Ballard adds three new offers

Today was a good day for Christian Ballard.

Ballard, a tight end/defensive tackle from Lawrence (Kan.) Free State, picked up three new scholarship offers on Wednesday. But the 6-foot-4 1/2, 279-pound said he remains a Kansas commitment.

"I'm definitely still committed to Kansas," Ballard said. "But I want to make sure that I check out all of the options that are out there. You could say I'm a soft commitment, but I'm still committed to KU."

So what made Wednesday such a big day for the top player in the Sunflower State?

"I got offers today from Georgia, Michigan and Michigan State," Ballard said.

"The Nebraska coaches said they really want me to come play for them, but I don't know if that means they've offered. After I told people about the Georgia offer my phone started blowing up with people from out of state."

Those people out of state would be his friends in Marietta, Ga., where he lived until he was in the sixth grade.

"I have a lot of friends down there still – a lot of friends," Ballard said.

The Georgia offer came after Ballard sent his film to the Bulldog coaches last week. Michigan offered after visiting Free State High School earlier this afternoon and the same could be said about Michigan State, which also saw him on Monday at the Greater Kansas City Football Combine.

At the combine, Ballard dominated throughout the entire day. He was great in the one-on-ones and 7-on-7 drills with some amazing catches. Anybody that challenged Ballard ended up getting defeated and by the time the camp was done it was pretty clear that he had cemented up a spot as the Sunflower State's top prospect.

"I definitely wanted to prove that I was No. 1 in the state, but I also wanted to make a statement that I'm No. 1 in the Midwest, the West and in the nation," Ballard said after the combine. "My goal was to always be in the Rivals100, but I don't know if anybody really knows about me. Lawrence, Kan., isn't a hot spot for top recruits. I hope I changed some things and get a couple looks from big-time schools."

It looks like he has, even though he is still a Jayhawk commitment.