Jaren Kanak talking to several Kansas coaches

Kansas has been using the team approach when it comes to recruiting Jaren Kanak. The athlete from Hays has connected with several coach from Kansas and the latest is Jake Schoonover.

He recently did a Zoom call and virtual visit with the Kansas staff.

“I liked the academic side of things,” Kanak said. “They took me through a PowerPoint and showed me the graduation rate of the football players and percentages. There were a lot of numbers, but they were really good numbers, and it showed how good the academics and how important getting that degree will be at Kansas.”

Kanak said he talked with Schoonover and Josh Eargle along with academic staff during the call. Schoonover will help during the process.

“We've texted and talked on the phone a couple times, and we talked on the Zoom,” he said of Schoonover. “He texted me and said he was just going to help out with it and just tag team along some other guys, and just text me and give me calls, and just see how I'm doing and that kind of thing.”

Defensive coordinator D.J. Eliot and Kanak have communicated a lot over the last several months. A lot of schools have discussed Kanak playing on either side of the ball. But Eliot likes his skillset on defense.

“KU is recruiting me primarily as a linebacker, that's what Coach Elliot talks about,” Kanak said. “They really like me as a linebacker. But I've heard from a bunch of other schools. Some schools, they like me as just a linebacker, some schools, they really like me as an H-back receiver offensive type of player. And other schools are just categorizing you like an athlete.”

Kanak has been doing his share of virtual visits and Zoom calls with coaches from several schools. At this point he’s taken in as much information as he can.

The NCAA is expected to vote next month on resuming recruiting contact starting June 1. That will be the next step for Kanak as he wants to sit down and talk with coaches while seeing the college campuses.

“I don't really have a timeframe right now,” he said. “I need to get up and see every campus that I'm thinking about that I could possibly commit to. I want to see the campus and get around the culture and get around people before I make a decision, which is obviously difficult with the dead period thing and track. And I was hoping to maybe knock a couple of them out here before track starts.

“My parents are pretty busy on the weekends. My sister has basketball. They travel all over the place. So, it's kind of been difficult to get out or find a day to come up to Lawrence or Manhattan or any of these places. And I think maybe after track, it'll be easier getting out in the summer, but it kind of just depends on how it all works out.”