Unpacking Kansas State football's 2024 recruiting class — and how good it can be
MANHATTAN — At first blush, Kansas State football's 2024 recruiting class leaves something to be desired.
The class of 15 players announced by coach Chris Klieman and his staff during Wednesday's early NCAA signing day does not stack up well — No. 61 nationally in 247Sports' composite rankings and even worse in the Big 12 at No. 13 — and yet those figures can be misleading.
A year ago, the Wildcats brought in 26 players in December, but this year that number is down significantly, simply because there were fewer slots to fill. Even with 16 departures through the transfer portal ahead of the Dec. 28 Pop-Tarts Bowl, Klieman was pleased with the recruiting haul.
"We didn't have as many seniors that were leaving us as we did the previous year, and so we were just trying to find the right fits," Klieman said of the class, which consists of 13 high school players and two junior college transfers. "It doesn't have anything to do with the transfer portal or anything like that.
"The other neat thing is we have nine guys enrolling at mid-year with seven high school guys and two JC guys."
Here are some takeaways from Klieman's Wednesday news conference to discuss the class.
Related: Kansas State football coach Chris Klieman discusses preparations for the Pop-Tarts Bowl
Breaking down K-State's recruiting class
The Kansas State football recruiting class features four players from the state of Kansas, three from Texas and two from Colorado, plus one each from Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, and Pennsylvania.
The position breakdown shows four offensive linemen, three defensive backs and two each at linebacker, running back and wide receiver, with one defensive lineman and one quarterback. The Wildcats must replace four starters on the offensive line, which made that a key position.
Wildcats continue to thrive in Kansas
K-State has owned the state of Kansas in recent years, and that trend continued Wednesday with the addition of four of the top 10 in-state players — plus a preferred walk-on.
According to 247Sports' state rankings, the Wildcats signed Mill Valley offensive lineman Gus Hawkins (No. 2), Lyndon offensive lineman Kaedin Massey (No. 3), Blue Valley running back JB Price (No. 6) and Topeka Seaman safety Callen Barta (No. 9), plus got a preferred walk-on commitment from No. 8-ranked Kian Payne, a defensive lineman from St. Thomas Aquinas.
Related: Kansas State football adds running back and former Hawaii commit to 2024 recruiting class
K-State is no flop in the flipping battle
While the recruiting class is small, Kansas State did an excellent job protecting its commitments from interlopers hoping to poach its top prospects. The Wildcats did not lose a single pledge to another school.
On the other hand, the Wildcats did not take no for an answer with a number of prospects, flipping commitments from at least six players that originally were headed elsewhere: wide receiver Trae Davis (Washington State), safety Callen Barta (Nebraska), cornerback Zashon Rich (Wyoming), wide receiver Jacques Spradley-Demps (North Texas), linebacker Boone Morris (UTSA) and running back De Von Rice (Hawaii).
Blake Barnett a key pickup at quarterback
K-State lost three quarterbacks to the transfer portal since the end of the regular season, in part because true freshman Avery Johnson will start in the bowl game and is the presumptive QB1 of the future.
That made the addition of Blake Barnett from Erie, Colorado, a significant addition. Barnett, a two-way star at QB and safety for Erie High School's state championship team, will enroll in January and gain valuable experience in the spring.
Related: Kansas State football adds offensive line transfer and 2024 high school receiver
Shifting to a bigger defensive line
Landing Butler Community College defensive lineman Malcolm Alcorn-Crowder was important, Klieman said, because the Wildcats are moving toward adding some size to the three-man defensive front.
Klieman said he likes the versatility of Alcorn-Crowder, who at 6-foot-6, 295 pounds, can play either nose tackle or end.
Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett network. He can be reached at agreen@gannett.com or on Twitter at @arnegreen.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Breakdown of Kansas State football's early 2024 recruiting class
