2026 safety James Dunnigan, Jr., a Kansas State legacy, commits to Kansas

James Dunnigan, Jr. is a Kansas State legacy. His father played in Manhattan as a Wildcat. The 2026 safety attends Manhattan High just miles from Kansas State, but after taking his time with the recruiting process and exploring his options, the talented junior committed to Kansas over Nebraska, Stanford and Kansas State at the Under Armour All-America game.

“It came down to a battle between K-State and KU,” Dunnigan told On3. “K-State is the hometown school and where my father played at it, but KU came in, rolled the red carpet out, showed us their plan and the Jayhawks just nudged K-State with Nebraska a great school being third.”

Nebraska showed Dunnigan a lot with the fans, facilities and history, but it came down to the two in-state schools. The No. 6-foot-2, 180-pound junior likes what Lance Leipold and co. are building in Lawrence.

“They are investing a lot into the program at Kansas. They are building a new stadium, they are building a new city around the stadium and they are hungry. It is about change at Kansas and I can be a big part of that. There is a new life in the program and they are preparing to do big things.”

They worked hard to convince Dunnigan that he can be a big part of that change. That was a big part of why the Jayhawks landed his commitment.

“Kansas was on top of things and very professional with how they recruited me,” Dunnigan said. “It is like they have been there and done this before. It is about the future and life after football.

“They laid out their plan for me and it made a lot of sense. How they want to project me and how they want to build my brand really stood out. They want to play me on offense and defense and the coaches want me to be a star for Kansas.

“Me and my dad always said, go where they want you. Kansas wanted me.”