Nikki Taylor could play offense, defense for the Jayhawks

The 2022 recruiting class continues to fill up for the Jayhawks.

On Wednesday afternoon Kansas picked up a commitment from a two-way player in Nikki Taylor. The Alabama prospect developed a relationship with Chevis Jackson in the last few months.

Jackson was the first coach to extend Taylor an offer and it paid off.

“You know how it is when you get your first offer,” he said. “They (KU) showed the most interest in me and they stayed on me, always checking up on me and stuff like that. And I’ve just been watching their games for the longest, and just felt like that's somewhere I could see myself playing.”

Jackson, who coaches the cornerbacks, did a virtual visit with Taylor.

“Coach Jackson really made the whole recruitment thing into a fun situation,” Taylor said. “He told me about himself and what we have in common. Like both the us love the James and Jordan stuff. So, we were just talking about that. And then he had somebody on FaceTime showing me the facilities, the weight rooms, the campus, all that type of stuff. And we just laughed and joked on the phone. I just like the environment at Kansas.”

When Taylor gave his commitment, he talked with several coaches on staff.

“I think I talked to most of them,” he said. “I talked to the offensive coordinator, the defensive coordination, head coach Emmett Jones, and Coach Jackson.”

“They were excited. They were almost more excited than me because they were like, ‘We can't wait to get you up here. We plan on giving you the ball a lot. It's going to be fun.’ They told me the class of '22 is going to be something special. Just really telling me about the program that they're building and trying to get going.”

Jackson started recruiting Taylor as a defensive back. But after evaluating him they moved him to the offensive side on the recruiting board. He said he will likely play on both sides of the ball.

“At first I was being recruited as a DB, but then when Coach Jones got in and showed my highlights to the offensive coordinator and the head coach, now they're recruiting me as a wide receiver,” Taylor said. “So, I'm really going to be playing kind of both and punt return.”

Florida State is one of the schools who recently reached out to Taylor along with South Carolina. He said he’s heard from Stanford, Duke, Cornell, Troy, and South Alabama.

He decided to take the first offer from the Jayhawks and give them a commitment.

“It's like a dream come true, for real, because I never thought that I would be able to,” he said. “I always dreamed of going to a big school and playing at the next level, being able for my family to watch me on TV. I never thought it would really happen and I thought it was just a dream, until it came true when Coach Jackson and KU called.”