Kansas football players and recruits react after Jordan Peterson leaves for Texas A&M

An unsung hero on the Kansas football coaching staff was Jordan Peterson. The Jayhawks' co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach recruited as well as any assistant in the Big 12 and played a massive role in the development of cornerbacks Cobee Bryant and Mello Dotson.

Unfortunately, Peterson reportedly agreed to a position with his alma mater Texas A&M yesterday. A native of Lexington, Texas, Peterson played four years with the Aggies football team from 2006-2009. He is returning to his original school 15 years later.

Considering it is rather late in the offseason for a coaching change, players and recruits were unsurprisingly upset at the news. Superstar defensive back Cobee Bryant posted a tweet about the situation. Mello Dotson did too, but it has since been deleted.

Members of the 2024 signing class weren't thrilled to learn about Peterson's departure either. Corners Jalen Todd and Austin Alexander were clearly upset.

One area that Peterson had dominated on the recruiting trail was Arizona. He was largely responsible for the commitments of Deshawn Warner, Aundre Gibson, Jon Jon Kamara, and Carter Lavrusky. The biggest initial concern was whether it would affect the status of Warner, Kansas football's highest-rated high school recruit in school history.

Concerns continued to grow after Warner liked a tweet that said: "I'd feel horrible if I was one of the players that Peterson recruited because they all got lied to." However, Warner confirmed he would remain a Jayhawk on X shortly ago.

With Warner's confirmation, fans can take a sigh of relief in knowing the prized possession of the Kansas recruiting class isn't going anywhere. However, Peterson's departure is still a huge blow for Lance Leipold, who has already lost offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki to Penn State during the offseason. It is also worth keeping an eye out to see if any players decommit.