’ll have to keep our eyes out for any more helpful commits to the 2021 class.