Marvin Grant was one of the top players available in the transfer portal and had several college options. After his visit to Kansas, he decided to put an end to his recruiting and gave his commitment to the Jayhawks.
He started every game last season for Purdue finishing second on the team in tackles. He is a proven player at the Big 10 level and will bring an immediate impact to the Kansas secondary.
Grant delivered the news to the coaches on Thursday.
“Oh man, they were pumped up,” Grant said. “We were talking almost every day. And they were on me about choosing Kansas and couldn't wait to get me down there. They told me I was a huge addition to their program there.”
Kansas was the first school to offer Grant when he entered the transfer portal. He had connections to the program that helped during the recruiting process. One of them was KU linebacker Rich Miller, who was his teammate in high school.
Miller started his sales pitch to Grant before his official visit.
“My relationship with Rich is pretty strong,” Grant said. “He's one of my best friends. He originally came and just told me, ‘We need you, man. We really need you. We got something special going on here, man,’. He was saying, ‘Come in and help turn this program around and just help be a part of the history.’”
Miller was a good resource for Grant to hear about the program and how day-to-day life is for the players at Kansas. He also had a good relationship with the coaching staff including Chris Simpson, who recruits the Detroit area.
“He's a great guy and we established a real team relationship down there,” Grant said. “I mean, it was all love from the start. It was easy just deciding to play under him and everything. All the coaches that I met, all of them are real good guys. I just decided to play for all of them.”
Grant has been through recruiting before where he was highly touted coming out of Martin Luther King High. He was the Detroit Public School Defensive Player of the Year and a first-team, all-state selection.
Rivals.com rated him a four-star player and one of the top 15 safeties in the country. He has gone through recruiting and knew what he was looking for in a school this time around.
[Analysis: What does Marvin Grant's commitment mean to KU?]
After his official visit he said one of the things that sold him on Kansas is the foundation being built under Lance Leipold.
“Definitely the structure of the program is what stood out,” he said. “I saw how everybody seemed like family when I was there. It felt family and like I already knew everybody before. That was the biggest thing was just how much they actually care about the players.”
Grant said players are expected to report on May 29, but he plans to arrive early.
“I'm probably going to be there three days before just to get settled in and then move my stuff and everything down there,” he said.
He will start summer workouts with the team and is ready for the next chapter in his career at Kansas. After meeting with the players and hearing the plan from the coaching staff, he believes the pieces are in place for a winning program.
“It's very exciting,” Grant said. “It’s a relief to have the recruiting over. I'm just ready to get after it. I'm ready to get to work. I’m ready to meet everybody there and just get out there and contribute as much as I can.
“I'm bringing everything I got. I'm going to leave it all on the table. I'm going to be the best player and best leader I can be. We're definitely going to have a winning season this year, that's for certain. That's a guarantee.”
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- PRO
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- RB
- WDE
- CB
- OLB
- TE
- WR