James Livingston was sold on Kansas after his visit

James Livingston was familiar with several members of the Kansas coaching staff because they offered him when they were at Buffalo.

The scholarship offer was extended when they got the job at Kansas making the Jayhawks a team with high interest.

Livingston took an unofficial visit on Friday with his family to learn more about the program. After returning home and talking about the recruiting he committed to Kansas.

“I would say from a football standpoint, I talked to these coaches while they were at Buffalo, and I really liked them and they heavily recruited me there,” Livingston said. “So, when they went to Kansas and they still wanted to recruit me, I jumped at the opportunity.”

There was something about the Kansas program and Dexter, Michigan that Livingston drew a parallel between the two.

He knows what it takes and the process how a program turns around after watching it happen in high school.

“There is a bit of a backstory about Dexter,” Livingston said. “At one point three or four years ago, we had the longest losing streak in the state of Michigan at 42 straight losses. And then my freshman year, we got in a lot of good players, and they broke the losing streak and even went to the state playoffs that year.

He continued: “Ever since I joined varsity myself my sophomore year, we've gone to the playoffs every year. I just felt that type of energy at Kansas. They haven't been winning these past couple of years, but I feel like with this coaching staff, they have the potential to start winning and make this program a winning program. And since I've had some experience with that, I am excited to help get this program turned around and become winners.”

It was a natural fit to go after Livingston. Kansas linebackers coach Chris Simpson offered him when they were on staff at Buffalo. He built a good relationship with him early and carried it to Kansas.

“He's been great,” Livingston said of Simpson. “He's always answered any questions I have. He was the person who gave me my offer at Buffalo and he's a really nice person and a great coach. He was always straight forward with me. He never gave me a used car salesman pitch, just trying to get me to come to a school. You could tell he cared about me and cared about my wellbeing, as well as my football talent.”

During his visit he met with offensive line coach Scott Fuchs, and they talked about philosophy, playing time and development. Livingston, 6-foot-7, 275 pounds, said he believes he can develop under Fuchs.

“I would say we definitely share the same philosophy,” Livingston said. “He says that I really fit the mold of an offensive lineman he likes. He wants athletic linemen, that aren't always 300 pounds. And he believes that I fit that mold with what they want to do.

“And I just liked the fact that when I asked about potential playing time, or just anything about their football team, he gave me good answers, straightforward answers. And he really seems like a guy that I could learn a lot under.”

Livingston and his family made the 750-mile drive back home after the visit. Going into the trip his mother Kathy was concerned about the distance. But once his family met the coaching staff they signed off on the Jayhawks.

“My mom, to be honest, was a bit skeptical at first because of distance and she wasn't sure if she wanted me 12 hours away from Michigan,” he said. “But just after our visit and after all she saw, she sat me down and told me. ‘I would be okay sending you to school here. I am comfortable with this place.’”

There were early offers from schools like Iowa State, Arizona State, Indiana, Marshall, Toledo and several others. He had 14 offers from division one schools and a lot of interest.

After getting the tour of KU and meeting with the staff he is happy after making his commitment.

“Oh, it's amazing,” he said. “As soon as I stepped on that campus, I really felt like it was a place where I could call home. It was a place that I could go to school and be proud to say that I went to school here. And just the fact that I was able to commit to a school like this, it just blows my mind.”