Recruiting Momentum is Building: 77 Days Until Kansas Football

We've already talked a bunch in the countdown about reasons to be excited about the Kansas Jayhawks for the upcoming year. From the preseason recognition to the increased expected wins, the returning production to the schedule that is set up well for a huge leap forward.

But there is another huge development that is a big positive for the long-term health of the program, and that is the development of the 2024 recruiting class.

We already looked at the five committed players during the countdown, but in just a couple weeks, the Jayhawks have doubled the number of commits in the class, thanks to a huge weekend of recruiting visits.

The Jayhawks hosted 12 recruits last weekend, with only two of those players already committed. But in the next couple days after the end of those visits, Kansas received commitments from many of the top targets in attendance.

Headlining the list was 4-star Austin Alexander, a cornerback out of Chicago Heights, IL that had a multitude of other offers. He had visits to Purdue, Indiana and Illinois scheduled after the Jayhawks, but said that he "couldn't find a reason not to commit" and that everything felt right.

Similarly, Jalen Todd, a high 3-star cornerback that many assumed would be committing to Iowa, picked the Jayhawks after his visit last weekend. He had previously visited West Virginia, but he committed to Lance Leipold and staff ahead of a scheduled visit to the Hawkeyes at the end of the month.

Rounding out the commitments were Harry Stewart, a running back out of Frisco, TX, Harrison Utley, an interior offensive lineman out of Norman, OK, and Jacorey Stewart, a linebacker out of Alpharetta, GA.

While the five commitments may not sound like a lot, they are a huge step up from the last couple of years. In fact, just last year, the Jayhawks only had one player committed to the team before their official visit to campus: Surahz Buncom. And only Jarred Sample and Tony Terry committed in June after their official visits. Everyone else waited until the Jayhawks had success during the season to sign on.

But this year, five players committed before taking an official visit, and so far five more have committed shortly after visiting, even with other Power Five offers on the table.

Many of the players have pointed to the candor that the Jayhawks have had in their conversations with recruits, parents and high school coaches. They have not only highlighted all the positives, but they have been very up front with where players can improve and where the program needs additional help. And that difference continues to pay dividends for the Jayhawks, with plenty of room for further excitement in the recruiting world in the near future.

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