‘We had a really good day’: Chris Klieman thrilled with new K-State football signings
.jpg "Chris Klieman congratulates Kansas State football players after a field goal against the Houston Cougars in the first quarter at TDECU Stadium.")
Chris Klieman looked rejuvenated.
The Kansas State football coach appeared tired and stressed at times as the Wildcats ended the regular season by losing three of their final four games. But he was energetic and positive as he spoke about the 26 players that the Wildcats signed to their roster on Wednesday afternoon.
The new batch of players changed his mood, because it includes the first five-star recruit to enroll at K-State directly out of high school since 2000, plus three prospects the Wildcats weren’t expecting to land.
“We had a really good day,” Klieman said.
K-State’s biggest victory occurred when Linkon Cure, a 6-foot-6 and 220-pound tight end from Goodland, decided to honor his verbal commitment to the Wildcats despite a wave of late recruiting attention from Oregon.
Some K-State fans feared the worst when Cure visited Oregon for a football game last weekend and recruiting experts predicted him to flip to the Ducks. But the Wildcats were able to hold them off.
Klieman said he was “thrilled” to hear that news.
“He’s one of the best athletes in the country,” Klieman said. “Not in the state, in the country. He has speed, size, strength and the ability to jump, run. All those things. We’re excited about getting him.”
Cure signing with the Wildcats on Wednesday morning turned out to be a good omen. They went on to sign three players who were uncommitted or expected to go elsewhere.
“We were lucky,” Klieman said. “We got everybody we thought we were going to sign, plus three.”
The three late additions were:
- Serious Stinyard, a defensive back who was previously committed to West Virginia
- Dylan Villarouel, an offensive lineman who was once committed to James Madison
- Larry Porter, a Kansas City wide receiver who picked K-State over Kansas
Klieman was particularly happy about the addition of Stinyard, who became available after West Virginia parted ways with head coach Neal Brown.
The Wildcats had coveted him for quite a while.
“Serious Stinyard is a kid that we had on campus here in the summertime and we really enjoyed his official visit,” Klieman said. “Then he chose a different school. But that school had since lost their head coach, and so we kind of got back on him late. ... He was one of the top guys on our board last December.”
Villarouel should help add depth to the K-State offensive line next season.
And Porter closed out the day by signing with K-State over its rival.
Things couldn’t have gone much better for the Wildcats. The end result was a recruiting class that, per On3, ranked No. 38 nationally and No. 4 in the Big 12.
K-State’s 2025 football recruiting class
Logan Bartley - 6-2, 200-pound safety from Naples, Fla.
RJ Collins - 5-11, 175-pound safety from Kansas City, Mo.
Nunu Concepcion - 5-10, 170-pound wide receiver from Charlotte
Linkon Cure - 6-6, 220-pound tight end from Goodland
Jemyri Davis - 6-1, 175-pound wide receiver from Fort Worth
Dillon Duff - 6-3, 190-pound quarterback from St. Louis
Monterrio Elston - 5-8, 185-pound running back from Little Rock, Ark.
Brock Heath - 6-5, 260-pound offensive lineman from Overland Park
Martel Jackson - 6-2, 175-pound cornerback from Derby
Will Kemna - 6-5, 265-pound offensive lineman from Eldon, Mo.
Noah King - 6-3, 195-pound safety from Cincinnati
Dalton Knapp - 6-5, 225-pound defensive end from Grapevine, Texas
Dominic Mitchell - 6-2, 200-pound safety from Paradise Valley, Ariz.
Adonis Moise - 6-0, 185-pound wide receiver from Bradenton, Fla.
Asthon Moore - 6-0, 205-pound linebacker from Louisburg
Cub Patton - 6-0, 180-pound kicer from Lubbock, Texas
Weston Polk - 6-2, 215-pound linebacker from Coppell, Texas
Larry Porter - 6-1, 185-pound wide receiver from Kansas City, Mo.
Maguire Richman - 6-2, 210-pound linebacker from Leawood
Sawyer Schilke - 6-3, 230-pound linebacker from Kearney, Neb.
JoJo Scott - 6-2, 175-pound cornerback from Lakeland, Fla.
Brad Stanyer - 6-5, 240-pound defensive end from Grapevine, Texas
Serious Stinyard - 5-11, 185-pound defensive back from Lutz, Fla.
Patrick Tackie - 6-3, 296-pound defensive tackle from Bronx, N.Y.
Dylan Villarouel - 6-4, 300-pound offensive lineman from Cumming, Ga.
Darien Whitaker - 6-4, 215-pound linebacker from Baltimore
This story was originally published December 4, 2024 at 4:12 PM with the headline "‘We had a really good day’: Chris Klieman thrilled with new K-State football signings."