Chris Klieman Credits Big 12 Title With Recruiting Haul
Kansas State won its first Big 12 Championship since 2003 when it beat TCU earlier this month. Turns out the Wildcats won more than just a trophy.
Or at least that’s how head coach Chris Klieman saw it when he met with the media after he announced the program’s haul on the first day of the early signing window.
“Look at what we did this year with some of the wins that we had on the road,” Klieman said as conveyed by the Wichita Eagle, “and then to cap it off two weeks before signing day with the Big 12 championship. There was some validation there with some guys who were maybe unsure if this was the place they were going to go. Now they’re thinking this is the right spot, they’re going to the Big 12 champs. There is some sustainability there … It’s an upward trend that we are excited about.”
The Wildcats hauled in a huge class of 26 players per 247Sports.com. That includes a pair of transfers — North Dakota State cornerback Marques Sigle and Iowa wide receiver Keagan Johnson.
The overall class was ranked No. 37 by 247Sports.com and had a composite ranking of No. 29.
The Wildcats also snagged a pair of four-star recruits — quarterback Avery Johnson from Maize, Kansas, who is ranked a Top 70 player and was also courted by a quartet of Pac-12 schools led by Oregon. The other four-star player is Olathe South (Kansas) edge rusher Jordan Allen.
Plus, the Wildcats pulled a trio of players that kept their decision under wraps until Wednesday. Waverly-Shell Rock (Iowa) athlete Asa Newsom spurned Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, and Stanford to join the Wildcats. Tre Spivey, a wide receiver from Hamilton High School in Chandler, Ariz., paid visits to Arizona and Oklahoma State before choosing Kansas during an Instagram streamed signing ceremony.
Kansas also kept Hutchinson (CC) linebacker Terry Kirksey in-state, in spite of his November visit to Washington State. He visited Manhattan last weekend.
The regular signing period begins on Feb. 1. The Wildcats are preparing for the Sugar Bowl against Alabama.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard
