KU adds JUCO offensive tackle Wilson

Kansas football recruiting

The Kansas football team is not done adding to its roster after all.

Garden City Community College offensive tackle Antonio Wilson announced on Monday afternoon that he is joining the Jayhawks.

Wilson, who is originally from Orlando, Florida, and attended Jones High School, is listed at 6-foot-6 and 320 pounds. He was on the Broncbusters’ roster for just one season, in which he appeared in all 11 games, according to participation data on Garden City’s website. That means he will have three years left to play.

The addition of Wilson continues a youth movement on KU’s offensive line over the course of the offseason. During the winter transfer portal, the Jayhawks brought in three true sophomores, DeAndre Harper (Northwest Missouri State), Tyler Mercer (North Texas) and Jack Tanner (Tulsa), each of whom had played extensively during his freshman season. They also added Tavake Tuikolovatu, a redshirt sophomore previously at UCLA.

Wilson is also the second tackle KU has added in the spring window, after veteran Enrique Cruz Jr. from Syracuse. Both will provide depth at a position that lacks it now that last year’s starters Logan Brown and Bryce Cabeldue are gone to the NFL. Nolan Gorczyca, the top player at right tackle in spring practice, suffered a hand injury and had finger surgery in mid-March; head coach Lance Leipold has said he is not sure exactly when Gorczyca will be cleared to return to action during the summer. Tanner took over in Gorczyca’s absence late in the spring.

Calvin Clements is the presumptive starter at left tackle, with Bryce Foster locked in at center and Kobe Baynes at right guard. James Livingston and Tuikolovatu remain the primary choice at left guard, while KU continues to add to its options at right tackle.

Wilson is the sixth player the Jayhawks have added in the spring, after most recently Rice transfer tight end Boden Groen, as well as Cruz, cornerback Syeed Gibbs (Georgia Tech) and defensive ends Alex Bray (Illinois) and Leroy Harris III (Chattanooga).