Robert Topps hasn’t always been on recruiters’ radar, which could make him a good fit for Kansas.
Second-year coach David Beaty is in rebuilding mode with a program that went 0-12 last year and whose last winning record and bowl appearance was in 2008. One of the players he’s banking on to make the Jayhawks relevant again is Topps, a Marist cornerback and three-star prospect who committed late last month.
The senior calls himself a “late bloomer,” not having begun his football career till he was a sixth-grader at St. Barnabas. Back then he was defensive end.
“It was a big jump,” the 6-foot-2, 185-pounder said of the position switch he made in high school. “It didn’t hit me till last year once I started taking defensive back serious.
“It took two or three years to adjust and actually get into my body.”
Topps’ height makes him a legitimate Power 5 conference prospect, according to CBS Sports recruiting analyst Tom Lemming.
“I liked him,” Lemming said. “He’s a good athlete, very good speed and instincts.”
Topps said Kansas recruiters told him he reminds them of Aqib Talib, a former All-American cornerback at Kansas who now plays for the Denver Broncos.
“They’ve produced a lot of good DBs,” Topps said of the Jayhawks. “I felt it was right, and I built a relationship with the coaching staff.”
He was heavily recruited by Mid-American Conference schools, with nine offers there including Northern Illinois. Other major suitors included UConn and Nevada.
But when Kansas became the 15th school to offer a scholarship, it was hard to turn down.
“The Big 12 Conference, that’s a place I wanted to play,” Topps said.
His recruitment marks a departure for the Jayhawks, both this year — they have four commitments each from Texas and Louisiana — and historically.
“It’s a good pickup for Kansas, which rarely comes here,” Lemming said. “Kansas, a state being barren of talent, being surrounded by other states that have very little talent — I was surprised they never came here before.”
But Topps could provide the Jayhawks an opening into another recruiting hotbed not too far away.
“It’s the opening of the pipeline,” Lemming said. “Maybe they can get two, three (players) a year.”
While Beaty and his staff work on expanding the program’s recruiting base, Topps is focused on raising his game to play in the Big 12.
“I went from 167 to 185 (pounds since last season),” he said. “So I’m trying to put on some weight, get bigger, get faster.”
It’s paying off, according to Marist coach Pat Dunne.
“Last year, you could really see the physicality with his play,” Dunne said. “He brings a lot to the table, being long with that range. … He’s a great player, but he’s also got that toughness.”
Topps also is diving deeper into the defensive playbook, in particular Cover-3 technique. That should help not only the Jayhawks down the road, but the RedHawks as they seek another long playoff run after finishing second in Class 8A last season.
“We’re looking forward to going back to state,” Topps said. “Got a lot of people coming back. We were young last year, so now we’re getting older and taking responsibility for the team. … Our defense, we take pride in it. If one guy messes up, we get on him.”
Topps, of course, doesn’t make a lot of mistakes. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be looking at a future in a Power 5 conference.
Twitter @mikeclarkpreps
