Under head coach Lance Leipold, the Jayhawks have been successfully rebuilt from one of the nation’s laughing stocks to a respectable Big 12 program.
No, the Jayhawks haven’t won the conference, and back-to-back bowl-less seasons are a slight concern, but it also shows how far KU has come since Leipold took over, and that is something that recruits notice.
Of course, being a basketball-heavy school makes it that much harder to bring in high-level talent, meaning that Leipold and Co. have had to uncover gems via the high school ranks and the NCAA Transfer Portal, but with Kansas’ latest snag of class of 2027 three-star tight end Mason Oglesby, it reaffirms the great work the Jayhawks have done.
Kansas gets to revel in snapping up highly-touted recruit
According to 247Sports, Oglesby is tabbed as the Nation’s No. 371 player according to their composite ranking, making him the No. 17 tight end in the country and the No. 9 best player from Indiana.
What makes Oglesby such a prized recruit is the competition that Kansas had to go through to bring in Oglesby.
Oglesby held offers from several power-conference programs, including Wisconsin, Virginia Tech, Vanderbilt, USC, Pittsburgh, Ole Miss, Ohio State, Missouri, Michigan State, Michigan, Miami, Louisville, Kentucky, Illinois, Cincinnati, Boston College, Baylor, Auburn, Arkansas, Indiana, North Carolina and Purdue.
Oglesby held visits with the Hoosiers, the Boilermakers and the Tar Heels before choosing KU earlier this week.
So far, the Jayhawks have also reeled in California’s No. 2 quarterback in Chance Thomas, wideout Deng Tong, safety Braiden Graves, offensive tackle Derek Gonzalez and running back Trey Stewart, outlining an offensive-heavy class.
As of publishing, the Jayhawks are currently rated as having the nation’s No. 48 recruiting class, seventh in the Big 12.
One of the biggest reasons why the Jayhawks are landing their top targets on the offensive end is thanks to the reacquisition of associate head coach Andy Kotelnicki.
Kotelnicki comes back to Kansas after two seasons at Penn State, where his performances in year one made him one of the nation’s best offensive coordinators. Yet, in year two, the Nittany Lions started too flat, and head coach James Franklin was dismissed after a 3-3 start.
In his first spell with the Jayhawks, Kotelnicki led a 2023 offense that ranked seventh in the nation in yards per completion (14.8), eighth in yards per play (7.0) and rushing yardage per game (211.3).
The tight end position has been one that has thrived under Leipold
Last season, the Jayhawks were riddled with inconsistencies all over the offense; one of the few places where Kansas was consistent was at the tight end spot, which, funnily enough, was tipped as one of the lesser-rated position groups heading into the season
Transfer tight end Boden Groen broke onto the scene with a stellar five touchdowns and 450 receiving yards on 36 receptions, averaging 12.5 yards per catch in his senior year. The tight end spot will be managed by Matt Lubick, who will be coaching the position for the second year running.
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