Carson Bruhn said Kansas "felt right", talks about his decision
Last month Carson Bruhn announced he narrowed his choice of schools to Kansas, Kansas State, and Minnesota.
He took several unofficial visits to his finalists but said one school stood out after his trips were over. On Thursday, Bruhn announced he verbally committed to Kansas.
“The decision was a tough one for sure, but when I went to KU and was on campus it felt right,” Bruhn said. “The academics were great. The college atmosphere is amazing. Jayhawk nation's excitement and pride for football is outstanding. The relationships the coaches have with each other and it just felt like a great fit.”
Bruhn, a 6-foot-5, 215 pound tight end is from Sioux Center (Iowa). He took four unofficial visits to KU and went through a thorough recruiting process before deciding.
“Every time I went, I got to see a different side of KU,” he said. “I got to spend more time with the coaches and see the campus and football facilities.”
It was also a good fit Bruhn was recruited by offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, who is the tight ends coach. Kotelnicki could show Bruhn the details of his position and discuss the offensive scheme at the same time.
“Coach K is a great guy,” Bruhn said. “I really enjoy talking to him and he is very knowledgeable about football. He is always willing to answers the questions I throw at him. He showed immense interest in me as a player and person. He is a big reason I committed.”
Bruhn committed on Saturday. He told Kotelnicki followed by a phone call to head coach Lance Leipold. After that he started receiving texts from several staff members congratulating him.
“They were both super excited,” Bruhn said. “I got tons of texts from all the staff so it was a great experience.”
When Bruhn took his most recent visit, he watched the team go through spring practice. The last two seasons Kotelnicki has been creative using the tight ends and shown he will use multiple tight ends in certain sets.
“I was amazed by how they used their tight ends when I went and watched them last fall,” he said. “My dad and I couldn't but help comment how they had 2-3 tight ends on the field all the time. It's a huge reason why I committed to KU.”
Bruhn plans to major in Chemical/Environmental Engineering. During his visit he learned more details about the Engineering program at Kansas. The academic part played a big role in his decision.
“The engineering program was great,” Bruhn said. “I was very impressed with how it's a ton of work with real-world problems. It was cool to see all the connections they had all around the world.”
Bruhn is a rare, four-sport athlete playing football, basketball, track, and baseball. He spent a lot of time juggling academics, sports and recruiting. Now that he has made a commitment to Kansas, it will free up more time.
“It was definitely difficult to balance everything,” Bruhn said. “It's awesome to have finally made a decision and focus on high school and being where my feet are. I'm excited for the future but it's awesome to now focus on the present and make the most of the remaining time I have in high school.”
Bruhn is rated the top tight end prospect in Iowa and the 25th best overall in the Rivals.com national rankings.