Tony Terry wanted to be part of culture at Kansas

When Tony Terry was done with his official visit on Sunday, he said he wanted to sit down with family and talk about his future.

There were plans to visit Missouri, Kansas State, and Arkansas State. He said for the time being he would cancel those visits.

After discussing things with his family, he decided to announce his commitment to Kansas.

He made a call to Lance Leipold who put him on speaker so the rest of the coaching staff could hear.

“Coach Leipold just got out of a staff meeting,” Terry said. “I called and then he walked right back in there and put me on speaker phone and announced it again to the whole room. And everybody was all excited and jumping around and hollering through the phone and they passed the phone around and all gave me congratulations.”

Terry became a hot target for the coaching staff after Lance Leipold and members of the staff watched him at the Lindenwood Mega Camp. They offered him after seeing him perform and quickly set up an official visit.

Things moved fast, but Terry could feel what was building in the program when he was in Lawrence.

“Definitely the people and the culture and what they're trying to build stood out,” Terry said. “I loved it. I liked everything about it.”

Going into the visit he said being in a good environment was a big factor. He has a son who will turn one at the end of June and he wanted to make sure they were in support of everything.

“They are very genuine and authentic,” he said. “I've been to a lot of schools where they just put on a fake face and show you everything and all the glamor. But they definitely showed me some of the nitty gritty stuff, which I liked about it. It was just overall a great experience up here. For my first time being up there I had nothing to complain about.”

Leipold laid out how things would be at Kansas.

“He was pretty straightforward,” Terry said. “He laid everything out on the table and let me know what benefits I have coming here and what steps I need to take to coming here. He was very flexible. He definitely has everything in mind, and he's got something special building for the program.”

Terry gives the Jayhawks an athletic presence as a strong-side defensive end. At 6-foot-5, 240 pounds he shows athleticism getting after the quarterback. He’s got the type of frame division one coaches always talk about.

He was leaning to Kansas after the visit and giving his verbal commitment allows him to focus on his senior season and take a break from recruiting.

“It feels great,” he said. “I mean, now I'm not worried about college. I've got everything sealed away. You know, now I can start training as a college athlete and not just a high school athlete. I can train this summer and get ready for the next level. I'm not worried about if I can go somewhere I'm already there with KU. Now I just have to put in the work.”