🏈 Kansas Football Introduces 2023 Early Signing Class
LAWRENCE, Kan. — The Kansas Jayhawks introduced their 2023 early signing class on Wednesday, welcoming 12 new members of the Kansas Jayhawk family.
Head coach Lance Leipold broke down the 12 players that make up his second recruiting class in a press conference on Wednesday.
“Like always, you are looking to fill needs and build for the future of your team,” head coach Lance Leipold said. “In general, we will always recruit for competition and to keep building … We tell people, you are going to be able to be special here, and you are going to be able to do something that hasn’t been done for a very long time. It’s going to take a special guy that’s going to want to do it.”
Kansas’ 12 signees represent eight different states, including Kansas (2), Texas (3), California (2), Colorado (1), Florida (1), Michigan (1), Missouri (1) and Iowa (1). Of the signees, six are on the offensive side of the ball and six are on the defensive side.
| Name | Position | Height | Weight | High School | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marcus Calvin | DT | 6'2" | 308 lbs. | Gibbs HS | St. Petersburg, Fla. |
| Jameel Croft | CB | 6'0" | 177 lbs. | Martin Luther King HS | Detroit, Mich. |
| Taylor Davis | S | 6'0" | 180 lbs. | Ridge Point HS | Missouri City, Texas |
| Calvin Clements | OL | 6'7" | 290 lbs. | Lawrence Free State HS | Lawrence, Kan. |
| Tony Terry Jr. | DE | 6'3" | 240 lbs. | Jackson Senior HS | Burfordville, Mo. |
| Blake Herold | DT | 6'3" | 255 lbs. | Shenandoah HS | Shenandoah, Iowa |
| Jarred Sample | WR | 5'10" | 175 lbs. | Cypress Ranch HS | Cypress, Texas |
| Keaton Kubecka | WR | 6'2" | 198 lbs. | Westlake HS | Austin, Texas |
| Jaden Hamm | TE | 6'5" | 225 lbs. | Eudora HS | Eudora, Kan. |
| Johnny Thompson Jr. | RB | 5'11" | 186 lbs. | Oaks Christian School | Canoga Park, Calif. |
| Sarahz Buncom | WR | 6'3" | 170 lbs. | Mater Dei Catholic | San Diego, Calif. |
| Logan Brantley | LB | 6'2" | 211 lbs. | Cherry Creek HS | Denver, Colo. |
Marcus Calvin
Defensive Tackle / 6’2” / 308 lbs. / Freshman / St. Petersburg, Fla. / Gibbs HS
High School: A 247 Sports and Rivals three-star recruit…Posted 76 tackles his senior season with 63 solo stops and 13 assists…Posted seven sacks and six quarterback hurries as a senior…Also posted three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries…Played for head coach Louis Murphy…Named to the Pinellas County Athletic County Football South Division Team…Named the Defensive Line MVP of the 28th Annual Pinellas County All-Star Game…Posted 44 tackles and four sacks as a junior for Gibbs…Also lettered in basketball, averaging double figure points for the varsity team as a sophomore and junior.
Personal: Son of Ashley and Darian Platt…Has one sibling, Jordan.
Jameel Croft
Cornerback / 6’0” / 177 lbs. / Freshman / Detroit, Mich. / Marin Luther King HS
High School: A 247 Sports and Rivals 3-star recruit…Ranked as the 11th best prospect in the state of Michigan by 247 and the 12th best by Rivals…Named to the 2022 Michigan Associated Press Division 3-4 All-State Team…Attended the same high school as current Jayhawks Rich Miller and Marvin Grant…Posted 13 solo tackles and three interceptions as a senior…On the offensive side of the ball, had 18 catches for 345 yards and four touchdowns as a senior…Helped lead his team to back-to-back state championships…As a senior, MLK High School topped Muskegon 56-27 to claim the state title…In 2021, MLK topped DeWitt 25-21 for the championship.
Personal: Son of Enyaw Vaughn and Jameel Croft.
Taylor Davis
Safety / 6’0” / 180 lbs. / Freshman / Missouri City, Texas / Ridge Point HS
High School: A 247 Sports and Rivals 3-star recruit…Played for Coach Rick LaFavers at Ridge Point…Touchdown Club of Houston 2022 Defensive Player of the Year finalist…Totaled 45 tackles as a senior with three tackles-for-loss and two interceptions…Finished his three-year varsity career with 191 tackles and nine interceptions…Helped his team to a 10-3 record and 8-0 district mark as a senior…Named to the District 20-6A First-Team as a junior…Named District 20-6A Defensive Newcomer of the Year as a sophomore in 2020…Also lettered in track and field.
Personal: Son of Rhonda and Tyrone Davis…Has two siblings, Tiana and Tiama…Hobbies include running and reading.
Calvin Clements
Offensive Line / 6’7” / 290 lbs. / Freshman / Lawrence, Kan. / Free State HS
High School: A 247 Sports and Rivals three-star recruit…Ranked as the eighth-best prospect in the state of Kansas by both 247 Sports and Rivals…The consensus top offensive tackle in the state…Helped team to a winning record as a senior with a 5-4 mark and an 8-3 record his junior year…Played for coach Kevin Stewart…Named to the KSHSAA Class 6A All-State First-Team as a senior…Selected First-Team All-State by the Kansas Football Coaches Association (KFBCA)…Spent his first two seasons of high school football with Veritas Christian.
Personal: Son of Lindsay and Tyler Clements…Has three siblings, Charlotte, Margo and Brennan…Hobbies include fishing and basketball.
Tony Terry Jr.
Defensive End / 6’3” / 240 lbs. / Freshman / Bufordville, Mo. / Jackson HS
High School: A 247 Sports and Rivals 3-star recruit…Ranked as the No. 22 prospect in the state of Missouri by Rivals the No. 23 prospect in the state by 247 Sports…Named to the MFCA Second-Team Class 5 All-State squad…Named MFCA Class 5, District 1 All-District…Finalist for the Derland Moore Award, given to the top defensive player in the SEMO Conference…Member of the 2020 state championship team…Played for Coach Brent Eckley…Also lettered in wrestling and track and field…Finished fourth in the shot put in the Class 5 state meet.
Personal: Son of Brook Patterson and Tony Terry Sr.
Blake Herold
Defensive Tackle / 6’3” / 255 lbs. / Freshman / Shenandoah, Iowa / Shenandoah HS
High School: A 247 Sports and Rivals 3-star recruit…Two-way standout, who played on the defensive line and receiver…Played for Coach Ty Ratliff at Shenandoah…Set the school single season record for receptions (60) and receiving yards (712) during his junior season…Also caught three touchdown passes…Posted 73 tackles, 14.5 tackles-for-loss, three sacks and one interception, which he returned for a touchdown, during the 2021 season…Also lettered in basketball.
Personal: Son of Marsha and Mark Herold…Has one sibling, Austin…Was the school’s homecoming king as a senior.
Jarred Sample
Wide Receiver / 5’10” / 175 lbs. / Freshman / Cypress, Texas / Cypress Ranch HS
High School: A 247 Sports and Rivals 3-star recruit…Hauled in 31 catches for 685 yards and six touchdowns as a senior…Finished career with 60 catches for 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns…Also had 128 rushing yards and two touchdowns during his high school career…Team posted a 7-4 record and 5-2 district mark in 2022…Played for Coach Sean McAuliffe…Topped the 100-yard mark twice during his senior season.
Personal: Son of Nikki and Derek Sample.
Keaton Kubecka
Wide Receiver / 6’2” / 198 lbs. / Freshman / Austin, Texas / Westlake HS
High School: A 247 Sports and Rivals 3-star recruit…Had a strong senior year with 53 catches for 828 yards and nine touchdowns in 15 games played…Helped team to a 14-1 record as a senior and a spot in the 6A state championship game…Member of the 2020 and 2021 state championship squads…Finished high school career with 99 catches for 1,654 yards and 23 touchdowns…Played for Coach Tony Salazar…High school had a 56-game winning streak.
Personal: Son of Lori and Mike Winkelmann…Hobbies include playing the guitar and playing basketball and golf.
Jaden Hamm
Tight End / 6’5” / 225 lbs. / Freshman / Eudora, Kan. / Eudora HS
High School: A 247 Sports and Rivals 3-star recruit…Ranked as the No. 5 prospect in the state and the 25thbest tight end in the nation by Rivals…Rankd as the No. 9 prospect in Kansas by 247 Sports and 46th best tight end nationally…Played for Coach Drew Steffen at Eudora…Had four touchdown catches, while helping team to an 8-2 record…Named to the Kansas Class 4A All-State team…Also played on the defensive line for Eudora…Posted 32 tackles and four tackles-for-loss his senior year…Finished with 95 tackles for his career.
Personal: Son of Jamie Grant-Hamm and Justin Hamm…Has three siblings, Sayge, Sayda and Jessalyn…Hobbies include automotive and outdoor sports.
Johnny Thompson Jr.
Running Back / 5’11” / 186 lbs. / Freshman / Canoga Park, Calif. / Oaks Christian School
High School: A 247 Sports and Rivals 3-star recruit…Ranked as the No. 83 prospect in the state of California by Rivals…Rushed for 1,035 yards and 16 touchdowns on 152 carries as a senior…Finished high school career with 1,964 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns…Also had 37 catches for 263 yards in his career…First-Team All-Marmonte League as a senior…Named to the CIF Upper Division Team…Finished his career with three-straight 100-yard contests…Rushed for a season-high 180 yards against Calabasas.
Personal: Son of R’Shunda and Johnny Thompson Sr…Has three siblings, Amiya, Peyton and Morgan…Hobbies include drawing and listening to music.
Surahz Buncom
Wide Receiver / 6’3” / 170 lbs. / Freshman / San Diego, Calif. / Mater Dei Catholic
High School: A 247 Sports and Rivals three-star recruit…Helped guide team to a 2022 CIF D2-AA State Championship Bowl Game win over McClymonds 26-18…Caught two touchdowns in the state championship game…Team finished with an 11-4 record…Team won its final 11 games of the season…Played for Coach John Joyner…Posted 39 catches for 620 yards and five touchdowns his senior season…Finished his high school career with 71 catches for 1,175 yards and 14 touchdowns in 27 career games…Named Second-Team All-CIF as a senior.
Personal: Son of Frank Buncom III, has two brothers Frank Buncom IV and Adam Buncom…Brother, Frank, played football at Stanford, where he was a three-time member of the Pac-12 All-Academic Team.
Logan Brantley
Linebacker / 6’2” / 211 lbs. / Freshman / Denver, Colo. / Cherry Creek HS
High School: A 247 Sports and Rivals three-star recruit…Helped lead his team to a 5A state championship his senior year with a 24-17 win over Valor Christian…Coached by former NFL receiver Dave Logan…Totaled 53 tackles his senior season with 20 solo stops…Posted six interceptions and six tackles-for-loss as a senior…Selected to the Denver Post’s 2022 All-Colorado Football Team…Named 2022 All-Centennial League First-Team.
Personal: Son of Wyndy Brantley…Has three siblings, Carson, Davenport and Skyler…Hobbies include video games and hanging with friends.
