Ian Premer started his official visit tour and Kansas was the first stop for one of the nation’s top tight end prospects.

Premer, from Great Bend, was one of 15 official visitors in Lawrence and only one of the two uncommitted prospects. He has been on campus several times, but those were one day visits. The official visit gave him the opportunity to be around the staff and see updates to the new facilities and stadium renovations.

After spending close to three days around the Kansas program he saw a family atmosphere.

“A few things that stood out to me is how much of a family it is there,” Premer said. “All staff members seem to be on the same page and always treat everyone with the utmost respect. Additionally, it didn’t take long to see how close the players were with each other and the bond that the commits had.”

Most of the visitors have already committed to KU, and several of them are local recruits. Premer knows many of the recruits who were on the visit with him.

“It was a lot of fun being able to get to hang out with them,” he said. “I have gone through the recruiting process with a lot of them, so had become good friends. We had a great time together.”

He was paired with Kansas quarterback David McComb.

“My player host was David McComb,” Premer said. “It was great hanging with him and the current players. They treated me like family, and I really appreciated that.”

Some of Premer’s previous visits to Kansas were before Lance Leipold hired Matt Lubick as the tight ends coach. Lubick has been recruiting Premer since he joined the program in December. Premer already learned some new techniques from Lubick.

“It’s been great getting to know Coach Lubick,” he said. “I became a much better route runner just by spending a couple hours and watching film with him. He could really help me with that part of my game.”

Premer is ranked the ninth best tight end in the country by Rivals. The On3 Industry rating has him ranked number four overall at his position.

Things are going to be busy over the next two weeks for the state’s top prospect. He will visit Iowa State, Notre Dame and Kansas State.

“I feel really good about my top four and obviously looking forward to those visits,” he said. “I hope to make a decision in either late June or July.”

Bill Self and the Kansas Jayhawks might pivot to the international route to fill out the team’s remaining scholarships.

Of the three roster spots left, KU is prioritizing a backup big man, and a potential option is French 7-footer Brice Dessert.

According to 247 Sports reporter Michael Swain, Kansas is ‘heavily involved’ in the recruitment of Dessert.

Speculation around Dessert potentially joining KU is gaining traction, with both Swain and Shreyas Laddha of The Kansas City Star recently naming him as a possible target.

After playing with SIG Strasbourg in the LNB Élite this past season, Dessert is reportedly looking to explore the college route.

In 29 games in the 2024-25 season, Dessert averaged 9.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 0.9 blocks across 18.3 minutes per contest.

Standing at 7-foot, 245 pounds, Dessert is a physical big man with incredible length. His wingspan measured an eye-popping 7-foot-4 at the Adidas EuroCamp in Treviso.

During the event, he participated in three camp games, averaging 8.0 points and 7.0 rebounds.

While the Frenchman’s age (22) gives him a seasoned edge for a college player, how his eligibility would be determined is still uncertain.

Flory Bidunga is the projected starting center for the Jayhawks, though redshirt freshman Bryson Tiller is the only piece of depth in KU’s frontcourt. Dessert and Bidunga could form into a dominant one-two punch.

If he joins the roster, Dessert could play a valuable role off the bench or even share the floor with Bidunga in bigger lineups.

The Jayhawks have also been linked to other big-man options like Patrick Suemnick, but Dessert is undoubtedly a more intriguing and high-upside target.

Rose is back

From her ankle boo-boo

The rain fell down

And Gotham did, too.

The return of star midfielder Rose Lavelle, meant to spark Gotham during a patchy run of league form, instead provided just a silver lining on a gray and rainy Saturday afternoon during a 2-1 home loss to the Kansas City Current.

It was the first appearance for Lavelle — the fan favorite who had been sidelined from Gotham (3W-3D-5L) and the U.S. women’s national team following offseason ankle surgery — since Nov. 16.

“All the hard work she’s put in with the medical team, the high-performance team, the coaches, has been amazing, but especially her,” Gotham head coach Juan Carlos Amorós said this week. “We can see her finally with her teammates, where she belongs, doing what she loves — which is playing for her team, for Gotham in front of our fans.”

The cheers for Lavelle started in the 31st minute when she rose from the substitutes’ bench to begin warming up beyond the goal line.

At halftime, she shared a hug with Liberty counterpart Breanna Stewart, who joined the crowd at what’s now known as Sports Illustrated Stadium for the team’s annual Pride match.

Lavelle entered in the 74th minute to a sustained round of applause, and wasted little time getting on the ball and showcasing her trademark saucy dribbling. Minutes later, she sent a left-footed shot just wide of the top corner.

She also applied the pressure that led to a Current own goal deep into stoppage time.

The day of mixed emotions ended with the ceremonial presentation of the CONCACAF W Champions Cup, the regional club title Gotham won last month, further underscoring where the team is caught at the moment.

There’s another trophy to be proud of and show off, affirming the club’s ambitions to be relevant on an international level.

At the same time, there’s the reality of the standings: Last year’s NWSL semifinalists finished the afternoon in ninth place, outside of playoff position, and faced the prospect of sinking as low as 12th (out of 14) by the end of the weekend.

They are winless in their past four NWSL matches (0-1-3), a stretch dating back six weeks to an April 26 victory over the Washington Spirit.

They have scored just 13 goals in 11 games, despite a wealth of attacking options, and have a goal differential of plus-1.

Kansas City (9-0-2) is the best team in the league and quickly showed why.

Gotham conceded in the third minute off a giveaway by Emily Sonnett, allowing Temwa Chawinga to spring Michelle Cooper for a quick strike. The visitors doubled their lead in the 11th minute on a blink-of-an-eye move up the right side, this time Chawinga converting off a cross from Cooper.

Gotham twice appeared to have pulled one back in the second half, only for both goals to be disallowed. In the 49th minute, Sonnett headed in Sarah Schupansky’s corner kick, but Sonnett was whistled for a foul on the set piece.

In the 63rd minute, Esther González was judged to be offside after collecting a loose ball in the box and slotting home what would have been her league-leading eighth goal of the season.