The Kansas coaches have been recruiting Zacchaeus McKinney for some time and he has been at the top of their board when it comes to defensive tackles. This weekend McKinney made an unofficial visit to Lawrence to see the campus and get a closer look at the coaches.
McKinney also plans to make an official visit and his next trip he will be arriving as a Jayhawk.
The three-star defensive tackle met with Kansas head coach David Beaty and recruiting coordinator Kenny Perry on Sunday and gave the Jayhawks a verbal commitment.
“It felt like home,” McKinney said.” That’s the main thing when I was there it felt like home. I liked all of the coaches and I see the steps they are making. I think the program is going in the right direction and they will start to win.”
McKinney had his brother, Ty, on the trip with him. Ty signed with the Jayhawks in 2013 but left the program in 2014.
“He said it has changed a lot,” McKinney said. “They made a lot of improvements to the football building and he said it didn’t look anything like that when he was there.”
Some of the improvements McKinney is referring to are the upgrades recently completed to the Anderson Family Football Complex. They built a new locker room, player’s lounge, and meeting room. There are also hints even more upgrades are coming soon.
After watching the Jayhawks play a tight game with Iowa State McKinney said he sees progress in the program since Beaty took over.
“You can’t just look at wins and losses,” he said. “Sometimes you have to look past that and where a program is at. Winning doesn’t always show everything. I see the Kansas program is going in the right direction. Just like yesterday against Iowa State if they make a play or eliminate a mistake they would have won that game.”
Perry did a lot of the heavy lifting in the recruiting for McKinney. Defensive line coach Michael Slater and Beaty also played a part in recruiting him.
“Coach Perry has been the main coach recruiting me,” McKinney said. “I have also talked to coach Beaty and coach Slater and got to know them. But coach Perry has the been the one who has contacted me the most from the beginning and told me about Kansas.”
McKinney had offers from Kansas, Oklahoma State, Houston, SMU, Tulane and others. Two weeks ago he went on an unofficial visit to Oklahoma. The Jayhawks were the first to offer the 6-foot-5, 280 pound defensive lineman.
“It has been a long process but I am glad I made the decision I did,” McKinney said. “Everything felt like home to me and I feel like a lot of stress is off my shoulders. Now I don’t have to worry about making a decision anymore.”
Last season McKinney was a first-team, all-district selection. He is rated the nation’s 40th best defensive tackle in the country.
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