Ahead of the 2021 high school football season, MaxPreps is breaking down the top senior prospects in the country state-by-state as rated by 247Sports. We continue the series with Kansas, which opens play Sept. 3.
The state's top recruit, Hays all-around athlete Jaren Kanak, hit the jackpot by earning a scholarship offer to one of the college football's pinnacle programs, Clemson.
As of Aug. 12, nine of Kansas' top 10 prospects have committed to colleges, with Kansas State being the top destination with three players. Missouri secured two of the Top 10 players, while Iowa, Missouri and Northwestern each grabbed one.
247SPORTS: Complete Kansas player rankingsHays is the only school with multiple Top 10 recruits — linebacker Gavin Meyers was the other.
By position, three defensive linemen made the list followed by wide receivers, linebackers and athletes with two each.
Kansas' Top 10 football players from Class of 2022
1. Jaren Kanak | Hays
6-2 | 210 | Athlete | Clemson commitA sprinter and jumper on the track and field, Kanak does it all for the Indians. Projected as an outside linebacker for his speed, strength and instincts, he pulled in 34 college offers but committed to the Tigers on July 30 after official visits to Michigan, Alabama and Georgia among others.
2. Caden Crawford | Lansing
6-5 | 241 | DL | IowaPlayed outside linebacker as a junior, but is big enough now to make a big impact at the line of scrimmage. Picked the Hawkeyes over Kansas, Minnesota and Nebraska, among others.
3. Mekhi Miller | Blue Valley North (Overland Park)
6-1 | 185 | WR | MissouriHad 93 catches for 1,085 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2020. Had nine other offers, including Cal, Indiana, Utah and Tennessee.
4. Nick Herzog | Blue Valley (Stilwell)
6-4 | 270 | OT | NorthwesternAlso a standout wrestler, Herzog has been compared to Wyatt Teller of the Buffalo Bills. Had nine other offers, including Stanford, Iowa and Vanderbilt.
5. Gavin Meyers | Hays
6-2 | 220 | LB | UndecidedHas piled up 208 career tackles over two seasons with six sacks and five forced fumbles. A three-sport standout, Meyers has eight offers, but is warming up to Nebraska.
6. Jalen Marshall | Aquinas (Overland Park)
6-6 | 275 | DL | MissouriHas helped the Saints go 29-5 over the last three seasons. Has 10 other offers, including from Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Arizona State and Indiana.
7. Landon Dean | Frontenac
6-4 | 230 | DL | Oklahoma StateThe Raiders have won 22 games over the last three seasons. Dean committed to the Cowboys on Feb. 10 and took an official visit to the campus on June 9.
8. Silas Etter | Eudora
6-2 | 200 | ATH | Kansas StatePrimarily a receiver on offense and safety, Etter committed to the Wildcats in Dec.
9. Tobi Osunsanmi | East (Wichita)
6-2 | 210 | LB | Kansas StateThough recruited as a linebacker, he's fast enough (10.85 100 meters) to play safety like he did largely in high school. Had other offers from Akron, Kansas, Northern Iowa and South Dakota State.
10. Tyson Struber | Canton-Galva (Canton)
6-2 | 185 | WR | Kansas StateGreat size and production at the 8-man level, Struber also had an offer from Kansas.
