How much of an impact can each new recruit be expected to have?
This past Sunday was significant for more than just Father’s Day. Five different members of the 2025 recruiting class pledged their commitments to the Kansas Jayhawks following weekend visits to the school. Mere days prior, two other commits in Joseph Skipworth and Julian Marks officially chose Lawrence. Today, in response, let’s tour the array of additions and learn more about the players that may become direct influences on Jayhawk success in the near future.
TE Joseph Skipworth
Joseph Skipworth, the 6’5” 220 pound Tight End out of Milton, Florida committed to Kansas last Wednesday over offers from the likes of Boston College, Cincinnati, and more. The baton of the Tight End room continues to exchange hands at Kansas, as the Jayhawks lost Mason Fairchild from last season to graduation. This year, Seniors Jared Casey and Trevor Kardell will also graduate alongside new Senior transfer DeShawn Hanika. Although there will still be Tight Ends ahead of Skipworth on the depth chart when he arrives, he will likely play a major role in the new order of the Jayhawk Offense when he arrives in 2025. For reference, Fairchild was recruited as a 3-Star and Casey clocked in as a 4-Star according to 247sports.com. Expect Joseph Skipworth to have the opportunity to take over the reins of the Tight End room in the near future.
OT, Julian Marks
JuJu Marks was offered by Georgia. JuJu Marks was offered by Notre Dame. JuJu Marks was even offered by The University of Alabama. Over 20 schools headline the list of those that extended a hand to the 6’6” 260 pound Tackle. JuJu Marks, shockingly, decided to remain in his home state and commit to Kansas after decommitting from Missouri.
Versatility is going to be the name of the game for the two way player that rests on the fence between 4-Star and 3-Star classification. Marks primarily played D-Line during his Sophomore season, but played both sides of the ball for a State Champion St. Thomas Aquinas team last fall.
Offensive Line is already perhaps the most questionable position unit heading into the 2024 season, with room to slide back even further with Bryce Cabeldue and Shane Baumgarner due to graduate. Marks was highly sought after for a reason, and will likely be rushed into the spotlight quicker than one may expect.
QB/CB, Brandon Schmelzle
Kansas had little trouble piquing the interest of Brandon Schmelzle, a four sport athlete and two way player at Axtell, a tiny 1-A school in Kansas. The Jayhawks were the only FBS program to offer him, and succeeded in landing his commitment. Schmelzle threw for over 1,500 yards and nearly 29 touchdowns in his Junior season at Axtell, which only offers 8-Man football. Despite the impressive numbers, Kansas has a steady stream of talented Quarterbacks climbing the developmental ladder in years to come. Cole Ballard and Isaiah Marshall seem to be the heirs to the throne, and it’s unlikely that Schmelzle will be able to compete as an underclassmen.
With that said, the 3-Star will find a way to contribute. Whether he gets switched to a different position as an athletically gifted quarterback from a small school, or continues to develop as a signal caller, the Kansas Jayhawks will be glad they found him in the lower ranks of KHSAA football.
DE, Adrian Holley
Adrian Holley committed on Father’s Day as a 6’6” 225 pound edge rusher out of Michigan City, Indiana. The 3-Star was significantly recruited across the Midwest, but went without much national interest. Holley may turn out to be a key supplemental piece to the D-Line, as most of the starting rotation for the upcoming season will be cleared out by the time he arrives.
DE, Garrett Martin
Garrett Martin committed to Kansas over a variety of Big 12 competitors, including both programs from his home state of Arizona and Deion Sanders at Colorado. The 6’4” 245 pound edge rusher is the second at his position to commit to the Jayhawks in this wave of the recruiting cycle. As a Sophomore, in just ten games at the esteemed program of Saguaro, Martin recorded 66 tackles, 13 of which were for a loss and 3.5 were sacks. The 3-Star will almost undoubtedly be influential for the Jayhawks as soon as he steps on campus. In the years to come, expect Garrett Martin to be a name shouted out by broadcasters as a defensive playmaker week in and week out.
DL, Josiah Hammond
Clearly, the Jayhawks are ahead of the game in terms of recruiting the next core of Defensive Linemen. 3-Star Josiah Hammond clocks in at 6’3” and 250 pounds, hailing from Tulsa, Oklahoma. A breakout Junior season yielded much attention from highly regarded schools across the nation, in part thanks to his 44 tackles, 9 TFL’s, and pair of sacks with his Senior season still to come. It’s impossible to say whether Hammond, Martin, and Rivera will all remain committed to and enrolled at Kansas… but if they do, we may be taking our first look at the future of the Jayhawk pass rush. Only time will tell.
LB, Kenyon Rivera
Kenyon Rivera is another defensive difference maker that chose Kansas over a litany of other respectable options. The 6’1”, 195 pound Linebacker out of Buford, Georgia, finished his Junior season with 36 tackles. His 3 sacks and 2 forced fumbles add to his impressive statistical campaign. Committing to Kansas from Buford, a nationally renowned high school program that is arguably the best in Georgia instead of the droves of SEC and Big Ten programs in his offers list is vastly encouraging to Jayhawk supporters. The upper deck of the current LB room is loaded with experienced veterans that will soon step out of the way for fresh talent like Rivera to fill the gap. Rivera, like Martin, is another out of state defensive star that should garner attention as his time as a Jayhawk creeps ever closer.
A Sign of Progress
One main, perhaps unnoticed accomplishment can be taken away from this past week in Kansas football recruiting. Although every commit so far is a 3-Star, and none fall under the Blue Chip category, this wave of recruits elicits some encouragement for a variety of reasons. The first, is where exactly these 2025 prospects came from. It’s one thing to collect an array of in-state talent and develop local hidden gems. That in and of itself is a respectable process of sculpting a roster. However, to build upon that, most programs must look elsewhere.
Just in the last week, Kansas was able to snag legitimate recruits from Georgia, Florida, and Arizona. These players hail from nationally recognized schools like Buford and Saguaro. Far too often we see big name players from recognizable schools in behemoth football states funneling into the same old powerhouses such as Alabama, Ohio State, or Clemson. Not this time. Kansas, now, of all programs, is proving to be capable of consistently plucking substantial recruits from notable out of state talent pools. To convince multiple highly sought after recruits to move from Florida or Texas to Kansas to play football clearly indicates that something is being done right.
Lance Leipold and his staff in Lawrence, evidently, are doing something right.