Paul Mencke has been making the rounds this spring taking in several unofficial visits. One of his stops included Kansas.

Mencke, who is one of the top safety prospects in Texas, came away impressed with campus and other things he saw on his visit.

“I really liked the fact of how big Kansas was,” Mencke said. “I didn't expect Kansas to be that big, I'm not going to lie. And then the dorms were really cool. I can't even say anything about the facility yet because it's a $400 million renovation.”

The football program is undergoing renovations starting with the locker room and weight room. Mencke would like to see what it looks like after it is completed.

“I saw what it looks like now and they showed us the after pictures of what it will look like,” he said. “And I just can't wait. I'm going to have to come back for another visit.”

During his visit he watched the team go through practice.

“Anybody likes doing one-on-ones or team because you get to hit people, you get to do a lot of active work,” he said. “There was a lot of team that day I was there, and it seemed really fun. I got to talk to some of the coaches while they were practicing. It seemed like a really good environment.”

He plans to major in Engineering and during practice spoke with one of the current players who is studying it at Kansas.

“The starting tight end is actually planning to be a chemical engineer,” Mencke said. “They don't restrict you career-wise to make the cut. I really liked that about them. And they're a morning practice team so that's really good.”

Mencke has most of his talks with offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki and defensive coordinator Brian Borland. Kotelnicki recruits his area and Borland coaches the safeties. He said he has also talked with Greg Svarczkopf, the Director of Recruiting.

He has taken visits to Texas, Baylor, TCU, Houston, UTSA, Duke, Notre Dame and Stanford. Mencke said Missouri is among the schools showing heavy interest.

When he chooses a school, he wants to factor in a lot more than football.

“Not everybody plays in the NFL, so I think something that can set me up for years down the line,” he said. “Job wise, good internships, and connections. Something that I can really succeed in life. I’d also say student life, because I'm going to live there. I say student life and how inclusive it is, and just how people are.”