K-State football adds four recruits to top 50 class as early signing day approaches
If everything goes according to plan, the Kansas State football team should have the makings of a top 50 recruiting class by the time the first day of the early signing period ends on Wednesday.
K-State coach Chris Klieman and his assistants have been hard at work on the recruiting trail building toward this week, and their efforts are on track to pay dividends with more than 20 incoming players expected to sign with the Wildcats.
The team’s 2020 recruiting class currently boasts 22 pledges, with a few more targets set to announce their college plans on Wednesday. Rivals ranks the group No. 48 nationally and sixth in the Big 12, while 247Sports ranks it No. 47 nationally and ninth in the conference.
Those are good numbers for K-State, which has only produced a top 50 recruiting class once (2014) over the past 11 years.
Every known member of K-State’s recruiting class carries a two-or-three-star rating on the major recruiting services, but a few seem to stand out from the pack.
Tee Denson, a 6-foot-1 defensive back from Atlanta, is one of them. The heralded high school recruit committed to the Wildcats on Tuesday night over Pittsburgh, Purdue, TCU and Virginia Tech.
Jeremiah Harris, a 6-foot-1 linebacker from Pearland, Texas, is another. He chose the Wildcats over Arkansas and Oklahoma State over the summer and is now the team’s highest rated incoming recruit, per 247Sports.
Chris Vaughn could also be an intriguing player at the college level. A 5-foot-7 running back from Round Rock, Texas, most schools ignored him because of his size. But he is fast and put up some big numbers as a high school senior, including a playoff game in which he rushed for 375 yards and four touchdowns.
The Wildcats received some good recruiting news the day before early signing day in the form of four new pledges.
The first one to commit to K-State was Butler County Community College defensive tackle Derick Newton. He took an interesting path to Manhattan, as he has been a member of the K-State football roster before. Newton spent his freshman season with the Wildcats under former coach Bill Snyder before opting to transfer to junior college. Now he has decided to rejoin the team under Chris Klieman.
Following him on Tuesday was Hutchinson Community College defensive end Kirmari Gainous. Then the Wildcats got even more help on the defensive line when Lee’s Summit senior defensive end Felix Anudike commited.
The night came to a close with the addition of offensive tackle Will Mitchum, a 6-foot-7 blocker from McKenzie, Tenn. He chose the Wildcats over Duke, Kansas and West Virginia.
K-State’s 2020 recruiting class features four junior-college players and 21 high school seniors, though those numbers could change as decisions are made on Wednesday.
K-State’s 2020 recruiting class
Player, Position, Height, Weight, Previous school (Hometown)
Felix Anudike, DE, 6-4, 220, Lee’s Summit (Lee’s Summit, Mo.)
Dawson Delforge, OL, 6-5, 317, Butler C.C. (Wamego)
Tee Denson, DB, 6-1, 172, Cedar Grove (Ellenwood, Ga.)
Kirmari Gainous, DE, 6-4, 255, Hutchinson C.C. (Tallahassee, Fla.)
Jeremiah Harris, LB, 6-1, 205, Shadow Creek (Pearland, Texas)
DeMarrquese Hayes, LB, 6-1, 190, La Vega (Waco, Texas)
Robert Hentz, DT, 6-1, 270, Northwest Mississippi C.C. (Batesville, Miss.)
Will Howard, QB, 6-4, 210, Downingtown West (Downingtown, Pa.)
Nate Matlack, DE, 6-4, 220, Olathe East (Olathe)
Malachi Mitchell, DB, 6-0, 185, Mansfield Legacy (Mansfield, Texas)
Christian Moore, TE, 6-2, 223, Huntington Beach (Hungtington Beach, Calif.)
Keyon Mozee, ATH, 5-7, 170, Lee’s Summit North (Lee’s Summit, Mo.)
Derick Newton, DT, 6-2, 280, Butler C.C. (Douglas, Ga.)
Hadley Panzer, OL, 6-3, 295, Lakin (Lakin)
Sam Shields, OL, 6-5, 285, Manhattan (Manhattan)
Tajiri Smith, DB, 5-9, 183, McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.)
Makholven Sonn, WR, 5-11, 165, Westgate (New Iberia, La.)
Cody Stufflebean, TE, 6-4, 235, Mcpherson (Mcpherson)
Will Swanson, TE, 6-5, 230, Papillion-La Vista South (Papillion, Neb.)
Jaelon Travis, WR, 6-0, 190, Mansfield Summit (Arlington, Texas)
Ronald Triplette, DE, 6-2, 240, Shadown Creek (Pearland, Texas)
Chris Vaughn, RB, 5-6, 166, Cedar Ridge (Round Rock, Texas)
Talor Warner, OL, 6-4, 265, Gardner Edgerton (Gardner)
Carver Willis, OL, 6-5, 260, Durango (Durango, Colo.)
Joseph Wilson, DB, 6-1, 180, North Shore (Houston, Texas)
This story was originally published December 17, 2019 at 2:40 PM with the headline "K-State football adds four recruits to top 50 class as early signing day approaches."