Aundre Gibson was sold on Kansas coaching staff

Arizona is a new recruiting ground for Kansas, and they have started off on a positive note. On Sunday one of the top players in the state Aundre Gibson announced his commitment to the Jayhawks.

Gibson, a cornerback from Desert Edge High School, took an unofficial visit to Kansas last week for the start of spring practice. He spent two days in Lawrence visiting with the coaching staff and learning about the Kansas program.

Being around Jordan Peterson, the staff, and players sold him on what the Jayhawks are building.

“What stood out to me was the realness of the staff,” Gibson said. “Nothing felt fake it was all real. Everything was tight knit which I liked too. It reminded me of the culture at my high school, so I loved that.”

Peterson started recruiting the Phoenix area last year. It was a new area and he established a good relationship with the staff at Desert Edge. He evaluated Gibson and Kansas was quick to offer a scholarship.

Gibson said Peterson was a big reason for picking the Jayhawks.

“He’s my guy,” Gibson said. “He’s my favorite coach of all the coaches who recruited me from any school and that played a big part in me picking Kansas. I know he’s going to get the best out of me.”

There were a lot of options on the table for Gibson. He had offers from Oregon, Oregon State, Arizona, Arizona State, Iowa State and several other programs.

He kept going back to the people in the Kansas program as the difference.

“Key factors were Coach Peterson and the rest of the staff,” Gibson said. “I loved the fact the staff has been together so long, and they are coaches not just looking to hop around. They have a great plan for me that I’m excited about.”

Gibson arrived on Wednesday and took a tour of the facilities, met with support staff and coaches, and finished by watching practice on Thursday.

“It was great watching practice, and I loved the energy,” he said.

He had a meeting with head coach Lance Leipold when he gave Kansas his verbal commitment.

“They were all super excited,” Gibson said when he committed.

It was recently announced renovations will start soon on the weight room and locker room. Gibson said they talked to him about the upgrades, but again, he went back to the coaching staff as the main reason for his decision.

“They did (talk about facilities) but honestly that didn’t affect my decision,” Gibson said. “I want to play for Kansas and for this staff. I come from nothing. I’m not worried about facilities like that long as we got a field and weights.”

Gibson said his mother was on the visit and “she loved it as much I did and she’s excited.”

He plans to tell his teammates about his visit and why he chose Kansas. The Jayhawks have offered three other players from Desert Edge.

“I’m going to tell them that it’s definitely the place to be,” he said. “I know they are all looking seriously at Kansas too.”

There were a lot of schools Gibson could have picked. He had offers from multiple Power Five programs and is happy with his decision.

“It feels great,” he said. “Now I can just focus on being the best player I can be for my high school team and trying to win a championship my senior year.”