Kansas the first to offer Ian Premer from Great Bend

Looking through the highlights for Ian Premer, it is clear he is more than a football player. Premer’s top plays on his Hudl profile are filled with what he can do on the basketball court.

At 6-foot-6, 210 pounds he started basketball as a freshman at Great Bend. But it is his potential for football that has his phone ringing with college coaches.

Whatever season is in, that has been his favorite sport to play.

“My dad likes to say growing up my favorite sport was whatever I was playing, but as I’ve gotten older football and basketball have become the clear favorites,” Premer said. “I’ve always loved basketball and started varsity from my freshman year, so it was great to go to 5A state this year as a sophomore.”

This season he averaged 21 points and nine rebounds a game, shooting over 62 percent from the field.

Premer said he will play with RUN GMC this summer and will focus on basketball and football. His days of playing basketball have helped him develop into a division one prospect in football.

“I think something that basketball has really helped with football is being able to weave in and out of defenders,” he said. “In basketball, I’m trying to get to the rim and have to go around defenders and maneuver my way through them.

“I believe that is very similar in football just with trying to get to the end zone and having the vision to see what the defenders are going to do and then reacting and going from there. Other things that basketball really helps with are speed, agility, footwork, body control, and being explosive.”

The Kansas coaching staff was the first Power Five school to extend Premer a scholarship for football. Offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Jeff Grimes recently spoke with him to deliver the news.

“It felt truly amazing to be offered by KU, I was in complete shock at first,” he said. “It is one of those things you always dream about.”

Grimes took over as the offensive coordinator in December and Premer did his research on him.

“I really enjoyed my talk with Coach Grimes,” Premer said. “I hadn’t known much about him before, but I Googled him after and was very impressed with his coaching resume and wherever he has gone he has won. My impressions of him are that he is a great all around guy and a proven winner.”

Growing up a basketball player he is familiar with the success of the Jayhawks hoops program. But he knows the football program under Lance Leipold is moving in the right direction.

“For me KU had always been known as a basketball school but over the last three years that dynamic has changed,” he said. “Going 9-4 last year was impressive.”

Premer said Kansas and Kansas State are the two schools showing the most interest. He will be in Manhattan this weekend for an unofficial visit to Kansas State.