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Although he continues to receive attention from schools around the area and all the way to California, 2014 DE recruit C.J. Reese reaffirmed his commitment to K-State earlier this week. Reese has recently picked up an offer from the University of Houston and has received attention from Baylor, California, Memphis, and Texas Tech since his announcement (in addition to previous offers from Colorado, Nevada, and SMU). However, speaking on Wednesday in reference to KSU coach Dana Dimel, Reese stated that “Coach Dimel and I have built a strong relationship together and with my family I feel like I made a really good choice and it isn’t going to get any better than this.”

Reese also mentioned a promise to see the field his freshman year, which could play a major factor in retaining his commitment (K-State could be the best program able to provide this offer). And the proposition of Reese seeing at least some playing time as a true freshman is a real possibility. Recently rated the #47 DE in his class by 247 Sports, he promises to bring the physical tools necessary to contribute on the next level. Additionally, K-State’s lack of depth at the position will also assist in getting Reese on the field.

K-State lists seven defensive ends on its 2013 current roster. And while only one is set to exhaust his eligibility this year, it will represent an important loss. Alauna Finau is a former junior college player expected to anchor one half of the defensive end spots after playing in nine games last year while backing up Meshak Williams and Adam Davis. On the other end of the line, soon-to-be junior Ryan Mueller from Leawood, KS is currently at the top of the depth chart.

Reese will not be taking much playing time from Ryan Mueller in 2014, as Mueller has played in 13 games each of the past two years. In 2012 he had three tackles-for-loss while breaking up six passes and recovering two fumbles. However, the other side should be a wide open battle and Reese could easily be part of a rotation assuming he continues to develop over the next year. Hopefully he can be an immediate star, but even if his role is merely to let the first string catch its breath, it’s encouraging to see a steadfast commitment in the face of additional offers – regardless of how early in the process it is for the 2014 recruiting class.

Click here to read Jug of Snyder’s initial reaction to Reese’s commitment announcement.

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6’1″, 180 lbs point guard Nigel Johnson from Riverdale Baptist School in Upper Marlboro, MD is officially a Wildcat. The second PG recruit in Bruce Weber’s inaugaral recruitment class originally committed to K-State on April 20 and has now signed with the team. He chose the Wildcats after narrowing his selection to K-State and Missouri.

Johnson had a journey in school selection before finally choosing to land in Manhattan. He was a verbal commit to George Washington in 2012 but a stellar senior season opened up additional doors for playing opportunities. The week before committing to K-State he took an official visit to Seton Hall and was offered a scholarship there. He also planned to visit both K-State and Missouri before making his decision.

Johnson’s pronouncement came earlier than expected, and was likely fueled by the announced that another highly touted PG – Shane Rector – had already decided on the Tigers. Johnson’s playing opportunities at K-State received another boost when Angel Rodriguez announced his intention to transfer to Miami after leading the Wildcats to a share of the regular season conference title. The two factors were likely the determinants in his decision to pick Kansas State.

Johnson joins Jevon Thomas as part of the two-headed point guard monster Bruce Weber will have battle for the starting role in the backcourt this year. And regardless of who prevails in that competition, both players should see time while attempting to fill the shoes left behind by Rodriguez. To read The Jug’s initial reaction to the announcement that Nigel made his verbal committment to K-State, click here.

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The Texas Longhorns, perpetually frustrated by their inability to beat K-State despite their five star recruits, multi-billion dollar facilities, and bloated coaching salaries, have one more trick up their sleeves: preventing their potential opponents from setting foot on campus in Manhattan in the first place. According to bleacherreport, Texas has been pressing hard to convince junior offensive lineman and K-State committed Robert Castaneda to don burnt orange in 2014.

Texas has done nothing wrong here – Castaneda gave his verbal commitment to K-State in March but has signed nothing and remains on the open recruiting market, so to speak. Any contact with the player is completely above the board. As such, it’s important Bill Snyder and company do everything they can to keep Castaneda’s eyes trained on K-State. At 6’5″ and 315 lbs, the Round Rock, TX player will provide some serious beef on whichever offensive line he chooses to bolster.

Former Texas quarterback and current assistant coach Major Applewhite recently visited Round Rock and will likely push hard to secure the 3-star recruit. Another in-state school – Texas Tech – is also continuing to court Castaneda. He reportedly visited the campus in Lubbock in April and has an offer from the Raiders on the table. Hopefully the opportunity for playing time on the Big 12 champion is enough to keep him a Wildcat.

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With its second committment for the 2014 recruiting class from Argyle, TX announced on Sunday, K-State appears to be developing a foothold in this small community 40 miles northwest of Dallas. Following KSU’s 6th verbal commitment in LB Sam Sizelove on Saturday, Sizelove’s high school teammate Connor Wilson is the 7th member of the recruiting class of 2014 to announce his intention to matriculate to Manhattan.

Connor is the first member of the secondary to commit to K-State, and had offers from Houston, North Texas, SMU, and Texas Tech on the table. Connor is not currently ranked on any of the major recruiting websites, but if his listed measurables are correct he has the potential to be a beast on the field.

Wilson is listed at 6’2″ and 205 lbs. He already runs a 4.6 second 40 yard dash, and appears to provide a solid combination of height (Bill Snyder loves players who can jump for interceptions), size, and speed. Along with Sizelove, Wilson was also a first team selection to the Texas All-State 3A roster.

Although Wilson was unable to attend the Purple-White spring game due to regional track competition, he will be on campus for a summer camp and plans to attend the game against Baylor in October. He made 134 tackles his junior year to go along with nine interceptions and seven passes defended. The one thing to watch is that he dislocated his hip during a playoff game last fall, although his current competition in track and field suggests he is recovered, healthy, and ready to dominate his senior year before joining the Wildcat football team next year.

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The LB from Argyle, TX brings a lot to the team – and not just the most awesome name of the 2014 recruiting class so far. Sizelove is already 6’4″, 230 lbs and garnered interest from several schools. He attended a recruiting event at TCU and had firm offers from, among others, Houston, Illinois, Iowa State, Texas Tech, and Washington State. However, as of Saturday, he has promised to wear Wildcat Purple during his college career.

Sizelove (man, that name is awesome to type) is a three star recruit and becomes another piece of what should be a dominant linebacker corps for several years that reminds K-State fans of the units from the late 1990s and early aughts. He was named a Texas 3A All-State first team player and it is unknown whether he will assume the role of inside or outside linebacker. He played inside his junior year, where he had 138 tackles and two sacks.

Sizelove will concentrate on improving his speed over the upcoming year, and his ability to demonstrate a quicker step will go a long way towards determining where he is placed on the field. He joins a K-State recruiting class already ranked #26 in the nation and looking to improve with this latest recruit pick up.

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Following the decisions to transfer by Michael Orris, Adrian Diaz, and Angel Rodriguez, Bruce Weber has been desperately seeking a win. He has the chance for a big one next week when 6’9″ power forward Tanner Lancona visits K-State’s campus next weekend. His decision to visit Manhattan follows a trip Weber took to California in which he visited Lancona’s high school and talked to the recruit for over an hour.

Lancona originally signed a National Letter of Intent with Washington State but was released from the letter on April 11. The Cougars where in a position wherein they promised more scholarships than they had available to give, and classified the decision to release Lancona as a “mutual decision.”

K-State, already lacking height and losing starting forward Jordan Henriquez to graduation, is down to Thomas Gipson, D.J. Johnson and incoming center Neville Fincher to serve as big men. Securing Lancona, who is considering three additional schools, would add some desperately needed beef inside. The Tesoro High School player averaged 19 points and eight rebounds his senior year and looks like he could easily stand his ground against the thinner departing Diaz or Henriquez.

Tancona is visiting St. Louis this weekend, and is also considering BYU and Colorado State. K-State may have an inside lead here with a thin bench (more playing time) and opportunity to play in one of the Big 6 conferences (although St. Louis will be joining the new Big East conference next year). He is rated as a three-star recruit by Scout.com, is notably capable of stepping out and knocking down three point shots, and has a generally awesome name. He will be on campus May 3-5.

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Following last week’s pledge from Neville Fincher, Bruce Weber has added another piece of his first recruiting class in Manhattan with the signing of Nigel Johnson. The 6’1″, 170 point guard from Riverdale Baptist was a bit of an unexpected surprise, as one month ago he was expected to enroll at George Washington but decommitted on March 29 after orally committing in September of 2012. Wildcat fans can consider this the second time the team has defeated George Washington this season – the first being a 65-62 victory in DC back in December.

Expect Johnson to bring intelligence and maturity to this position – among his suitors were Ivy League schools Brown, Cornell, and Princeton. Yet to go along with those smarts Johnson has some skill too; he is ESPN’s number player from the State of Maryland and averaged 29.5 points as a junior. Johnson transferred to a more competitive high school as a senior, and led Riverdale Baptist to the inaugural Capital Beltway League championship. During the league championship game he scored 33 points and was named MVP. He averaged 17.9 points during his final season.

Johnson is ranked as a three-star recruit by Rivals and has been playing with the same AAU team as Kevin Durant and Michael Beasley, the DC Assault. Although listed as a point guard, he is a tremendous shooter and may see playing time alongside Angel Rodriguez with Rodriguez still playing the part of creator and Johnson merely one more gunslinger on the court. Johnson took to twitter last night to announce his decision.

Proud to say I just committed to Kansas State University!! Excited to be a Wildcat next year!! #blessed

Editor’s note: Johnson will not be playing alongside Rodriguez, who recently announced his intention to transfer from the University.

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K-State knew it was taking a hit in the middle with 6’11″ and starting forward Jordan Henriquez exhausting his eligibility this year. It took another shot when Adrian Diaz abruptly announced his intention to transfer last week. Fortunately, the arrival of center Neville Fincher this fall should help ease the pain of losing both. Fincher officially inked his intention to come to Manhattan on Wednesday.

Fincher’s exact position is somewhere between forward and center, which could translate into success for Bruce Weber’s motion offense that emphasized ball movement over the ability to post up against defenses this year. Fincher is listed as a center, but stands at only 6’9″ and 220 pounds (by no means small, but he plays with the fluidity to be more than just a center). He comes to K-State after averaging 12 points, 8 rebounds and 4 blocks for national powerhouse Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, VA.

Fincher brings experience playing with and against elite competition which gives him a headstart in preparing for the rigors of the Big 12. At Hargrave he played with four other Division I signees at Hargrave Military Academy – Donte Clark (Virginia Tech), Anton Gill (Louisville), Greg McClinton (Wake Forest) and Terry Rozier (Louisville). His year there allowed him to develop after graduating from Teaneck High School in Teaneck, NJ in 2012. His final year he led the team to a 31-1 record and section championship.

Fincher joins Marcus Foster (Wichita Falls, Texas/Hirschi), Wesley Iwundu (Houston, Texas/Westfield) and Jevon Thomas (Queens, N.Y./St. John’s Northwest Military Academy) as part of the 2013 recruiting class. Because of the departure of Diaz and Michael Orris, the team still has two scholarship openings.

Fincher took to Twitter on Wednesday to express his emotions, and seems just as excited about coming to K-State as fans should be to have time.

Ecstatic about today!! #emaw #ksu #KSUMensBasketball #grindtime #gottagetit instagram.com/p/YNdijjMYwd/

— Neville Fincher (@Neville_Fincher) April 17, 2013

And from his Instagram account:

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If there’s a rush to lock up talent early in the NCAA, you can count on an equally strong push to rank that talent. And with a total of five verbal commits in its 2014 recruiting class, K-State’s haul is currently ranked 26th in the nation following the decision of DE C.J. Reese earlier this week. A brief look at these five:

Robert Castaneda (OT), 6’5″ & 318 lbs out of of Round Rock, TX: Castaneda is a big junior, and will be a bigger senior. A three star recruit, he could anchor the left tackle spot for multiple years in Manhattan.

Elijah Lee (DE), 6’3″ & 210 lbs out of Blue Springs, MO: Lee was actually the second player from Blue Springs to commit to K-State after his teammate Dalvin Warmack. He is the #23 DE in the nation.

C.J. Reese (DE), 6’4″ & 260 lbs out of San Ant0nio, TX: Reese was the Wildcats’ latest get and has shown great strength with a bench press of 365. Read more about his decision here.

Dalton Risner (OG), 6’4″ & 285 lbs out of Wiggins, CO: Risner is the #12 guard in the country and had a wealth of offers including Arizona St., Colorado, Missouri, and Wyoming. A three star, he is considered a strong candidate to earn an even higher ranking his senior season.

Dalvin Warmack (RB), 5’9″ & 180 lbs out of Blue Springs, MO: The first to commit to K-State from Blue Springs, Rivals ranks him the #9 all-purpose back in the country.

Reese is a two star player, while the other four are all three star athletes. What’s impressive here is not merely the value of players, but the critical needs being met. DE is one of the team’s biggest questions going into 2013, but Lee and Reese promise to bring some long-term stability to the position. Part of the reason for Klein and Hubert combining for such a devastating rushing attack is what I considered the best offensive line in the Big 12. With Castaneda and Risner, the team is targeting two more athletes to help control the trenches. And Warmack looks to be the next breakout scatback following in the footsteps of Darren Sproles and Hubert.

As expected, Texas is the highest ranked team in the Big 12 and is the early #1 in the nation with 15 early commitments. Oklahoma is #18 and TCU is #20. Trailing K-State are #33 Baylor, #37 Texas Tech, #44 Iowa State, #45 Oklahoma State, #54 Kansas, and #57 West Virginia. No verbal commitment is binding, a lot of time is still on the table, and players can always surprise (both good and bad ways) their senior years. However, K-State was considered extremely late to the recruiting party this year and it’s nice to see some early work being done for the next class.

So readers – what’s the next position Bill Snyder needs to fill for the class of 2014?

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Facing a bit of a lull after picking up four quick commitments for its 2014 class, Kansas State finally announced its fifth commitment of 2014 Monday when San Antonio DE C.J. Reese announced his intention to be a Wildcat. The 6’4″, 260 lbs lineman has never actually visited campus but intends to enroll next year anyway (of course there’s nothing precluding him from visiting this spring, summer, fall, or next winter). The junior also had offers from Colorado, Nevada, and SMU.

Reese possesses good speed for a lineman with a 4.87 40 yard dash. The Wildcats did a decent job one the defensive line in recruiting this year, but it’s always helpful to get an early start on the wave of players. The key going forward will be keeping him in the K-State mindset. Speaking back in February, Reese reminisced that “I can still remember Vince Young scoring. It was incredible and really caught my attention so I’ve grown up a big Texas fan,” he said. “My uncle also went to UT so I’ve been around the school since I was a kid. It’s my dream school.” This is the perpetual problem of recruiting at K-State – everyone in Texas is a Texas fan. If he really blossoms next fall and catches the Longhorns’ eye, it could be a scramble keeping him in purple.

I Love the Manhattan Fans ! Y’all showed me a lot of love the other day ! Glad to be a Wildcat