It’s not easy to take over as the head coach of one of the worst college football teams in the country. It’s even harder to experience a win-less season in your first year on the job. David Beaty is already dealing with arguably the hardest job in the game, but the process of bringing wins to the Kansas Jayhawks may simplify over time thanks to his recruiting prowess. His expertise in recruiting was on display on August 4, when Alabama transfer Daylon Charlot committed to Beaty’s Jayhawks.
New transfer shows improvement for Kansas recruiting
A 2015 four-star recruit from Patterson, Louisiana, Charlot drew interest from marquee teams across the country in addition to Alabama. Despite his talent, apparent from comments by Alabama’s coaches, Charlot only caught two passes over two games played in 2015. Those came against two of the easiest teams on the Crimson Tide’s schedule last season, Louisiana-Monroe and Charleston Southern.
After barely seeing the field in his freshman season, Charlot is interested in playing time, which he’ll see plenty of at Kansas. This is likely considering not only his talent, but the rest of the talent on the roster around him. Unable to play this season due to NCAA transfer rules, there is no reason to doubt Charlot cracks the two-deep depth chart in 2017, when he is eligible to play.
Charlot is the latest example of improved recruiting for the Jayhawks. While known as a good recruiter when hired in December 2014, it’s hard to find anyone who expected a recruiting performance as strong as the one Beaty has put together while at the helm of the program.
Beaty’s Reputation
The rankings don’t necessarily look impressive for Beaty’s classes so far in his tenure as head coach. However, it’s unmistakable that he has helped the program take major strides in terms of national recruiting. His positive reputation in Texas continues to lure prospects to Kansas, just as it did while he worked in-state at Texas A&M. Even within the state of Kansas, KU’s recruitment efforts have led to signing better prospects, such as wide receiver Kenyon Tabor. This is important, considering the state’s lack of much top-end talent.
Beaty is not the only coach deserving of praise for their recruiting efforts, however. Running backs coach Tony Hull has done wonders for KU in previously-untapped Louisiana. An alumnus of Louisiana-Lafayette, Hull was the main recruiter for several Kansas commits from the state. This includes the current top recruit for the Jayhawks in the class of 2017, defensive back Michael Lee.
Contrasting Previous Regimes
The current regime at Kansas has taken a much different approach to recruiting than Beaty’s predecessor, Charlie Weis. While Weis took a blunt and self-defeating approach, Beaty and company have been more upbeat, which has resonated with recruits. With tactics like riding hoverboards and tweeting with hashtag #neatdeal, Beaty is doing all the right things when it comes to changing Kansas football’s public image; a daunting yet necessary task.
Landing a transfer commitment from Charlot does not guarantee immediate success when he becomes eligible. However, this signing indicates a brighter future for the Jayhawks, both on the field and on the recruiting trail.
After multiple disappointing and destructive recruiting classes under Weis, Kansas is experiencing a resurgence under Beaty in that regard. It’s hard for anyone to stomach a winless season at the highest level of college football. Kansas had to deal with that in 2015, but better recruiting should mean only improvement going forward.
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