Kansas State Football Recruiting: Signing Day 2013 Preview

National signing day is only four days away, and on Wednesday hundreds of kids around the nation will make their intentions official by signing letters of intent to make their matriculation final. The Big 12 has notably lagged in recruiting rankings this year, as the SEC is gobbling up top 100 recruits in frightening fashion. While Texas and Oklahoma are getting the kids they always get, the rest of the conference is not setting itself up for a banner recruiting year. This is no reason for Wildcat fans to fret, as Bill Snyder’s staff consistently identifies and maximizes talent better than any other team in the nation (remember when Collin Klein was just an unwanted kid from Loveland, CO?). The Jug will be providing coverage of Wednesday’s happenings, but also understands the need for a fan primer on who’s probably in, who’s already committed, and everything in between.

Already Signed

Kansas State is a well known peruser of the junior college ranks, and has already signed five juco players:

• Travis Green-DB
• Nate Jackson-DB
• Dakorey Johnson-LB
• Devon Nash-DE
• Jake Waters-QB

The big get of this group is Jake Waters from Iowa Western Community College. Waters showed a lot of initial interest in Penn State, but surprised several people around the country when he announced he would bring his pro-style arm to Manhattan in August. Nash is expected to immediately help in filling the shoes of outing seniors Adam Davis and Meshak at defensive end. Green and Jackson will be welcome additions to a secondary losing interception specialists Nigel Malone and Allen Chapman

Committed

Rivals has 16 players listed as commits for the 2013 recruiting class:

• Recruit–Position–Stars According to Rivals.com
• Chance Allen–OL–2
• Ajhane Brager–OL–2
• Jesse Ertz–QB–2
• Melvinson Hartfield-DB–2
• Matthew McCrane–K–2
• Reid Najvar–OL–2
• Sean Newlan–ATH–2
• Dayton Valentine-ATH–2
• Jamone Boyd–DE–3
• De’Vondre Campbell–LB–3
• LeAndrew Gordon–WR–3
• Cre Moore–DB–3
• Isaiah Williams–LB–3
• Jordan Willis–DE–3
• Nick Ramirez–LB–4
• Tanner Wood–DE–4

There are a couple of names to watch in this list. De’Vondre Campbell has already committed, and subsequently reneged, from decisions to attend both Tennessee and Texas. Campbell is a junior college player from Hutchinson Community College and would be a great get, but is not a sure bet to sign with K-State. Melvinson Hartfield has demonstrated interest in a couple rival schools and is reportedly taking a visit to Arkansas this weekend.

This class’s strength is undoubtedly at inside linebacker, and should leave the Wildcats stacked at the position. The team has also done a nice job of securing commitments at the defensive end position, but with DE coach Joe Bob Clements leaving the school for Oklahoma State, it’s vital to secure these players in spite of the coaching change. Clements was a stellar recruiter and played a major role in securing many of these athletes. Bill Snyder’s new contract through 2017 should help signify some reliability for those players looking for the University to demonstrate stability within the coaching staff.