Bender solid with Kansas after Georgia made their pitch

Peyton Bender made his name on the recruiting scene as a high school football player at Cardinal Gibbons High in Florida. That’s where he earned the nation’s 25th rating at quarterback and stood out at the Elite 11 quarterback competition.

Before Bender arrived in Fort Lauderdale he grew up in Atlanta. That’s where he was raised until his freshman year before his family moved.

So that has made the last seven days very interesting when the coaching staff from Georgia started to make a push at him.

“Coach (Kirby) Smart and coach (Jim) Cheney have been calling me all week,” Bender said. “They offered me a spot to go and play there.”

Bender has been around SEC country most of his life. Growing up in Atlanta and Florida, and playing his junior college football at Itawamba in Mississippi.

On Saturday Kansas head coach David Beaty met with recruits on campus and then boarded the jet to meet with Bender and his family.

“We had a great time with him,” Bender said. “He is a really genuine guy and he doesn’t put on a fake impression. He is who he is. We really hit it off and formed a good relationship early on. My whole family liked him. They had met him before and during the visit it was the first time my brother (Chase) had a chance to meet him. He said he really liked them.”

Beaty got the visit with Bender in just before the recruiting dead period is set to begin on Sunday. After the visit was over Bender said he isn’t changing his commitment to the Jayhawks.

“I have decided to stick with Kansas and there are great things ahead,” Bender said of the Kansas program. “He told me if I come in focused I have a great opportunity at Kansas. That’s been my whole mindset through this recruiting process is staying focused. That’s what I was looking for (opportunity) since I only have a couple years of eligibility left. And he reinforced that.”

Bender said Beaty was at his house for close to three hours. Then he was on the plane heading back to Lawrence to meet with recruits after the basketball game and during dinner.

“It was kind of cool he flew in to me with us and then was flying right back out to go see the recruits,” Bender said. “He’s working hard and trying to turn the program around. I’ve said this before but he is just a player’s coach. He is a guy you want to do anything you can to win for. That’s what I really like about him.”

On Wednesday Bender will sign with Kansas. His next step after that is packing for Lawrence and enrolling preparing for spring football.

This year at Itawamba he threw for 2733 yards and 21 touchdowns with only four interceptions.

Before that he spent two seasons at Washington State after Mike Leach signed him in the 2014 class. As a freshman Bender played in five games for the Cougars completing 53 passes for 500 yards. He is ready to get back to the division one level.

“I felt my best opportunity is at Kansas,” he said. “I am all in for the Jayhawks. I’m looking forward to it.”