Last Thursday was a big day for James Dunnigan Jr., as he helped Team Icon to a win in the Under Armour All-American football game in Orlando.

Dunnigan secured an interception in the second half as Team Icon held on to a 31-19 win. Dunnigan from Manhattan High School spent New Year’s in Florida representing the state of Kansas in the victory.

“I had a great time at the Under Armour game,” Dunnigan said. “I got to compete against the best of the best and showcase my talent representing Kansas by myself.”

In the first quarter Dunnigan appeared on national television and announced his commitment to the Jayhawks.

“Kansas has a great culture and what Coach Leipold is doing with the program is going to be special and I want to be a part of that,” Dunnigan said.

He was listed as one of the players who saw his stock rise during the practice sessions. Last season at Manhattan he was a standout on both sides of the ball recording 70 tackles with three interceptions. On offense he had 557 yards receiving and racked up 1138 all-purpose yards.

Dunnigan plans to play defense and offense at Kansas.

“I have the opportunity to impact the game on both sides of the ball which I am very excited to do because I have the skill set and athleticism to do it,” he said.

Before he left for the game, Dunnigan took an unofficial visit to Lawrence to meet with the coaches and attend the basketball game against North Carolina State.

“On my visit to Kansas I had an amazing time,” Dunnigan said. “They welcomed me with open arms and gave me a tour of the updated facilities and staff which I was very impressed with.”

He chose Kansas over Kansas State, Nebraska and several other scholarship offers. He returned home to Manhattan and talked about giving his commitment to KU.

“It feels great to be committed, there will always be pressure but it's just getting started,” he said. “You have to learn to embrace it and be yourself at all times.”