Kansas Recruit Landen Anderson Decommits in Wake of Latest Pledge

Less than a day after securing a commitment on the defensive line, Kansas commit Landen Anderson backed out of his pledge to the Jayhawks.

Oct 5, 2024; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Kansas Jayhawks head coach Lance Leipold against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Mountain America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

While Lance Leipold has assembled an all-time 2026 recruiting class, the coaching staff suffered a major blow on Monday.

3-star defensive lineman Landen Anderson officially withdrew from his Kansas Jayhawks verbal in the wake of Nakwaine Carter's commitment.

I have officially decommitted from the University of Kansas @JayhawkSlant @PrepRedzoneOK @On3Recruits @Rivals @247recruiting @SFwolvesFTBL

— Landen Anderson (@Landen_anders0n) June 16, 2025

Approximately 12 hours after the commitment of the fellow Oklahoma-based defensive lineman, Anderson announced he was pulling out of his KU pledge.

It was not necessarily a surprising move, as Anderson had been keeping his options open lately. He wrapped up an official visit to Oklahoma State this weekend and plans to take a trip to Baylor starting June 20.

Despite committing to Kansas back in January, Anderson began to attract more Power 4 interest throughout the spring.

Anderson attends Edmond Santa Fe High School, which is nine hours north of Carter's school, Southmoore High School.

The Jayhawks' addition of Carter might have been in anticipation of Anderson backing out of his commitment.

Anderson holds a higher ranking on recruiting sites, with 247 Sports listing him as the No. 57 defensive lineman in the 2026 class compared to Carter at No. 99, though that is not indicative of who will have the better college career.

Kansas has four current pledges on the defensive line, coming from Hunter Higgins, Joshua Galbreath, Draeden Punt, and Carter.

Carter projects as a defensive tackle at the NCAA level, while Anderson typically plays on the edge.

Even with the departure, KU’s recruiting class — headlined by Kansas native James “JJ” Dunnigan Jr. — holds 17 commits and ranks No. 20 nationally.