D
Derek Young
Guest
I spoke to Wichita lineman Ben Powers of OU at yesterday's media days and we started to talk a little about Kansas. Kid shared with me how much he loved Wichita and would go back, give back to the community, and start business there after his NFL dreams were finished.
Yes, he did kind of go in on KU and K-State for not recruiting him. He specifically stated to me that the problem he had was that they didn't recruit him at all. Not a sniff. And he kept trying and trying. Not just in terms of an offer or even a gray-shirt. Neither wanted him to walk on and K-State wouldn't even bring him in on a visit, which they do to about 100 kids a year.
Now, nobody else did either to be fair. Pitt State was his best offer. But not a lot of other places that aren't from Kansas are looking to Kansas for walk-on types, and Powers admitted to himself that he didn't reach out to other programs outside of Kansas, because he figured it was a waste since the two local P5 schools didn't even think he was good enough to walk-on and they take a handful of in-state kids through offer and plenty through the walk-on program every year.
And it had zero to do with recruiting. Credit to Powers for clearing that up. He said that they both came after him when he was a JuCo at Butler. At that point, it was little about them and more about him. Didn't want to give them a sniff at that time so he did not. They recruited and tried to recruit the heck out of him at JuCo, did not slow-play him there and weren't late. He just had his mind made up that he was not going to consider them at all because neither in-state program even would bring him on a visit or allow him to walk on.
Yes, he did kind of go in on KU and K-State for not recruiting him. He specifically stated to me that the problem he had was that they didn't recruit him at all. Not a sniff. And he kept trying and trying. Not just in terms of an offer or even a gray-shirt. Neither wanted him to walk on and K-State wouldn't even bring him in on a visit, which they do to about 100 kids a year.
Now, nobody else did either to be fair. Pitt State was his best offer. But not a lot of other places that aren't from Kansas are looking to Kansas for walk-on types, and Powers admitted to himself that he didn't reach out to other programs outside of Kansas, because he figured it was a waste since the two local P5 schools didn't even think he was good enough to walk-on and they take a handful of in-state kids through offer and plenty through the walk-on program every year.
And it had zero to do with recruiting. Credit to Powers for clearing that up. He said that they both came after him when he was a JuCo at Butler. At that point, it was little about them and more about him. Didn't want to give them a sniff at that time so he did not. They recruited and tried to recruit the heck out of him at JuCo, did not slow-play him there and weren't late. He just had his mind made up that he was not going to consider them at all because neither in-state program even would bring him on a visit or allow him to walk on.
