Skip to main content

Kansas prospects decide

  • Author:
  • Publish date:
p1_arthur.jpg

One went with his heart, the other with his gut.

Arthur Brown, the nation's No. 2 outside linebacker, and Chris Harper, a four-star athlete/quarterback, announced their decision's at a joint press conference Monday afternoon at the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame.

Harper, who committed to Kansas State, said he followed his heart and picked the school he grew up watching. Brown, a five-star prospect, said his gut led him to commit to Miami over LSU, the school that finished second.

For both, the decisions ended months of agony, deliberation and excitement.

"Going through the whole process, it was exciting at times, but at the end it got really overwhelming for me," Brown said. "I'm glad it's just over so I can really start to focusing on what this whole thing was really about."

Harper said he never thought his announcement would be as big as it turned out to be when he first started the recruiting process. Both Harper and Brown announced their decisions in front of around 100 friends, family and countless media outlets.

"I had my sights set on bigger things, but I never thought it would get this big," Harper said. "I never thought it would come to this. I thought I would just announce and that would be it, but this turned out to be a pretty cool thing."

Brown said the decision to him came down to a gut feeling about Miami.

"God led me on the path to Miami," Brown said. "I weighed all the pros and cons about all the schools on my list. And I know I would have fit in really well at LSU both socially and academically, but in my gut, I felt Miami, Miami, Miami."

Harper said his family was excited when he finally made his decision in the early hours on Monday.

"It was about 12:30 or 1 a.m. when we finally figured things out," Harper said.

"You should have seen my brother (LaDale Harper III) smile. Both and my dad are really big Kansas State fans, and they were really excited about my final decision. Kansas State was always in my heart through this whole process. I knew all along it would be tough to tell them no."

Harper said Oregon was second on his list.

He was wowed by the Ducks' facilities when he took an official visit to Eugene, but the one thing Oregon didn't have was James Franklin, Kansas State's offensive coordinator.

Harper said Franklin played a huge role in his ultimate decision.

"He's cool man," Harper said. "We clicked, and that's one of the big things that it came down to."

Brown also said a relationship with a key assistant coach was huge in his decision. His relationship with Miami linebacker coach Michael Barrow was one of the central factors in his decision.

"Coach Barrow is a great person at heart," Brown said. "He's a very spiritual guy. We really connected and I could tell when I went down there that he has a great relationship with his players. He keeps close ties with all of his guys. Randy Shannon was a great guy as well. He's really down to earth. He approached me like a businessman, but he was also real personable."

Through the process that lasted for more a year, Brown and Harper become the most heavily recruited duo in Wichita in almost a decade.

Harper was the most highly ranked player in Wichita's history and Harper shot up the charts with an stellar senior season.

It was only fitting that both announced their decisions together on Monday.

"I think this is a great day for Wichita because of the exposure that we brought," Brown said. "I think it's only going to help with the other athletes in the city. We're going to make Wichita a must-stop spot every year."

And while both Harper and Brown picked different schools for different reasons, they'll be always be connected with each other. "This was something I'll never forget the rest of my life," Harper said. "Arthur picked Miami for his reasons, and I picked Kansas State for my own reasons. I think in the end, we both picked the perfect places for us, and today was the perfect day for everybody here and for Wichita."