D.J. Render spent a couple of months with no commitment before giving a solid verbal pledge to the Kansas State Wildcats on Monday. A native of Kennsaw, Georgia, Render was courted by FCS schools Chattanooga and East Tennessee State before committing to the Wildcats.
he flew himself to Manhattan in order to personally commit to Coach Bill Snyder
“I always wanted to go big,” Render told The Kansas City Star via telephone. “I stepped on campus and immediately felt at home. Everything felt great so I committed.”
These days it isn’t unlike a recruit to commit early into the process and then pull back once the next college football season is underway. The good news for Kansas State fans is D.J. Render likely won’t be that guy. Render was so excited by the Wildcats’ scholarship offer that he flew himself to Manhattan in order to personally commit to Coach Bill Snyder and staff less than three weeks later.
The 6-0, 170 pound Render has played multiple positions at North Cobb High School, but junior season highlights show him at his most dangerous position: wide receiver. He shows great hands, good speed, and plenty of ability to make plays. Some of Render’s best work comes in the slot where North Cobb feeds him the ball via screens and short, underneath routes. On several plays Render simply takes the ball, makes a move, and immediately finds open field.
We’ll hold off on making Tyler Lockett comparisons but if Render adds a little bit of weight and improves his routes, there’s plenty to look forward to in eventually seeing him play out of the slot in Kansas State’s offense.
Rivals lists Render as a 2-star prospect with a 5.4 out of 6.1 rating, while MaxPreps ranks him the 35th recruit from Georgia and 744th in the country. Render has said he will return to Kansas State for an official visit at some point during his senior year of high school.