Kansas State University

K-State lands QB recruit who held offers from Colorado, KU, Oregon State, Washington

Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman watches his players warmup before an NCAA college football game against South Dakota Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022, in Manhattan, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman watches his players warmup before an NCAA college football game against South Dakota Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022, in Manhattan, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel) AP

It didn’t take long for the Kansas State football team to land a quarterback during the current recruiting cycle.

Not long after signing a batch of new prospects in December, the Wildcats gained a commitment from three-star passer Blake Barnett on Thursday. He is a 6-foot-2 and 205-pound recruit from Erie, Colorado, and he is the second member of K-State’s 2024 recruiting class.

Barnett chose the Wildcats over a host of other power-conference schools, as he held scholarship offers from Colorado, Kansas, Oregon State and Washington.

His relationship with K-State offensive coordinator Collin Klein likely gave the Wildcats an edge. Klein also grew up in Colorado and made Barnett a recruiting priority for several months.

Barnett is the top-rated recruit in the state of Colorado for his recruiting class and the 49th rated quarterback in the nation, according to the 247Sports consensus ratings system.

K-State will welcome Barnett to what could be a crowded quarterback room next year. Starting QB Will Howard has two years of college eligibility remaining. Jake Rubley, Adryan Lara and Avery Johnson are all looking to take over after he moves on. Barnett will add extra competition to the position.

This story was originally published January 19, 2023 at 5:14 PM with the headline "K-State lands QB recruit who held offers from Colorado, KU, Oregon State, Washington."

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Kellis Robinett
The Wichita Eagle
Kellis Robinett covers Kansas State athletics for The Wichita Eagle and The Kansas City Star. A winner of more than a dozen national writing awards, he lives in Manhattan with his wife and four children.
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