Jayhawk football adds speed with linebacker Tunde Bakare

The Kansas University football team’s continued quest to add speed this offseason may have just landed its biggest burner.

Monday, Tunde Bakare, a 5-foot-11, 215-pound linebacker from Highland Community College, told Rivals.com that he planned to join the Jayhawks.

Bakare, who has been clocked as fast as 4.35 seconds in the 40-yard dash, chose Kansas over offers from East Carolina, Iowa State and Minnesota. USC and Boise State also showed heavy interest.

Bakare, who originally hails from Forest Park High in Woodbridge, Va., said he chose KU after visiting last weekend because of the family atmosphere.

“The players want to win at Kansas,” he told Rivals. “The players at Kansas are hungry. I’m ready to go in there and get to work.”

What exactly that work will lead to remains to be seen, but Bakare said KU defensive coordinator Carl Torbush already had a few ideas in mind.

“Coach Torbush said I would be like a hybrid for them,” Bakare said. “He liked how I could make plays. He did a great job recruiting me. He didn’t sugar-coat anything. He told me about his coaching background and how he planned on using me. He liked my speed and I plan on getting faster.”