Can recent Kansas football recruiting success last through signing day?

The Kansas coaching staff has been on fire recently on the recruiting trail.

Head coach Lance Leipold and his assistants have been relentless hosting official and unofficial visits from high school players, attending camps, and doing all they can to land the players they’re targeting – and it’s paid off in a big way.

They’ve picked up multiple commitments from players with four-star rankings and offers from some of the best programs in the country. It’s resulted in a recruiting class that is ranked No. 41 in the country (according to Rivals).

While all of that is excellent news and yet another example of how this coaching staff has things headed in the right direction, it means nothing if the players don’t actually sign with KU when the NCAA’s signing period begins.

We’ve seen this happen before.

Former head coach Les Miles landed verbal commitments from several talented players. Even former head coach David Beaty had his share of recruiting wins as well.

Then, almost inevitably, many of the top players who were once committed to Kansas decided to play elsewhere for one reason or another. And that happens with recruiting, it’s unpredictable. But it’s happened to KU a lot over the years.

And certainly, a lot of those decommitments likely came because of how putrid the team has looked up until these past two seasons. There could be other reasons as well that we may never know such as offers getting pulled or academic or family issues.

Regardless, that needs to change under this current coaching staff – and there are plenty of reasons to believe it will.

For the first time in more than a decade, KU has a head coach who is competent and has the program trending upward. Leipold and his staff also signed contract extensions this offseason, which is a sign of stability and leadership that this program has lacked since the days of Mark Mangino.

That matters to recruits and their families. As does winning.

If KU hopes to retain the excellent recruiting class they’ve put together, a good way to do that is by continuing to show progress on the field and build upon last year’s success.

That progress – especially in the win column – is going to speak loudly to recruits and make them want to be part of a program that is headed in the right direction.

Athletes at this level want to be part of a winning team. And with consistent winning seasons, KU will naturally build up its cachet and players won’t often think twice about honoring their commitments to an established coaching staff and program.

The Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) space is critical too nowadays.

For better or worse, it’s part of the game now when it comes to attracting and retaining talent. KU needs to be competitive in that market, and there’s reason to believe they have been based on the types of players they have secured commitments from this summer.

If KU can keep expanding on those NIL opportunities, then that will even further entice recruits to put pen to paper in December.

Pitching recruits about the new football stadium and facilities surely won’t hurt either.

The football program is in good hands, and there’s been no shortage of examples these past two years as to why things are finally different under Leipold. Let’s hope that remains true when the early signing period begins Dec. 20 later this year.