Just two weeks after taking over as Kansas football head coach, David Beaty announced Wednesday that eight student-athletes signed letters of intent Wednesday on the first day of the mid-year signing period.

The early signing class boasts three offensive linemen, three defensive backs a defensive lineman and a running back, with six hailing from The Lone Star State. The group also consists of two sophomores and six juniors.

“We are really pleased with all of the guys we’re able to have join our program today,” Beaty said. “I said when I came here that we want to build our program on high school players and that is certainly the long term vision. With these eight players signed today, we have addressed some of our immediate needs. Having the opportunity to get these guys on campus in January is crucial for our team moving forward.”

All eight signees are expected to report in January and enroll in classes full-time, while preparing for the spring football schedule. The octet is the first of a 2015 signing class that will be solidified in early February.

“Four of these guys were qualifiers out of high school who chose to go to the junior college route in order to better develop their skills,” Beaty said. “We are excited about how they have progressed during their time at junior college and believe we can continue to develop them into players who can move our program in the right direction.”

2014 MID-YEAR SIGNING CLASS

Player                          Pos.     Ht.        Wt.       Yr.        Hometown (Previous School)

D’Andre Banks               OL        6-3       320       Jr.         Killeen, Texas (Harker Heights HS/Trinity Valley CC)

Bazie Bates IV               DB        6-1       190       Jr.         Allen, Texas (Allen HS/Trinity Valley CC)

Jacky Dezir                    DL        6-1       300       So.       Chicago, Ill. (Bowen HS/College of DuPage)

Ke’aun Kinner                RB        5-9       185       Jr.         Little Elm, Texas (Little Elm HS/Navarro JC)

Michael Mathis                DB        6-2       210       Jr.         Crosby, Texas (Crosby HS/Kilgore JC)

Jayson Rhodes               OL        6-4       285       So.       Deer Park, Texas (Deer Park HS/Blinn College)

Will Smith                      OL        6-3       315       Jr.         Shawnee, Kan. (Shawnee Mission Northwest HS/Butler CC)

Brandon Stewart            DB        6-0       175       Jr.         Cedar Hill, Texas (Cedar Hill HS/Trinity Valley CC)

— KU Sports Information —