Harrison Utley gets Oklahoma offer, sticks with KU commitment

The Kansas coaching staff picked up a big commitment from Harrison Utley in June. He was the first offensive lineman to take an official visit and obviously at the top of the priority list.

In a way, the Jayhawks have landed a second commitment from Utley.

He grew up in Norman, just miles from the home of the Oklahoma Sooners. So, when the call came that he had an offer from the OU coaching staff, that made him talk about things with his family.

“It was a pretty good conversation,” Utley said. “I mean, my family doesn't push anything at all, and we just kind of laid everything out on the table and looked at the pros and cons of both. They also like Kansas a lot. They think it's great for me.”

After talking about the recent offer from the hometown Sooners, Utley decided he was sticking with his original pledge to Kansas.

“Definitely growing up in Norman, I mean, OU was always kind of what you watch, you grow up with, and where I always wanted to play growing up,” he told Jayhawk Slant. “Because it's just, it's home. But the more I've gone through the process and got to be in Lawrence and around Kansas and the culture and stuff, the more I've grown to really love it. It seems to be home for me right now and the place I want to be.”

Utley took several unofficial visits to Oklahoma. His mother, Carrie, is the Associate Athletic Director of Finance at Oklahoma.

When he received the offer there were talks with the Kansas staff and a phone call with offensive line coach Scott Fuchs.

“I texted Coach Fuchs at first and then I talked to him on the phone, so I had to explain a little bit more,” Utley said. “He was with his son Hank for a camp, but I got to talk to him. It was a pretty good talk, just about my belief in Kansas and kind of how I believe in them and what they're doing, the culture, everything they're building up there.”

Fuchs spoke with Utley’s father and Lance Leipold communicated with them about the news. In the end Utley decided to stay with his original commitment to Kansas.

It could be seen as a sign how much the perception of the Kansas program has changed.

“I think you just see with the new coaching staff and what they're building,” Utley said. “The beliefs that they're starting to have with the program, and you can see it with the fan base too. Last year they sold out games. They had hosted College GameDay with TCU and were undefeated for a while.

“It's crazy how much they're building in Kansas, and I mean, everyone's starting to believe in it too. You see with the recruits; they actually have one of the better recruiting classes now that they've had in a while.”