Hawkeyes impress Ballard

Lawrence (Kan.) Free State tight end Christian Ballard said he remains a Kansas commitment, but he had said for a long time he was going to take official visits to Kansas and Georgia. But along the way something changed his mind and he eliminated the Dawgs and instead he ended up at Iowa this past weekend on an official visit.

The visit was kind of a surprising one because the Hawkeyes have been on and off his list for the past few months, but make no mistake about it now, Ballard said Iowa is a player.

It now looks like he'll be a Jayhawk or a Hawkeye.

"I liked the atmosphere," Ballard, who is 6-foot-4 and 279 pounds, said. "The players are like family. I also liked the coaches, the campus and there is a good chance to play there as a true freshman.

"They said if I came up there and worked hard then I would play right away. They really want me at tight end, and they don't have a lot of depth there."

Ballard said the Hawkeyes' success at tight end is something that definitely has caught his attention.

"Every tight end that has started for them has been drafted," he said. "That's a pretty good track record that you have to get excited about."

Ballard was hosted this weekend on his visit by redshirt freshman Paul Chaney. He was also joined by another Kansas player, Hawkeye commitment Brian Smith. Smith said he spent a lot of time with Ballard and was working hard on him.

At this point, Ballard says he's still committed to Kansas and will set up his official visit with the Hawks sometime soon. He's been to two of KU's games this season.

"It's down to Iowa and KU," Ballard said.

Ballard said Georgia was eliminated after it continued to recruit him to play the defensive line. Both KU and Iowa have targeted Ballard at tight end.

Ballard is the No. 1 player in Kansas and is ranked as the No. 89 player overall.