Jon Cornish will have plenty of adjustments to make as he tries to make a name for himself as a freshman on Kansas University’s football team, but learning a whole new set of rules won’t be necessary.

Cornish, a 6-foot, 200-pound running back from New Westminister, British Columbia, has played American-rules football all his life.

“In British Columbia, we all play U.S. rules,” Cornish said. “Vancouver College was the first school to offer football, and it had brothers from the states. They knew the U.S. rules, so they played by them.”

So, while the rest of Canada plays the big-field, 12-men-to-a-side Canadian-style football, B.C. is a bastion of American-rules football.

“Most of us watch NFL football anyway instead of CFL football,” Cornish said.

There’s just one problem.

There never will be a true all-Canadian prep champion.

“We don’t have a Canada championship, but we have a good ranking system so you have a pretty good idea,” Cornish said.

Cornish has a pretty good idea what he expects out of this season.

“I haven’t heard any talk about me red-shirting,” he said. “I want to play my first year. I think I can help the team this year. I know we have two excellent running backs right now. I think I could be the third. I know both of them are talented guys and both deserve to start. But I think I can help out.”

He’s not alone.

Cornish rushed for 3,200 career years and 49 touchdowns as a three-year letter-winner at Thomas More High. He averaged 14.9 yards per carry while rushing for 2,136 yards and 31 touchdowns as a senior, when he was named BC’s Provincial Player of the Year.

And while Reggie Duncan and Clark Green are expected to share most of the carries this season, Cornish might get more than a few touches.

“The Reggie Duncan-Clark Green thing is a very good situation for us, and yet Jon Cornish the kid out of Canada is intriguing,” Kansas offensive coordinator Nick Quartaro said. “He really drew our attention. He’s got a nice burst. For a guy that came from north of the border, he has a very good knowledge of football. He’s very bright.

“(Cornish and fellow freshman Jerome Kemp) are the guys you can’t rule out. In this league, with no byes and 12 straight weeks of football, I think will keep all those guys on track to see what they can do.”

Cornish boasts a 4.5-second 40-yard dash time. He earned eight letters combined in football, basketball and track.

“He seems to have all the tools,” running backs coach Clint Bowen said. “He has real good size and real good speed. His change of direction and movement on the field has been real nice. Jon has a chance if he works hard. For a guy to play as a freshman is tough, but he’s a guy that does possess talent. If we get in a crunch for some reason, I wouldn’t be afraid to put him out there, physically.”

Tight ends coach Brandon Blaney was responsible for drawing Cornish out of Canada. Cornish said he had planned to visit Nevada, Washington State, Oregon State and Southern Cal, but those trips fell through.

Enter Blaney.

“When you’re recruiting, you try not to leave any stone unturned,” KU head coach Mark Mangino said. “Most Division I schools get a lot of video tapes that are sometimes unsolicited, and you get a lot of phone calls on players. When we got here our staff did a good job of following up on everything, and that’s how we located Jon. We think he’s a heck of a player. He’s got a lot to learn, but he’s a young guy that has a bright future. If it can be a fertile recruiting area for us, we’ll continue to go there.”

Confidence shouldn’t be an issue with Cornish.

“This offense really is surprisingly similar to my offense last year, so I should be able to pick it up easily,” he said. “I tend to think of myself I follow a curved path. I don’t mind running over people, but I like to make them miss. I still have a lot to learn, but I think I’ll rise to the occasion.”