Kansas football recruiting

Now that quarterback Jalon Daniels has locked in his return to Kansas for a sixth and final season, the KU football coaching staff has been tasked with finding players to catch his passes in 2025.

On Sunday the Jayhawks added their first such player since Daniels’ announcement, earning the commitment of former Ball State receiver Cam Pickett.

“There’s a great opportunity for me to come and make an immediate impact here and that’s one big (thing) I was looking for in a new school,” Pickett told Jon Kirby of JayhawkSlant.com. “The fans should be expecting a lot of touchdowns and big plays.”

Pickett, a native of Chicago who was a three-star prospect at Brooks College Prep, will have two years of eligibility remaining. He did not play in either of his first two years with Ball State but broke out as a redshirt sophomore in 2024 with 49 catches for 528 yards and a pair of scores; the Cardinals also got him the ball in the running game for 17 carries, 170 yards and two more touchdowns.

He presents an immediate option, in the absence of since-graduated wideouts Lawrence Arnold, Luke Grimm, Quentin Skinner and Trevor Wilson, for Daniels next season.

“We got a chance to hang out for a while,” Pickett told Kirby. “He’s a really cool guy and we’re definitely going to have a great relationship.”

Pickett enters a group that includes returnees Doug Emilien and Keaton Kubecka as well as incoming freshmen Jackson Cook, Bryson Hayes, Tate Nagy and Jaden Nickens.

Pickett joins running back Leshon Williams from Iowa and offensive lineman DeAndre Harper from Northwest Missouri State among KU’s recent offensive transfer additions.