Locked On Jayhawks - Daily Podcast On Kansas Jayhawks Football & Basketball - BONUS: Kansas Jayhawks Football Adds Highest Ranked Player Ever with Deshawn Warner in Class of 2024

Starting point is 00:00:00 On this bonus episode of Locked On Jayhawks, Kansas football grabs its highest ranked high school recruit ever in the 24-7 sports era for this edition of LOJ. You are Locked On Jayhawks, your daily podcast on the Kansas Jayhawks. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your'm Derek Johnson. You can hear me as well, Monday through Friday from 3 to 6 p.m. on KLWN in Lawrence with Rock Chalk Sports Talk. Thanks for making Locked on Jayhawks your first listen every day. We are free and available anywhere that you get your podcasts, including on our YouTube page where you can like and subscribe to all our shows and check

Starting point is 00:00:47 out each and everything that we have. So John Warner has signed his name on the dotted line. He was committed to KU for a while now as part of the Desert Edge, and there was never wavering. In fact, he had offers even after he committed from, you know, blue bloods of college football from Ohio State to Michigan and stuff like that. And it never wavered. He stayed committed to KU. So there was never really a question that he wasn't going to do this, but it feels different when it becomes official, right?

Starting point is 00:01:14 Like it feels different when the name comes down to the letter, when everything is tangibly done. It is no longer, I think this is going to happen. It is, this is happening. And with Deshaun Warner, KU has their highest rated commit in the recruit era. So I know I have to add qualifiers there, but there weren't recruiting rankings back in the 1960s, right? Like I'm sure Dale Sayers or something like that would have been, you know, theoretically the highest recruit or something like that. But 24-7 sports goes back to 2010. And so when you go back to 2010,

Starting point is 00:01:50 this is KU's highest individual recruit ever. We're going to get into what that means. The scouting report on Deshaun Warner and his fit at Kansas. And specifically, you know, it's not just Warner. This entire class for KU is great. And, you know, Dak Brinkley, who's another really good good edge player like KU's top two recruits are both edge players that's going to be a dynamic duo so overall this class is more than Deshaun Warner and it is a great class whether you had him or did not have him but this takes it over

Starting point is 00:02:15 the top and I wanted to have a specific separate episode because again this is literally the highest rated recruit that you have ever brought in over the last decade plus here. So who is Deshaun Warner? He is a 6'4", 225-pound edge player from Goodyear, Arizona, out of Desert Edge High School. He picked KU back on July 1st of this year. Stayed committed through everything, even after he picked KU. I mean, he picked KU, I think at the time, it was over like Washington, maybe Texas. And then he blew up as the season went on. More offers started to come, Michigan, Ohio State, Maryland, and he stayed committed to KU. Did it help that he has his teammates and with, you know,

Starting point is 00:02:58 Andre Gibson and Jonathan Kamara, who are committed to KU, who play high school football with him, who are probably in his ear every day too. Did that probably help him stay committed to KU, who play high school football with him, who are probably in his ear every day too. Did that probably help him stay committed to KU? I'm sure it did, absolutely. It couldn't have hurt, right? That's for sure. But he never really seemed to waver in this, at least from the external perception of what everything happened here.

Starting point is 00:03:18 He is ranked in the top 300 in the 24-7 composite. He is ranked around the 250 range in the composite, a four-star overall. But in the 24-7 sports rankings that are strict, just the ones that 24-7 sports, they do themselves. He is now ranked 148th in the country as a top 150 player overall. And, you know, it's funny because you always talk about the difference between basketball and football recruiting. If KU got a kid who was ranked 148th in basketball,

Starting point is 00:03:49 it would be probably the lowest rated recruit of their recruiting class. It's different in basketball when you have five guys. It's different when you, I don't know, are blue blood like KU is. Like you look at an Alabama, they might only bring in, I don't know, a five, six guy. Maybe that's a bad example. Bama probably has like 10 or something, but a lot of schools live in the range of if they get one top 50 recruit, if they get like two top 150 recruits, that's a huge deal. And so this is a huge deal in on top

Starting point is 00:04:15 of the fact that KU has never been in these waters before. He's the number 10 edge from the entire class. And again, 24 seven sports goes goes back to 2010 he's the highest high school recruit that KU has ever gotten ever in terms of the rankings there's only one player here's some little fun fact for you that has ever been higher rated on you know beyond where they're ranked you see like the grade where it's like point in the 24-7 composite or it's like 0.9018 or something and that's putting together all the numbers, the different recruiting rankings. Obviously, like I said, this is based on 24-7 alone. If you go on the 24-7 composite, he's the number two prospect

Starting point is 00:04:53 they've ever gotten in terms of rating. Number one is Markel Combs, the former JUCO recruit that Charlie Weiss got. But anyway, that's neither here nor there. He's the number one high school recruit. And KU's primary recruiter on this Jordan Peterson so credit to him uh credit to secondary Tywa Onotolu and how good of a job that you know Onotolu has done with the defensive ends at Kansas in general whether it's recruiting them or filtering them through I'm excited to see what he can help develop with Deshaun Warner and Dak Brinkley coming into the program too let's get to the Desha Sean Warner scouting report, how he could be a factor at KU and you know,

Starting point is 00:05:27 what exactly his fit would be at Kansas with this episode of Locked on Jayhawks. First, this episode of the show is brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook. As the weather gets colder, the NFL offers stay hot on FanDuel. Right now, new customers get $150 in bonus bets with any winning $5 money line bet. That's $150 bucks back if your team wins. If you've been thinking about joining FanDuel, there's no

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Starting point is 00:06:10 FanDuel, an official partner of the NFL. All right, so continuing on with the scouting report here on Deshaun Warner. The dude had 20 tackles for loss in high school last year. He had 16 sacks. Think about that. In high school, you might play some teams that aren't throwing the ball as much. Now, I know in Arizona, things are a little more progressed there at the high school level than here at Kansas, but still, 16 sacks is pretty incredible. Eight forced fumbles. What does that tell you? He's not just looking to get a sack. He's looking to strip the ball out, and that is

Starting point is 00:06:43 such a good skill to have as a pass rusher. He also had two pick sixes this season, which show his versatility and coverage a little bit. So here's the scouting report from on three. Dynamic speed rusher who presents a mismatch off the edge has unverified size listed at around 6'4", 215 pounds. I think 24-7 has him at 225. Does not appear to have an overly large frame.

Starting point is 00:07:05 A senior riser who emerges a blueip recruit late in his high school career, primarily lines up as a stand-up pass rusher on Friday nights. Cat quick off the edge, shows a plus first step, darting into the backfield. Flexible, showing the ability to turn the corner at high speeds. Operates with an encouraging level of coordination and technical skill. Naturally slippery, hits offensive tackles with a quick jab step just before shooting inside. I had Kevin Flaherty of 24-7 Sports on Rock Shark Sports Talk earlier this week, and that was something he brought up that it reminded him a bit in that move

Starting point is 00:07:35 of Lonnie Phelps, something that Phelps developed. You saw KU, that ability to start on the outside and take that jab into the inside. And you saw him get some sacks on it. You saw him get some holding calls on it. You saw him get some plays where he should have gotten a holding call on it, but he didn't. And he already has that. Does the Sean Warner right now in high school.

Starting point is 00:07:53 Doesn't give up if initially blocked, making some second effort plays behind the line of scrimmage. Physical at the point of attack and displays some pop in his hands. Explodes into ball carriers. Flashes range and play speed in pursuit. Finishes his senior year with 16 sacks um also goes on to mention he was a plus athlete who was a state finalist in uh two different events in track and field the shot put and triple jump he had a 44 875 feet in the shot put and a 41 two

Starting point is 00:08:19 feet in the uh triple jump so uh just a a really good player overall in Dak Brinkley, or I'm sorry, in Deshaun Warner, to go with what you're getting in Dak Brinkley with two edge players. Brinkley posted on social media that he thinks this can be the greatest, you know, duo of pass rushers and DNs KU's ever had. And certainly that has to be actualized because, you know, you're freshmen coming in. But from a potential standpoint,

Starting point is 00:08:43 it's not outlandish to say that this could be just that with KU and that Warner could be a future day one or day two NFL draft pick if things come together. All right, let's finish up here with his fit at KU and the defensive end room for the Jayhawks. First, this episode of Locked on Jayhawks is brought to you by LinkedIn Jobs. LinkedIn Jobs is going to help you with your hiring, especially if you're a small business and you want to have as many top tier candidates available to interview, which is why you have

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Starting point is 00:09:56 we had an entire episode breaking down the recruiting class, National Signing Day, what this class means for KU, that it is the best class that KU has had at least since that recruiting era in 2010, not just the individual with Deshaun Warner. Broke that down, talked briefly on a little bit of some of the players. So tune in to that episode anywhere you get your podcasts. We're locked on Jayhawks, and thank you to every dare is out there tuning in and everything. We talked yesterday, Devin Dye, safety coming in from the portal, Utah State,

Starting point is 00:10:24 and also Dylan Woodkey coming in from Youngstown State. They both were additions from the portal. You can listen to those episodes, and later this week, we'll have some more KU basketball content. But more than Warner, this class is really good, obviously. And a big part is Warner and the, I guess, Desert Edge kids that are coming in and the Dak Brinkley's of the world and Isaiah Marshall coming in as quarterback. But this is the kind of lead with Deshaun Warner.

Starting point is 00:10:51 The fact that you could have somebody coming in that Ohio State's and Michigan's wanted to come in and be their potential future, you know, day one or day two draft pick pass rusher on the outside. He's going to play defensive end at Kansas. I'd imagine if he went to a school that was playing a 3-4, maybe play an outside backer. At KU, it becomes clear he plays defensive end. I think he plays that kind of Austin Booker, Lonnie Phelps role of being kind of the weak side defensive end who is your elite pass rusher. And we've seen KU have that one guy

Starting point is 00:11:19 each and every year. Kyron Johnson in year one with the Leipold staff, Lonnie Phelps in year two, Austin Booker in year three as that quick athletic defensive end who's a menace. You might have two now with Warner and Brinkley, but now you have one kind of homegrown in the sense that, you know, with Kyron, he was homegrown in the program, but for the Leipold era, he only spent one year there. Lonnie Phelps only one year in the program. Austin Booker, we'll see. Maybe he's a one-year guy if he does decide to go pro or something at the end of this year, but there's a realistic chance that he could be a multiple-year guy. This is the first guy you have where you get to mold him if he was clay, for instance. You're molding the clay right out of high school where you get to develop him all

Starting point is 00:12:00 the ways you want to right away. If we've seen that much success with transfers coming in or guys who have had to learn the system or have been developed in just one off season, what does that mean that you're going to get from Deshaun Warner here? I think the sky is the limit here and you have hit a home run at the defensive end position. So as far as, you know, where he fits in, I don't know. It's hard for true freshmen to get on the field at all in college football with how the staff operates.

Starting point is 00:12:24 That becomes the case. They want to get guys bodies developed and stuff and you're going to want to add weight here um and next year feature a senior jeremy robinson a redshirt junior austin booker redshirt juniors and dylan brooks and davion westmoreland and dean miller uh you have dylan woodkey coming in like is it possible that he could just flash right away and you know still be your fourth or fifth defensive end? Absolutely, because he is that talented, and that he could be a rotation player in year one. Absolutely.

Starting point is 00:12:50 But I think what you're looking at is probably a guy who maybe plays four games, you redshirt him, and then by 2025, you lose Robinson, you lose Booker, you lose some of these guys, and then by year two, he is either a starter or a rotational player, and then by year three at the latest, he is a starter and a star for your team. I think that's what you're kind of looking at here in the group. But again, your highest-rated high school recruit since 2010 with the 24-7 sports era, starting impressive stuff done

Starting point is 00:13:17 by the KU football coaching staff and getting in this amazing recruiting class. That'll do it for this episode of Locked on Jayhawks. Find us anywhere you get your podcasts. You can find us on our YouTube page as well. Check us out next time as well. We'll have some more KU football content with some pro football-focused deep dives and then a KU-Yale preview later this week with LOJ.

Locked On Jayhawks - Daily Podcast On Kansas Jayhawks Football & Basketball - BONUS: Kansas Jayhawks Football Adds Highest Ranked Player Ever with Deshawn Warner in Class of 2024

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