Wide receiver Roger Ross of Garden City Community College and defensive tackle Demond Benford of Blinn CC have selected Kansas.
Two members of Kansas University's 1998 football recruiting class who detoured to junior colleges still plan to land at KU next year.
Roger Ross, a speedy 5-foot-7, 170-pound wide receiver originally from Denver Jefferson High now at Garden City Community College, and Demond Benford, a strapping 6-4, 270-pound defensive tackle from Killeen (Texas) High now at Blinn CC, have reiterated their verbal commitments to the Jayhawks.
"I don't know what it is about Kansas," Ross said. "My dad's close to there. Maybe I'll have more family members come see me. I don't know what it is. I'm short, and the coaching staff is short, too."
Despite his stature, Ross played big for Garden City last season. Garden City coach Bob Larson said Ross was a National Junior College Athletics Assn. All-American last season after he caught 77 passes for 1,070 yards and seven touchdowns.
The 77 catches tied a school single-season record set by Darnell McDonald -- who went on to earn All-Big 12 and third-team All-America honors at Kansas State last season.
"I don't know that anybody knew he'd turn out as good as he has," Larson said. "he's probably the only one. We saw some unbelievable heart and desire. He ran tremendous routes. As a coach, you always want somebody a little taller, a little faster, but Roger kept showing up, and the rest is history.
"There aren't a lot of times the lord puts tremendous talent in the body of a great young man, but here He has. He's a tremendous young man and an outstanding football player. He has tremendous speed and probably the best control, body control, adjustment to the football in the air, of anybody I've been around."
Ross, the 44th-best player in the Midlands Region by SuperPrep magazine as a senior at Jefferson High, picked KU over Oregon State and Arizona State before he failed to meet NCAA initial-eligibility guidelines. He had 43 catches for over 1,000 yards as a senior in high school.
If he has a third straight 1,000-yard season, he well could be wooed by bigger schools, but Ross vowed not to be swayed.
"That would not tempt me," he said. "They went with me from the start. I feel I owe them something. Coming out of high school, they stuck with me. I knew I should have worked harder on my test scores, but I'm going Division One. It's just going to take a little longer. It made me a better person."
Larson described Ross as a marked man because of his success last season, but in Garden City's first game Ross still had five catches for 115 yards and two TDs.
"I still think I get not respect because of my size," Ross said. "But that's OK. It just makes me want to work harder."
Benford, meanwhile, has had to work hard on his move to the interior defensive line.
"Demond initially came in as a good pass-rusher," Blinn coach Everett Todd said. "He liked to consider himself a defensive end, but he's finally accepting the realization that he's a tackle, not an end. Here we reserve the end spots for guys who are a little faster, a little smaller in stature. We needed his size inside more, and he's been a difference-maker inside for us."
A part-time starter last season, Benford is a full-timer now.
"He's a very smart player," Todd said. "He has good agility, and he understands what's happening. He's the guy for me up front who does all the talking. He's a smart, talented football player."
Benford was ranked among Texas' top 100 players as a senior before he fell short of the NCAA initial-eligibility guidelines.
He had just over 12 sacks his final two years in high school. Though Todd couldn't find Benford's stats as a freshman, as a sophomore Benford has collected three tackles for losses, two assisted tackles and a sack -- in limited duty.
"In our first game, our starters didn't even play three quarters because we'd won it," Todd said. "In the second game, he missed half the game. He cut his hand on a helmet and had to go to the hospital for stitches. He made it back in time to play some in the last quarter. He wanted to play, so we said fine."
Verbal commitments are not binding.
-- Andrew Hartsock's phone number is 832-7216. His e-mail address is ahartsock@ljworld.com.
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