Jayhawks land two recruits, lose one

The final recruiting weekend for the Class of 2012 produced some mixed results for the Kansas University football team, as KU coach Charlie Weis picked up two commitments and may have lost another.

Dallas linebacker Courtney Arnick orally committed to KU in Weis’ office at the end of his weekend visit; El Camino Community College defensive tackle Jordan Tavai committed to KU late Sunday night; and Butler County CC defensive lineman Chaquil Reed appears to have switched his commitment from KU to Kansas State. Reed visited Manhattan over the weekend.

The addition of Arnick helps Kansas more than the loss of Reed hurts. For starters, Reed has not officially committed to KSU yet — though that’s expected to happen Tuesday — and, with the addition of Tavai, 6-foot-3, 280 pounds, KU now has five other defensive linemen committed in this class. So far, Arnick is the only linebacker committed in KU’s 13-man class.

New KU recruiting coordinator Rob Ianello was the lead recruiter for Tavai, who chose KU over Texas Tech.

Arnick, 6-2, 200 pounds, hails from Dallas’ Carter High, where he was a first team all-district selection last season. He chose KU over offers from Boise State, Houston and Memphis, among others, and he visited all three in the past week. His decision to choose Kansas came down to the positive vibe he got from KU’s coaches, players and facilities.

KU assistant Clint Bowen was the lead recruiter for the three-star linebacker, but it’s clear the addition of defensive coordinator Dave Campo played a part as well.

“He was a real nice guy and welcomed me into the program,” Arnick said of Campo in an interview with Jon Kirby of JayhawkSlant.com. “He told me they needed speed on defense and I could help them out. I know he can make me a better player.”

Campo, who was hired a little more than two weeks ago, has been active on the recruiting trail since arriving at Kansas, and Kirby said the former Dallas Cowboys coach’s name has done wonders to help sell KU.

“It absolutely has,” Kirby said. “I’ve talked to several kids who have met with (Campo) and had in-home visits with him, and they all love him. The one thing that almost every recruit I’ve talked to has said about him is how much they like his enthusiasm.”

A couple of other developments from the weekend include:

• Tyree Williams, a 6-foot, 190-pound athlete from Dulles High in Sugar Land, Texas, has narrowed his list to KU and SMU and appears to be leaning toward Kansas. Williams also visited Kansas over the weekend.

• Cleveland cornerback Sean Draper, who was scheduled to visit KU last weekend but wound up not making it, seems to have eliminated KU from his list. No word on Draper’s Glenville teammate, V’Angelo Bentley, who was able to make it to Lawrence over the weekend.

• City College of San Francisco quarterback Turner Baty spent the past couple of days Tweeting about the Jayhawks. Baty, who also recently visited KU, says he has not committed anywhere yet.