Fletcher Westphal talks about Kansas visit, will cut list to five soon

On Sunday the Jayhawks got a visit from Fletcher Westphal, one of the top offensive tackles in the country.

Westphal, who is from Virginia, visited Arkansas and Kansas over the weekend. He was the lone visitor on Sunday, but got a big welcome from the KU staff.

“I was the only recruit on campus, and I was impressed how many staff came in just for me,” Westphal said. “The whole offensive coaching staff, academics and strength and conditioning. Big things are going on with the Jayhawks with $400 million facilities and stadium update is in the works. Lawrence is a lot bigger than I thought it’d be. It’s a nice college town.”

The coaches have been showing a lot of interest in Westphal. He said he has been on several phone calls and FaceTime with the staff.

“They are always high energy,” he said.

During the visit he had lunch with Andy Kotelnicki, Jim Zebrowski, and Scott Fuchs.

He also spent one-on-one time with Fuchs, who coaches the offensive line for Kansas.

“We talked football, but he spent most of the time talking about the culture of excellence Leipold is instilling and how it affects every aspect of the player’s life,” Westphal said. “The team had the best season in a long time and the highest 3.07 GPA ever in the history of the football program. Everything matters.”

Westphal has been busy over the last two months. His visits to Arkansas and Kansas were the latest in a long line of trips. Over spring break, he went south to Tennessee, Clemson, Georgia, Auburn and NC State.

Before spring break, he visited Michigan, Michigan State, Florida State, and Florida. He has one more visit lined up to Washington.

“There’s a lot that goes into recruiting,” he said. “I have coach calls most nights after school. I travel a lot. I research a lot on the school, players and coaches. I want to know as much as I can, so I can make the best decision.”

There are several factors that will come into play as he formulates his final list.

“I’m looking for culture, program stability, ability to be developed are important for football program and education and housing are also important,” Westphal said.

He has been taking in a lot of information after unofficial visits and talks with coaching staffs around the country. Westphal said he plans to trim his list by the end of the month.

“I will narrow my list to my Top 5 on April 30,” he said.