Published Feb 22, 2021
Jacob Schoonover will bring local recruiting ties to KU
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Jon Kirby  •  JayhawkSlant
Publisher- Football Editor
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@jayhawkslant

Just moments ago, Les Miles announced he was hiring Jacob Schoonover from Bowling Green as the special teams coordinator/OLB coach. I have heard his name for several years as a recruiter in Kansas City.

He’s from the area and is familiar with all of the programs locally and the head coaches.

He played at Missouri Western and has recruited the Kansas City area along with the state of Kansas for a long time.

Bishop Miege head football coach Jon Holmes has dealt with Schoonover many times.

“He was one of those guys that knew who everybody was,” Holmes said. “Anytime you mentioned a guy, he had either had offered a kid or had already done his evaluation on the kid, and really built a name for himself at Illinois State in this area, where they were able to get some guys.”

This past season Schoonover signed a couple players from Kansas City. Holmes believes he will do things on the recruiting trail for the Jayhawks.

“At Bowling Green, they got two Kansas City guys to sign with the Hicks (BV West) kid and Cashius Howell out of Rockhurst,” Holmes said. “He definitely works hard at it. I think he has good relationships with a lot of Kansas City and Kansas area coaches, so I got to think that's going to be a big time plus for the staff.”

Schoonover was able to land Howell from Rockhurst in the 2021 class. He worked with Kelly Donohoe who took the Rockhurst job this season after coaching several years at Blue Springs.

"I love Jake Schoonover," Donohoe told Jayhawk Slant. "He's a great person and excellent recruiter. He will be a great addition to KU's staff."

Another one of the top coaches in the area is Joel Applebee from Mill Valley. Like Holmes, Applebee has worked with Schoonover multiple times over the years.

“Coach Schoonover will be a great addition to the staff at KU,” Applebee said. “He is an exceptional recruiter who develops sincere relationships with high school players and coaches. He already has a great reputation in the Kansas City metro. He will do an outstanding job at KU.”

Sources who cover the Bowling Green program said Schoonover also had success recruiting the Chicago area where he signed several players.