Combs follows friends to Kansas

Marquel Combs' decision came well after 11:00 p.m. in the time zone in which he will play his Division-I home games, but the late-night news was just fine by Kansas fans.

In the end, the Jayhawks have a new, four-star junior college defensive tackle. That's all that matters in Lawrence. Combs called KU coaches just ten minutes before announcing his decision via Twitter for an impromptu teleconference of sorts. From there, the late-night celebration spread.

"I've already talked to Coach Charlie Weis and Coach [Jeff] Blasko, and I'm going to call Coach Buddy Wyatt in a minute," Combs said just after announcing his pledge via Twitter. "They were happy to hear from me. We're already talking about how they are going to use me and how I fit in."

The excitement is, of course, warranted. Combs' commitment represents a recruiting win for the Jayhawks in a head-to-head battle with in-state rival Kansas State, the Big 12 Conference's recently crowned champions.

Combs, who intends to transfer from Pierce (Calif.) Community College at semester should his grades be in order, had narrowed his list down to Houston, Washington State, K-State and Kansas weeks ago. But by Tuesday night it was clear that the Jayhawks and Wildcats represented his final two options.

The difference between the two Sunflower State programs in his eyes? Combs is vague when asked. As is the case with most recruits, a lot of his words centered on the intangible idea of the right fit.

"It came down to who was the best fit for me, and I feel like that was Kansas," Combs said. "They were saying a lot of the same things, so I had to go check out both schools for myself to find out which school was going to be the best for me. Tonight, I called my mom and I asked God to lead me to the right school, and there were signs that told me to go to KU."

Combs is part of a group of junior college players that has taken to referring to itself as "Dream Team 2013" and have openly discussed playing together at the BCS level. Other participants in the movement have Kansas on their recruiting radar or are already committed to KU.

Combs' junior college teammate and personal friend Marcus Jenkins-Moore pledged his services to the Jayhawks in September. He also has a relationship KU commits Cassius Sendish and Isaiah Johnson.

So could there be more to come? That's a question to which it seems Combs might have an answer. Even if he does, though, he's not sharing it just yet.

"I'm not releasing that right now, but you know I always have something up my sleeve," he said.