Kansas safety Mike Lee (11) intercepts a pass during overtime on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2016 at Memorial Stadium.

Alarms went off in the college football recruiting world last weekend when the Kansas Jayhawks landed seven players in the class of 2018 — including six from Louisiana.

It wasn’t just the pure numbers that stood out, but it was the high-level recruits who usually don’t opt to play at Kansas when they boast a long list of SEC offers. According to Rivals, the Jayhawks picked up non-binding, verbal commitments from three four-star recruits and another trio of three-star players.

The big splash following this year’s National Signing Day shocked a lot of people. But some New Orleans natives weren’t as surprised. James Smith, a recruiting analyst for The Times-Picayune, noted in a column that the Jayhawks nearly landed four-star defensive back Brad Stewart in their latest class, who ultimately picked Florida.

“I was so close to committing (to Kansas), but I decided to hold off,” Stewart told the Times-Picayune.

Plenty of credit in the Louisiana connection goes to KU running backs coach Tony Hull, who coached high school football in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. Smith wrote that all of KU’s recruits display “an underdog mentality,” which fits into the message that they can help turn the program around.

“The message was simple — become the faces that turn this program into a winner, and many of the recruits received that message openly, and felt compelled to commit before leaving Lawrence, Kansas,” Smith wrote. “When speaking to some of the parents on hand, they seemed moved by the message as well. Devonta Jason’s father was supportive of his son’s decision, and sounded comfortable with the marriage.”

Of course, there’s already a talented group of Louisiana natives on the team: defensive back Mike Lee, receiver Daylon Charlot and backup quarterback Tyriek Starks, among others.

When Charlot spoke with reporters on Signing Day, he beamed with pride about the talent in his home state.

“I think Louisiana has the best football to be honest,” Charlot said with a chuckle. “I was arguing on Twitter with one of my teammates, Taylor Martin, and we really fuss every day about it. It’s like Texas, Louisiana, California and Florida have the best football. I said I’m going to go with Louisiana. We fuss about it every day. I was just like Texas have big linemen, Florida have DB’s, Louisiana has everything and California have some quarterbacks or whatever.”