Kansas football to host visit for 2025 D-line recruit Xavier Ukponu next month

Lance Leipold and his coaching staff are still working overtime in the recruiting department after putting together the program's highest-rated class since rankings were introduced. The Jayhawks have received commitments from 4-star linebacker Malachi Curvey and 3-star quarterback David McComb in their 2025 class and are targeting a defensive lineman from Texas.

Xavier Ukponu, who attends Guyer High School in the Lone Star State, told Jayhawk Slant he would embark on an unofficial visit to campus in March. The 6-foot-3, 290-pound interior lineman is looking to develop a closer relationship with the staff, specifically Kansas football D-line coach Jim Panagos.

The 646th ranked player in his class according to 247 Sports Composite rankings, Ukponu holds offers from premier programs such as LSU, Texas A&M, Florida, and Texas and has taken multiple trips to those local schools in College Station and Austin. However, it will be his first time traveling to Lawrence.

He spoke with Jayhawk Slant about Panagos and his recruiting pitch.

“It's been fun getting to know him, just his story and everything,” Ukponu said. “I love talking to him. We talk a lot, multiple times a week, and I feel like I have a good relationship with him.

“He just told me that the program is on the rise,” he continued. “They're trying to win and that I could be a big, difference maker for them. I just like the program is a really good program. It's like a really blue-collar program where you just work. I just feel like I have a good relationship with Coach Panagos.”

Considering it will be his first time meeting with the coaches face-to-face next month, it is important that they make a good first impression on the high school junior. Ukponu would be a massive addition to the recruiting trail if the Jayhawks were able to reel him in.