Evans gives Jayhawks a present on his birthday

Akayleb Evans decided to give the Kansas coaches a present of his own on his birthday. On Wednesday the three-star cornerback from McKinney (Tex.) gave the Jayhawks a verbal commitment on the morning of his birthday.

Evans made a visit to Lawrence last week with his mother, Nita, and father, Calvin.

“It was the feel I got when I was there and they made me feel like I was a top priority,” he said. “The people I met there made it feel like a family like atmosphere and made me feel comfortable. And it is relatively close to home. Everything just seemed to fit.”

Kansas linebackers coach Todd Bradford started recruiting Evans in the spring. After Kansas offered Bradford was consistent talking with Evans on every Monday.

“We have talked every week since he started recruiting me,” Evans said. “Every week it was a process that grew. He was happy because I was his first official recruit at Kansas. We were both happy about that and it is a memory that we will always have.”

This morning Evans also spoke with Kansas head coach David Beaty to deliver the news.

“He was very excited,” Evans said of Beaty. “He told me he was happy that I was becoming a part of the JayCrew. He told me I would be a big part of what they have going forward.”

JayCrew is a hashtag the Kansas staff and recruits have started using on Twitter. The number of the group grew by one more today with Evans commitment.

During the drive back home from their visit last week Evans spoke with his family about their experience. And the discussions carried on days after the visit. Their feelings on Kansas didn’t change as time went on.

“When I got back I talked with them (parents) about when I might commit and where,” Evans said. “We just weighed our options and decided what place would be the right fit for me. We talked about what might be close to home and where I fit in the scheme. And that was Kansas.

“They loved the visit a lot more than they thought they would. We were all surprised when we got there because it was more than we expected. When we were driving back and even after we got home we talked about how amazing the campus was.”

Evans will enjoy the rest of his birthday after making a big decision on his future.

“I’m really happy,” he said. “I’m celebrating right now with my friends. I still have my senior season coming up but I’m just ready to get to work it Kansas after that. I’m going to continue to work and get better.”

Evans is the ninth known commitment for the Jayhawks in the 2017 class.