Charles Cole wanted to choose the right place, will sign with Kansas

When Charles Cole came down to making a decision there were some things he was looking for. One of those was relying on his family for their opinion during the process.

Cole brought his mother and brother on the trip to Lawrence.

“On my visit Clint Bowen the defensive coordinator and defensive line coach Jesse Williams made my family feel real good,” Cole said. “That was a big determining factor for me. We all had good conversations on my visit and it was something that I felt I could be at home.”

On Tuesday afternoon Cole took to Twitter to announce his decision and made it known he was picking the Jayhawks.

“I talked to coach Bowen,” Cole said. “I called in and when he answered he asked me if I’m ready to come home. I told him yes I had decided to commit to the University of Kansas. He was excited. He said they were going to send me all of my information to sign.”

Cole had several options coming from Butler County. The 6-foot-3, 285 pound defensive lineman recently finished his final visit to Memphis last weekend. After dissecting his recruiting visits he felt Kansas was the best place.

“I feel like coach Beaty and the program have a good plan to get it turned around,” Cole said. “I have looked at a few recruits that have committed to Kansas and I watched their film and I like the class. I think we can all make something happen and help turn the program around.”

When it comes to football Cole has goals on the field but he also hopes to carry an impact off the field as well.

“I didn’t have any offers out of high school and God brought me where I am today,” Cole said. “I’m a religious man and I made my decision off of praying. God told me I need to be a foundation and to go in and work hard. And I want to be able to change a life when I am in the program. That’s my goal.”

During his visit Cole said something that stood out him was listening to former Jayhawk and KU employee Keon Stowers talk about his road to Lawrence. Cole said Stowers touched them and even brought a tear to his mother’s eye.

Cole, who will sign Kansas on Wednesday, is glad the stress is over but also glad he was in the position to have choices.

“Recruiting can be a tough situation but the same time there are people out there who don’t have any offers at all,” he said. “It is a blessing to be done with it because it is stressful and you want to make sure you choose the right place.”