Kansas football class of 2027 commitment tracker: KU starts with OT

LAWRENCE — Kansas football earned its first public commitment for the 2027 recruiting class on Wednesday.

Derek Gonzalez, a 247Sports Composite three-star offensive tackle, revealed his decision in a social media post that day on X. Listed at 6-foot-6 and 280 pounds, he’s set to make his way over to KU from the state of California.

So much attention right now is focused on what Kansas will attempt to accomplish during the 2026 season, with Family Weekend set for Oct. 3 vs Middle Tennessee State and Homecoming set for Oct. 24 vs Baylor, but the coaching staff under Lance Leipold continues to build for the future.

RELATED: Kansas football coach Lance Leipold talks transfer portal, player retention

Here’s a look at who has committed to the Jayhawks, as of Feb. 12, 2026, with their 247Sports Composite ratings:

Derek Gonzalez (3-star offensive tackle)

Extremely blessed to announce my commitment to the University of Kansas! 💙❤️ #RockChalk@CoachLeipold@CoachAgpalsa@BillyBonneau@KU_Football@adamgorney@GregBiggins@TheMatt_V@EncinasCoach@_CoachYbarra@NogalesNoblesFB@SGVNSportspic.twitter.com/A8y5Ik8S7s

— Derek Gonzalez (@GonzalezDerek18) February 12, 2026

Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas football class of 2027 commitment tracker for Lance Leipold