Kansas State Wildcats land first football recruit since Big 12 realignment began
It can’t be easy for a football team to recruit while questions swirl about the future of its conference, but that uncertainty didn’t stop Kansas State from adding a promising offensive lineman to its 2022 recruiting class on Monday.
John Pastore, a 6-foot-6 and 270-pound blocker from Erie, Colorado has announced that he will play for the Wildcats after he graduates from high school.
He chose K-State over Colorado State, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wyoming.
Pastore’s decision is notable for more reasons than simply beating out the Cornhuskers, though that is always significant for the Wildcats. He is the first recruit K-State has landed since Oklahoma and Texas announced plans to leave the Big 12, leaving the league’s remaining eight members in limbo.
K-State football coach Chris Klieman has done his best to calm any concerns about that topic with fans and recruits by saying he thinks the Wildcats are well-positioned to remain in a power conference moving forward.
It appears Pastore is not concerned.
The Wildcats have seemed like the favorite for Pastore for a few weeks now. Pastore participated in football camps at both K-State and Nebraska earlier this summer, and he performed well enough to earn a scholarship offer at both. But he returned to Manhattan for an unofficial visit in late July and never made a return trip to Lincoln.
Adding him to their 2022 recruiting class is a victory for the Wildcats after they watched two of their most heralded targets commit elsewhere earlier this month.
Pastore doesn’t currently have a star rating at either 247sports or Rivals.
He is the 10th member and second offensive lineman of K-State’s 2022 recruiting class.
This story was originally published August 9, 2021 at 4:52 PM with the headline "Kansas State Wildcats land first football recruit since Big 12 realignment began."