Tevita Noa feels something brewing at Kansas

Tevita Noa saw something on his visit to Kansas that made him want to be a part of the program. After meeting with the coaches and watching the Jayhawks play against West Virginia he started thinking about his future.

“Honestly, Saturday night after the game, I went home to my hotel,” Noa said. “I was doing a lot of thinking and honestly, I didn't sleep at all. I was up until 5:00. I was up just up just thinking where should I go to school?

He continued: “Kansas just keep kept coming to my mind like this is where you belong. I did a lot of praying. I felt like this is where I belong. Honestly the feeling was like, it was the right feeling.”

On Sunday when Noa met with Kansas head coach Lance Leipold and offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, he gave them his verbal commitment.

Noa, from Snow College, was committed to TCU but opened his recruiting after they had a coaching change. Kotelnicki was quick to make contact with him. They built a relationship over the last month and had a chance to talk more on the visit.

“He's a great guy,” Noa said. “He's a really good guy. He just made me feel so welcome. I felt like I was already one of his players as soon as I got there. I felt like I had been playing for him already, just how comfortable I felt.”

Kotelnicki told Noa he liked the way he blocked and his route-running from his tight end position. He scheduled him for a visit the week after he took one to Boise State.

He got a similar feeling after meeting with Leipold.

“When I sat down with Coach Leipold I could tell he's a good coach,” Noa said. “He's someone I can really get behind because when you talk to him, he's a really down to earth guy. I felt like someone I could really talk to and that's just somebody you want to go to war with, somebody you want to lead you out of that tunnel. That's someone you want to stand behind.”

When Noa watched the game against West Virginia he got a good feeling about the fan base and the support the team gets from the community.

“When I went to the game and I was talking to the coaches, you could feel there was something brewing in Kansas,” he said. “I sat in the game and I was listening to the fans and seeing how passionate they are. Something big is coming in Kansas and I just wanted to be a part of it. Kansas is a Big 12 school and they're a sleeping giant. I just wanted to wake that beast. I wanted to be part of that culture.”

There were calls from other schools like Houston, Boise State, New Mexico State and others. After committing he said he will shut his recruiting down.

He came back to the coaches and the relationship because he picked the Jayhawks. During the visit he also spent time around strength and conditioning coach Matt Gildersleeve.

“It all came down to the great coaching,” he said. “The coaches are great. I really felt like I built a genuine relationship with a lot of the coaches. I just love the way they go about things. The strength and conditioning coach (Gildersleeve), man, that guy brings the juice. When I was just talking to him, he fired me up. I loved Kansas.”

Noa was a JC Gridiron Preseason All-American selection. He will sign with Kansas in December and enroll in January. He will have three years of eligibility to play two seasons.