Brad Fitzgibbon talks about Kansas, breaks down his recruiting

Brad Fitzgibbon is picking up a lot of interest on the recruiting trail and Kansas is one of the schools recruiting him. Defensive tackles coach Jim Panagos has been the lead recruiter and the two have been building a relationship for several months.

Fitzgibbon got a closer look at the KU program last season when he visited for the Kansas State game.

“You could just feel the electricity in the air,” Fitzgibbon said. “Walking through campus to get to the field was awesome to see the die-hard fans, families, and students tailgating and getting ready for the game. That’s something we miss as football players before the games.”

He learned a lot about the Jayhawks and the current renovations currently underway for a new stadium.

“Having a fan base that loves and supports you is important,” he said. “It’s not easy being a student athlete but you do it to represent something greater than yourself. Then once we got inside, seeing the plans for the improvements and the investment that is being made for the facilities proved further that Kansas football is going to have all the pieces to win championships.”

Fitzgibbon plays defensive line for Marist High School in Illinois. He has attracted a lot of attention from college coaches and holds over 20 scholarship offers. Pangos has been recruiting him for Kansas.

“We’ve been talking consistently for about five months now,” Fitzgibbon said. “He’s just a genuine guy, someone you look forward to hearing from. He has awesome advice and cares about you outside of football. He wants to hear about my family, school, just about everything. But then when it comes to football, he has the passion and knowledge to take you to the next level.”

Last season he took visits to Kansas, Iowa State, Purdue and Wisconsin. He recently visited Vanderbilt and added another trip to Wisconsin. He plans to see more schools this spring.

“I’m definitely looking to get back to Kansas, but I’m going to Mizzou and the University of Iowa in March,” he said. “Then Michigan State in early April. I’m also finalizing an official visit with Arizona State for the end of April.”

He is using the visits to see the details and inner working of each program.

“I want to see their vision of how I’ll be utilized in their defense and if their coaching style meshes with my playing style,” Fitzgibbon said. “Strength and conditioning coaches and their programs are super important too. I feel like that is overlooked a lot by recruits, but they are with you more days than your coach and will be instrumental to get you where you need to be to get on that field.”

Fitzgibbon will weigh several factors including academics. He also wants to make sure he is a good fit with players in the program he chooses.

“I take my academics seriously so that is a big factor making sure the school fits,” he said. “I also need to see myself on that campus, with that team of guys and with the coaches. A lot of time is spent with those people during the college years so it’s important to feel a connection and have some common morals. And lastly, it’s important to find out how much they want you. It’s the hard questions that will give you the best answers you’re looking for.”