Nebraska football coaches showed up Monday at Schlagle High School in Kansas City, hoping to recruit defensive end Rashaad Norwood.

They were too late.

Kansas University offered Norwood a scholarship before his senior year started, and assistant coach Dave Doeren stayed in touch with him throughout the season. Monday night, Norwood accepted KU’s offer.

“I think it is a program on the rise, and they are getting good players,” Norwood told Jon Kirby of Mo-Kan Football and rivals.com.

“I look at the Rivals database and see some of the players they are getting. I feel they will get better in a year or two.”

KU also received an oral commitment from Norwalk Cerritos Community College offensive lineman Richard Estrella on Tuesday.

Norwood, the top-rated player in the metro area, also had a scholarship offer from Kansas State and had planned to visit Manhattan in January.

He told Kirby he would not make any more visits and turn his attention to the high school basketball season.

Norwood (6-foot-5, 211 pounds) made a Dec. 6 visit to Lawrence. The coaches had recruiting help from brothers Gary and Greg Heaggans, who are Schlagle graduates.

“It played a role,” Norwood told Kirby about his visit with the brothers. “I asked them how KU was, and they said they liked it. They feel coach Mangino is a good coach, and it’s going in the right direction. They both felt like KU was a good school.”

Norwood was the second known Kansas high school senior to commit to KU. Both Norwood and Lawrence High’s Brandon McAnderson were selected Tuesday to play for the East Team in the Kansas Shrine Bowl on July 26 in Wichita.