Keaton Kubecka talks about Kansas visit, meeting coaches

Keaton Kubecka was an early target of the Kansas coaches and picked up an offer from the Jayhawks before he took an unofficial visit. In late July he made the trip with his mother and step-father to see the program up close.

Kansas wide receivers coach Emmett Jones has been recruiting Kubecka and the two met in person and talked more about the position.

“I went in watched film with Coach Jones and we broke it down together,” Kubecka said. “He's a great coach. Definitely knows what he's talking about. One thing I liked about him is he watches some of the greats and learns what they do, and he applies it to what they do at Kansas.”

Kubecka plays wide receiver at one Austin Westlake, one of the top programs in Texas. He also had a chance to see Jones interact with some of his players.

“He's a great guy,” he said. “I could definitely tell he loves the game of football a lot. He loves his players a lot and he builds connections with them. He had a couple players come into his office while we were meeting in there and they all just seem like they have a great connection with him, inside of football and outside.”

He got the full tour that included seeing campus and the football facilities. During the visit he got to meet strength and conditioning coach Matt Gildersleeve.

“He definitely knows what he's talking about on how to build muscle, lose muscle, and the nutrition plan,” Kubecka said. “He takes good care of his players, and he knows what he's talking about and helps them get right for division one football.”

After seeing all of what Kansas has to offer, he ended the visit with a meeting in Lance Leipold’s office.

“It was cool,” he said. “We went in and sat down, and he talked to me and my family and we kind of just went over what Lawrence is all about, what Kansas football is all about. The culture that they have, just what his plans are with the team. It was cool to see, and he definitely has a desire to win and to make Kansas go far.”

Kubecka said he had a good visit to Lawrence and his parents echoed the same feelings.

“They loved it a lot,” he said. “They thought Lawrence was beautiful. They loved the facility, just everything it had to offer.”

Kubecka still has a way to go before he any decision is made since he is in the 2023 class. He has already picked up offers from Kansas, Houston, and Arkansas State.

“I've always dreamed of this when I was in junior high,” he said. “A couple of the players at the high school when I lived in Houston were big time recruits. Seeing that when I was younger, like I always dreamed of doing stuff like this and now being able to do it, I had to stop and take it all in when I was in Kansas.”