Advertisement
football Edit

Surahz Buncom is KU's first 2023 commitment on offense

The Jayhawks have landed their first commitment on offense for the 2023 class.

Just minutes ago, Surahz Buncom, a wide receiver from Mater Dei Catholic in California, announced he committed to Kansas.

Buncom visited Kansas in the spring and returned with his family for an official visit this weekend. He got good reactions from the coaches when he told them the news before he started the visit.

“Coach Samuel was very elated,” Buncom said. “I actually told him via FaceTime. The first 30 seconds he thought it was a normal call. And then I said I'm ready to commit to Kansas and his face lit up with excitement. He was excited. He said, ‘If I'm dreaming, don't wake me up now.’ I was the number one guy on his recruiting board from what I was told.”

After talking with Samuel, he delivered the news to Kansas head coach Lance Leipold. One thing Buncom said that stood out was how loyal Leipold their staff is when they take a commitment.

“He was talking about expectations and reassuring me that he is 120% taking my commitment,” Buncom said. “He's heard from previous coaches that were on the staff when he got there that if they found a better player, they would drop someone. He said, ‘we don’t operate that way’.

He continued: “He was really excited and pumped up about me committing. And actually a few hours after the call, he sent me a text message and saying he's even more excited about me becoming a Jayhawk after our talk.”

Buncom brings size and athleticism to the receiver position
Buncom brings size and athleticism to the receiver position
Advertisement

Buncom built a good relationship with Samuel and that played into his decision. On his last visit he met with Samuel to go over the wide receiver position in detail.

“One thing that stood was definitely Coach Samuel's philosophy,” Buncom said. “The way he goes about things and his coaching style. I consider him like a technician. He's very technical as far as route-running, how to create separation and things like that. I think the main thing I'd say is Coach Samuel's philosophy at the receiver position and just all the coaches in general.”

[Story: Football runs in the Buncom family]

Buncom knows how stressful the recruiting can be. Football runs in the family and his brother was a four-star recruit before signing Stanford.

“It feels great to commit,” he said. “It takes a lot of stress off the shoulders. My brother had as many as 20 offers. He's been through this full recruiting process, and I never really saw it. I was a lot younger then, so I never really noticed the stress.

“I didn't think it was as stressful as a process as it actually was. And so just getting this out of the way and committing to some place that I feel comfortable with is really relieving.”

Samuel told Buncom at 6-foot-4 he has good control over his body and can get out of his breaks for a bigger receiver. He had an impressive track season with a 10.58 100m and 6-foot-3 in the high jump.

He is currently rated as the 52nd best player in the California according to the latest Rivals.com rankings. He had early offers from Oregon, Oregon State, Pittsburgh, Kansas State, Colorado, BYU and several others.

OFFER: Just a few days left on the FREE promo 

Get Jayhawk Slant FREE all the way up until fall football camp starts. Follow all of the recruiting news in basketball and football over the summer. To take advantage of latest promo offer GO HERE

Advertisement