Kansas State football picks up pledge from Wichita offensive lineman Ben Adler

Ben Adler won’t become a Kansas State football player until next summer, but he already feels at home in Manhattan.

That’s why Adler, a 6-foot-4, 315-pound offensive tackle at Wichita Trinity Academy, orally committed to K-State on Monday, picking the Wildcats before his recruitment could potentially heat up as a senior.

“I limited my choices down to Oklahoma State and Kansas State,” Adler said. “I went to both of their camps in June and decided I would make a choice before July. I really, really liked K-State. Oklahoma State didn’t offer, but I felt like K-State was the better choice, even they did offer. K-State was the home for me.”

What most impressed Adler?

“The coaching staff,” he said. “They have a really great coaching staff.”

Adler hopes to provide K-State’s offensive line with a boost of athleticism after his senior year at Trinity. He projects to play left guard or right guard for the Wildcats, but he has the versatility to play across the line. Adler is a three-sport athlete, playing left tackle on his high school football team, as well as center on the basketball court and first base on the baseball diamond.

He also has experience playing outside linebacker and tight end.

“I love run blocking,” Adler said. “But I haven’t played on the line all that much. I didn’t move there until my sophomore year. That’s one of the things (offensive line) coach (Charlie) Dickey liked about me. He said he saw me more as an athlete than a blocker. I will probably play left guard or right guard when I get to college. I have more of a guard frame than a tackle frame. But I will play wherever they need me. I am athletic enough to play both.”

Adler announced his pledge to K-State on Twitter late Monday morning. He becomes the fifth known member of K-State’s 2017 recruiting class and the second in-state commit in the past week. Harrison Creed, an offensive lineman from Ulysses, announced his commitment on Wednesday.

Adler said he also received recruiting interest from Kansas, South Dakota and South Dakota State, but once the Wildcats offered him a scholarship his choice was made.

“I am super excited to be a Wildcat,” Adler said. “I can’t wait to get started.”

This story was originally published June 20, 2016 at 2:40 PM with the headline "Kansas State football picks up pledge from Wichita offensive lineman Ben Adler."