Lance Leipold may have just found his future Tommy Dunn Jr. or D.J. Withers. The defensive tackles, who have become features of the Jayhawks' defensive line, are reaching the end of their eligibility, but Leipold is far from hitting the panic button quite yet.
Over the weekend, Leipold received a commitment from three-star defensive tackle Na'kwaine Carter, who is in the class of 2026 and is the No. 14 overall athlete out of the state of Oklahoma.
Just days after visiting the Jayhawks in Lawrence, Carter announced that he had committed to Kansas, only a few days ahead of his scheduled official visit with the Houston Cougars.
"1000% committed I wanna say I'm so blessed and I wanna give a huge shout out to everyone who has stuck with me through everything I’m proud to say I’m a Jayhawk," Carter wrote on social media. "Isaiah 43:19 Rock Chalk."
BREAKING: KU lands a commitment from DT Nakwaine Carter. Big pick-up on defense.
— JayhawkSlant (@JayhawkSlant) June 16, 2025
More on the commitment and what it means for the defense. #kufball
MORE:https://t.co/ZKSSGKNTWo pic.twitter.com/vgPQsre1zD
With a full season of college football still ahead of him, Carter is already standing at 6-foot-1 and 270 pounds. If he can add a little more weight to his frame ahead of joining the Jayhawks next year, Carter could be a dominant presence on the defensive line for Kansas.
During his junior season (2024), Carter played a majority of snaps at defensive tackle. However, the young prospect also played snaps at defensive end and nose guard, according to MaxPreps.
Kansas Jayhawks recruiting class of 2026
- James Dunnigan Jr., four-star safety
- Kory Amachree, four-star running back
- Na'kwaine Carter, three-star defensive tackle
- Hunter Higgins, three-star EDGE
- Kaden Snyder, three-star interior offensive lineman
- Joshua Galbreath, three-star linebacker
- Kaden Moody, three-star offensive tackle
- Draeden Punt, three-star EDGE
- Corbin Glasco, three-star wide receiver
- Joseph Credit, three-star linebacker
- Jack Utz, three-star tight end
- Tyren Parker, three-star wide receiver
- Lennie Brown, three-star cornerback
- Malachi Mills, three-star offensive tackle
- Nate Sims, three-star wide receiver
- Jaylen Mason, three-star quarterback
- Kevin Sullivan, three-star tight end
Before Carter's commitment, Leipold held the 30th-ranked recruiting class of 2026 in the nation with 16 total commitments, including two four-star prospects.