Patrick Hisatake plans visit to Kansas
Social media helped Patrick Hisatake make a connection with the Kansas staff. The outside linebacker from Oregon followed Kansas assistant Chidera Uzo-Diribe on Twitter and everything developed from there.
“I just followed him (Uzo-Diribe) on Twitter and then he watched my film,” Hisatake said. “We talked a couple days later, and he said they were offering me a scholarship. I was really excited about that.”
Ever since that first phone call Hisatake and Uzo-Diribe have developed a strong relationship. Hisatake mentioned the fact that Uzo-Diribe had a great career as a defensive end at Colorado.
“He's a great dude, he’s fun, and a really good coach,” he said. “He was a really good player in college. He is in the all-time sack leaders at Colorado, so I know I can learn a lot from him. He's just really cool and I get along with him well, that's why they're one of my top schools right now.”
Hisatake recently announced his top schools and the Jayhawks made the cut. He holds 20 scholarship offers and Kansas is in good company with schools like Minnesota, Arizona State, Cal, Colorado, among others.
During the recruiting he has also talked with Kansas head coach Les Miles.
“He’s really cool and a great coach,” he said. “I get along with him well and I know he really cares about me. He always emphasizes that I'm a priority to Kansas and the coaching staff. That's really important to me that they emphasize I'm a priority for them.”
One of the draws to the Kansas is the 3-4 scheme that defensive coordinator D.J. Eliot runs. Hisatake is an interesting prospect because at 6-foot-5, 245 pounds he can project to different spots. Right now, he’s keeping his weight in the same range.
“I'm just maintaining and keeping the same weight because I know when I get to college, they're going to put some weight on me,” he said. “When it's all said and done, I'll probably be around 260-265 after my freshman year.”
Once the NCAA clears the recruiting restrictions and visits resume, Hisatake said Lawrence will be one his destinations. He’s also using this time to get to know coaches on all of the staffs who made his final cut.
“When the NCAA opens up the dead period, I can't wait to get out there for an official visit,” he said about Kansas. “The main thing for me is building that relationship with all of the coaches recruiting me. Building a relationship with the position coach, head coach, and defense coordinator is the main thing of importance for me. Another thing that is important to me is being able to come in my freshman year or come in early and contributing to the team.”