Jayhawks land a commitment from running back John Kelly
The Jayhawks have landed one of their top offensive recruits for the 2025 class.
John Kelly, from Cypress Christian School in Houston, gave his verbal commitment to the Jayhawks on Tuesday.
Kansas zeroed in on Kelly after running backs coach Jonathan Wallace offered him last fall. Wallace continued to build a relationship with Kelly over the months and it paid off.
“We talked almost every single day and he’s just a guy that I trust my future with,” Kelly said. “That's somebody that I want to play for. I wouldn't want to play for nobody else.”
A recent visit helped Kelly make his decision. He took an unofficial visit in March to watch the team practice and meet with the coaching staff. He learned more about the Kansas program during his visit.
“I like the way that he (Wallace) was running his practice while I was up there,” Kelly said. “I just feel like I will learn and develop best under him.
He continued: “I knew Kansas was the school for me because I guess you can say my personality just gelled with them. I gelled with Coach Wallace and Coach Leipold and Mister Scott (Aligo), Mister Billy (Bonneau). I just knew that Kansas was the one because I didn't have this type of relationship with any other college.”
Kelly informed Wallace of his intentions to commit and the word quickly spread throughout the staff.
“They all started texting me,” Kelly said. “They were all excited and happy. They were like, we heard you're going to be a Jayhawk. And I was like, yes, I'm a Jayhawk. It was just a good moment. And then I hopped on the phone with Coach Leipold. We had a conversation, and everybody was all excited.”
Wallace targeted Kelly last October and stayed consistent with him after evaluating his film and extending a scholarship offer.
“He said I have the size to speed ratio is just uncommon,” Kelly said. “And when I turn on that jet, when I turn on that burner, combined with the size it's just crazy. And that's what they liked about me.”
Kelly held offers from Missouri, Houston, Duke, Texas Tech, Tulane, Washington State and several other schools. His official visit is scheduled with the Jayhawks in June, but he did not want to wait any longer to commit.
“It is a great feeling especially because this is something I dreamt of ever since I was a little baby when I first started off playing football,” he said.
Kelly is rated the 44th best running back prospect in the country and a three-star recruit by Rivals. He is fourth commitment in the 2025 class joining Anderson Kopp, Malachi Curvey, and David McComb.