LAWRENCE — Kansas football head coach Charlie Weis has announced the signing of offensive lineman Pearce Slater.
Slater, who will be a redshirt sophomore for the Jayhawks this season after playing at El Camino College last season, is the 30th player to join the Jayhawks in their 2013 recruiting class. Slater is a three-star prospect, according to both Rivals.com and JCFootball.com. He is the 55th-rated junior college prospect according to 247Sports.com, including ranking as the 10th best offensive tackle and the 16th best prospect in the state of California after playing all 11 games for El Camino and head coach John Featherstone in 2012.
A native of Hawthorne, Calif., Slater attended Taft High School where he played on both the offensive and defensive line. He helped lead the Toreadors to a 9-4 mark and an undefeated mark in the West Valley League in 2011. Slater, who is listed at 6-foot-8 and 340 pounds, is one of six players to sign with KU from a California junior college, joining defensive lineman Marquel Combs, defensive back Brandon Hollomon and linebacker Marcus Jenkins-Moore from Pierce College, offensive lineman Ngalu Fusimalohi from City College of San Francisco and punter/kicker Trevor Pardula of De Anza College. He is the fifth offensive lineman in the 2013 Kansas recruiting class and 21st junior college addition.