Enrique Cruz Jr. was sold on the culture at KU and Whataburger

When Kansas offensive lineman Erique Cruz Jr. arrived in Lawrence this summer, it was a reunion of sorts with offensive line coach Daryl Agpalsa, and brought a little humor.

“I remember,” Cruz said with a grin when asked if he knew Agpalsa didn’t offer him out of high school. “He just laughed it off. He’s like, ‘We gave you one now.’”

The redshirt junior transferred to Kansas after spending his first four seasons at Syracuse, where he earned his degree in communications. Cruz said the move wasn’t about dissatisfaction with his former program, but more about timing and opportunity.

“It was just really, you know, I feel like everybody at Syracuse, they’re all amazing people over there, and I definitely loved it over there,” Cruz said. “But I feel like it was just really time for a change. I did what I had to do over there. I got my degree, and that was really my main goal. I just feel like it was time for me to move on.”

Graduating before transferring was big deal for him. Cruz said having his degree in hand made the transition easier, allowing him to focus entirely on football in his final season with Kansas.

“Of course I want to go to the NFL,” he said, “but I also wanted a degree really bad as well, so I made sure I got the degree.”

Settling on Kansas

When Kansas came into the picture, Cruz didn’t know what to expect. But his official visit quickly convinced him he had found the right fit.

“Honestly, I was just starstruck,” Cruz said. “When I first got here on my official visit, I did not expect it to be how it was. With the culture here and all the coaches around and the facility, I was like, ‘This is the spot for me.’”

Part of that came from the upgraded facilities compared to what he was used to at Syracuse. And he let the important thing be known; there was a Whataburger in Lawrence.

“First and foremost, they got a Whataburger, didn’t even know they had that now,” Cruz said with a laugh. “But I was really starstruck by the facilities. When I was at ’Cuse, we were rebuilding all of our facilities. So, I came out here and I was like, ‘Dang, the facilities are nice. They’re real beautiful.’ And the coaches and the coaching staff and the culture they have here was just really amazing. That’s what really made me want to come.”

He arrived in the summer and settled in. With fall camp going, Cruz is part of a deep and competitive offensive line group. He said that daily competition has helped him sharpen his game. Right now, he is competing with Nolan Gorczyca for the starting right tackle position.

“Competition makes everybody stronger,” Cruz said. “I just feel like competition is what makes practice more and more fun every day. So, I really look forward to competition. It’s been real fun.”