Kansas State lands WR recruit from same Florida high school as Joshua Youngblood
Florida has become an important recruiting area for the Kansas State football team since Chris Klieman took over as coach, and the Wildcats have once again found success there.
R.J. Garcia, a 6-foot-1 receiver from Tampa with 27 different scholarship offers, committed to the Wildcats Friday.
“After much thought and prayer,” he wrote on social media, “I am continuing my academic and athletic career at Kansas State University.”
K-State’s main competition for Garcia came from Iowa State, Rutgers, Florida Atlantic, Florida International and the service academies.
He does not currently have a star rating from recruiting websites Rivals or 247Sports.
The Wildcats have an obvious connection to Garcia, as he is a former high school teammate of sophomore receiver Joshua Youngblood. He also knows former K-State receiver Byron Pringle, who grew up in Tampa and now plays for the Kansas City Chiefs.
K-State is hoping Garcia can follow in the footsteps of those fellow Tampa standouts.
Offensive coordinator Courtney Messignham and receivers coach Jason Ray were instrumental in gaining a commitment from Garcia, as he was unable to visit K-State’s campus while recruiting visits have been suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Garcia is the sixth member of K-State’s 2021 recruiting class, and the first new recruit to pledge his services to the Wildcats since a pair of recruiting targets withdrew their commitments to K-State earlier this spring.
This story was originally published May 29, 2020 at 2:54 PM with the headline "Kansas State lands WR recruit from same Florida high school as Joshua Youngblood."