photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas head coach Lance Leipold applauds his team after a field goal during the first quarter on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024 at Arrowhead Stadium.

After a series of flips late in the fall reshaped the image of its 2025 recruiting class, the Kansas football team officially signed 15 incoming freshmen on Wednesday, the first day of the early signing period.

KU’s recent additions from the month of November, receivers Bryson Hayes and Jaden Nickens and running back Justin Thurman, joined the Jayhawks’ 12 other commitments in agreeing to play for the Jayhawks.

The rest of the class includes the earliest commitments, quarterback David McComb and linebacker Malachi Curvey; spring additions Anderson Kopp and John Kelly; seven players who pledged to KU during summer official visit weeks in wideouts Jackson Cook and Tate Nagy, defensive linemen Josiah Hammond, Adrian Holley and Garrett Martin and safeties Darrion Jones and Brandon Schmelzle; and late-summer addition Chris McCorkle.

The Jayhawks’ class ranks 56th in the nation on 247Sports, 60th on On3 and 68th on Rivals. KU has also gotten commitments from a pair of transfers this offseason in Bangally Kamara, a linebacker from South Carolina who committed to the team in early November, and Iowa transfer running back Leshon Williams, though their signings were not announced on Wednesday morning.

While KU did not lose any of its committed freshmen in the immediate days before signing day, the class certainly featured more intrigue late in the game than its 2024 predecessor. As KU flipped Hayes from Nebraska, Nickens from Oklahoma and Thurman from Notre Dame, it also lost offensive lineman Juju Marks to Nebraska, linebacker Kenyon Rivera to Memphis and tight end Joeseph Skipworth to Mississippi State.

One encouraging sign for the Jayhawks in 2025 is the presence of three in-state recruits in Hayes, Nagy and Schmelzle.

The 15 freshman signees and two committed transfers is a rather small number compared to 38 players who went through senior day prior to the Colorado game on Nov. 23 and one transferring out; as such, KU will need to continue to ramp up its ongoing activity in the transfer portal to restock its roster ahead of next season.

The 2025 signees

Jackson Cook, wide receiver, 6-foot-2, 180 pounds, South Gwinnett, Loganville, Georgia

Malachi Curvey, linebacker, 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, Ankeny Centennial, Waukee, Iowa

Josiah Hammond, defensive tackle, 6-foot-4, 270 pounds, Union, Tulsa, Oklahoma

Bryson Hayes, wide receiver, 6-foot, 180 pounds, Maize, Wichita, Kansas

Adrian Holley, defensive end, 6-foot-4, 240 pounds, Michigan City, Westville, Indiana

Darrion Jones, safety, 6-foot-3, 175 pounds, Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Florida

John Kelly, running back, 6-foot-1, 190 pounds, Cypress Christian, Cypress, Texas

Anderson Kopp, offensive lineman, 6-foot-4, 280 pounds, Brophy Prep, Phoenix, Arizona

Garrett Martin, defensive end, 6-foot-4, 240 pounds, Saguaro, Scottsdale, Arizona

David McComb, quarterback, 6-foot-4, 210 pounds, Edmond Memorial, Edmond, Oklahoma

Chris McCorkle, cornerback, 6-foot-1, 175 pounds, Cardinal Mooney, Bradenton, Florida

Tate Nagy, wide receiver, 5-foot-10, 165 pounds, Blue Valley West, Overland Park, Kansas

Jaden Nickens, wide receiver, 6-foot-3, 170 pounds, Sierra Canyon, Chatsworth, California

Brandon Schmelzle, safety, 6-foot-2, 195 pounds, Axtell, Axtell, Kansas

Justin Thurman, running back, 6-foot, 195 pounds, Jesuit, Tampa, Florida