Jayhawks make strong push for two-sport star Keon Coleman
The Jayhawks have entered the race for Keon Coleman as a two-sport athlete. The standout from Opelousas Catholic in Louisiana is getting division one interest in football and basketball.
Kansas took their game up a notch giving Coleman the red-carpet treatment during a Zoom call featuring several coaches. They have been recruiting him with heavy interest but this time they brought in Bill Self.
“It was a Zoom virtual visit,” Coleman said. “Then the coaches said Bill Self wanted to join and make it like a two-for-one call. I was like whoa. And we started talking and it went from there. It was the first time I talked to Coach Self.
“He told me I do a lot of things you can’t really teach. He said I’m a fast-twitch player and said I was quick.”
Wide receivers coach and co-offensive coordinator Emmett Jones has been the lead recruiter for Coleman. They have built a good relationship and Coleman said he is impressed with the receivers Jones has coached in his career.
Kansas head coach Les Miles has also been active in the recruiting according to Coleman. The most recent call included several football coaches on both sides of the ball.
“Coach Miles said I can make an impact on the football team and Coach Self said I could do the same for basketball,” Coleman said. “They had a lot of coaches on the call.”
Coleman has offers in football from schools including Kansas, Louisville, Baylor, Florida State, Miami, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Penn State, Michigan State and several others. In basketball he has earned offers from Louisiana Tech, Nicholls State, Coastal Carolina and Louisiana-Lafayette.
Self told Coleman he likes his ability to shoot and attack, along with his overall athletic ability. It showed the Louisiana prospect a lot when he got the chance to visit with coaches from both sports.
“It shows that they want me for both sports,” he said. “I like them a lot. It’s a good opportunity. They are all good people. Coach Miles was telling me he wants to help me get that Heisman.”
Coleman said he is paying close attention to the NCAA calendar and when they will open the schedule for recruiting visits. They recently announced no visits through July. When it resumes Coleman said he plans to take a visit to Lawrence.