Kansas State didn’t travel far to find this batch of offensive line recruits

He didn’t know where he wanted to attend college when he showed up for the recruiting camp last summer, but Harrison Creed hoped he found his future teammates.

There was something about working alongside Ben Adler, Josh Rivas and Aidan Mills in the hot sun that clicked. Like Creed, they were considered to be the best high school offensive linemen in Kansas, and they all got along.

“I told them right then it would be cool if we could all go to school together,” said Creed, a 6-foot-5, 310-pound tackle from Ulysses. “It would be great to have all us Kansas boys together showing off.”

That dream will become reality next season at Kansas State. All four orally committed to the Wildcats last June and intend to sign letters of intent on Wednesday.

K-State didn’t have to travel far to find the future of its offensive line. The top four rated in-state blockers, according to 247Sports, are all headed to Manhattan.

“It just shows that Kansas State does a really good job of recruiting in-state people,” said Ben Adler, a 6-4, 310-pound guard from Trinity Academy. “There are a lot of great high school football players in this state, and they do a good job finding them.”

All four bring something different to K-State’s offensive line.

Mills (6-5, 260), from Newton, played on both sides of the line in high school, lining up at offensive tackle and defensive end. His knowledge of both positions should help him block on the perimeter.

Rivas (6-5, 335), from Hutchinson, appears to be the type of versatile blocker K-State offensive line coach Charlie Dickey craves. Rivas played left and right tackle as a senior, often times switching positions in the middle of games.

He hopes to continue playing tackle for the Wildcats, but may switch to guard as a freshman in hopes of filling the void left by departing senior Terrale Johnson.

“I am going to try to vie for a spot just like any competitive player would do,” Rivas said. “But if I don’t get it, I will keep working and pushing until it’s my time.”

Adler is taking a similar approach. As much as they all want to play immediately, they understand it may be awhile before they see the field. K-State’s offensive line was among the nation’s best at the end of 2016 and four starters return.

“That’s part of it,” Adler said. “I will do whatever I can do to help my team. If that means waiting, then that is fine. If that means playing sooner that is good, too.”

After playing three sports in high school, Adler is open to playing guard or center for the Wildcats. For now, he is focused on basketball. Then his focus will turn to baseball. Adler has so many practices and games lined up, he hasn’t had time to schedule a paid recruiting visit to K-State.

He hopes he can squeeze in time for that at the team’s spring game.

Then there’s Creed, who played right tackle at Ulysses but figures to move to guard in college. As the first offensive lineman to commit to K-State’s 2017 recruiting class, he gets credit for setting the group in motion. He pledged to play for Bill Snyder on June 15 and Adler did the same five days later. Rivas joined one day after that. Then it was Mills’ turn on June 22, after receiving encouragement from the other three.

“They are all really cool guys,” Mills said when he committed. “I can’t wait to play with them.”

Rivas says all four have stayed in contact through a group text. Adler and Creed plan to room together as freshmen. They all look forward to playing together.

They won’t officially become teammates for another few months, but it already feels like they are on the same side.

“It’s really cool,” Creed said. “We all live in about the same area. We can go up to games together. We are already pretty much best friends. We all just bonded and we are like a big family.”

This story was originally published January 31, 2017 at 11:05 AM with the headline "Kansas State didn’t travel far to find this batch of offensive line recruits."