National Signing Day was going to be a bit of a challenge for the Kansas Jayhawks this year. After all, no matter how much hype came with hiring Charlie Weis as the team's new head football coach, it's hard to erase the losing of the last few years after Mark Mangino's firing. That said, a "C-" grade from ESPN is not that inspiring.
ESPN's scouting report reads, "This is a small class, especially in regards to high school prospects, and is really heavy on junior college prospects and transfers. The headliners of this class are quarterback transfers Dayne Crist (Notre Dame) and Jake Heaps (BYU), but with the loss of Seth Russell the class lacks a promising prep signal-caller to start grooming.
"Tight end Jordan Smith (Waco, Texas/Reicher) can contribute as a blocker and receiver. He has good hands and can help move the chains. Smith is a tough football player who plays hard and with a bit of an edge and will be a productive, get-it-done type of player for a Kansas program trying to turn things around. Amongst the small group of prep signings are some solid prospects such as guard Brian Beckmann (Overland Park, Kan./Blue Valley) and defensive tackle Tyler Holmes (Sachse, Texas), but the group does not feature any prospects who show high potential to make an impact."