SE: Five Takeaways from K-State Football’s Early Signing Period
Dec 19, 2019 | Football, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
K-State football head coach Chris Klieman said it in his opening statement on Wednesday afternoon: The early signing period, in its third year of existence, is "becoming the signing period now."
What used to occur in late basketball season has moved up a few months into bowl preparation. Recruiting classes are now wrapped up on the February date (February 5 this year) that used to be the biggest day of recruiting celebration across the college football world.
K-State, for instance, saw 23 student-athletes sign National Letters of Intent on Wednesday to play for the Wildcats in 2020. The team's social media account used Lego-themed animations to release the signees, creating fitting "building blocks" visuals for Klieman's second recruiting class at K-State. Really, it's his first with a complete staff and an entire year to recruit.
Klieman broke down the recruiting class, as well as K-State's preparation for the 2019 AutoZone Liberty Bowl on December 31, in a press conference in the Vanier Family Football Complex on Wednesday.
Here are five takeaways from the recruiting side of things:
1. K-State Adds Community College Talent in Trenches
The Wildcats will lose five senior starters on the offensive line after their bowl game against Navy in Memphis, Tennessee. It will also be the last game for five significant contributors on the defensive line.
K-State filled part of both departures through the community college market.
The Wildcats added three defensive linemen (two defensive tackles and a defensive end) from the community college ranks and one offensive lineman in Dawson Delforge, a Wamego native coming from Butler Community College.
K-State's class also included Kirmari Gainous, a defensive end out of Hutchinson Community College, and Robert Hentz II, a defensive tackle from Northwest Mississippi Community College. Both were named NJCAA Second Team All-Americans this past season. Derick Newton, a 6-foot-2, 280-pound defensive tackle, signed from Butler Community College.
"We just saw those guys being a fit. We were able to evaluate film but, more importantly, see practices, and that was the key, to be able to see some guys run around in practice," Klieman said. "We were able to do that during the two weeks we were out (recruiting). Those were two big areas. The defensive tackle position, specifically, we needed to try to fill some holes because we are losing a lot of seniors. Our offensive line, obviously we lose a lot of guys there. It is another area where we're happy with what we've done, and we are still doing some work there, too."
2. Length a Priority in Secondary
Klieman summed up the five defensive backs who signed on Wednesday in one word.
"Length," he said. "That's the biggest thing we see we need to recruit to is length, getting some size there."
Four of K-State's five secondary signees stand at 6-foot or taller. Justin Gardner, the lone community college transfer out of the group, tops the group at 6-foot-2. He earned second-team all-conference honors this season for Hutchinson Community College.
Of the high school signees, Tee Denson brings in the biggest frame at 6-foot-1. An Atlanta, Georgia native, he was rated the 79th-best cornerback in the Class of 2020 by 247Sports, with Rivals slotting him No. 83.
Aamaris Brown, from the Tampa, Florida area, and Malachi Mitchell, out of Mansfield, Texas, both stand at 6-foot. TJ Smith, at 5-foot-10, was rated the No. 63 cornerback in his class by Rivals.
All five represent a focus for K-State's staff during the year-round recruitment cycle: Find length with talent and build on it.
"We need to have corners that are heavier guys. We need guys that can go put on 10, 15, 20 pounds," Klieman said. "At the corner position you always want a guy that is taller, but we need length, we need weight, we need all those things. That is not only with the guys coming in but the guys we have coming back too. We just need to get bigger and stronger there."
3. QB Will Howard Coming in Early, a Football 'Sponge'
Getting signees on campus a semester early is almost always the goal for college head coaches. Klieman got what he wanted and more from Howard, a 6-foot-4 talent out of Pennsylvania rated the 19th-best pro-style quarterback in the Class of 2020 by 247Sports.
"He's a sponge that wants to learn. He comes in at semester, which is huge for us to be able to get him in. It is a big advantage to get those guys in at semester," Klieman said of Howard, named the 2019 All-Southeastern Pennsylvania Player of the Year by the Philadelphia Inquirer. "He can be a sponge from Skylar (Thompson) for a year and be a sponge to (quarterbacks coach) Collin Klein, who has done a phenomenal job with Skylar. Getting around our older guys, the system and Coach (Courtney) Messingham as well.
"Will is excited about that. He's had it planned out where he was going wherever he was going to go at semester, and we were fortunate enough to land him in the summer and be able to hold on to him for six months. I'm so excited because he has really good ability and the want to learn what we are doing."
Klieman also said his first selling point to Howard, K-State's only quarterback signed in the 2020 Class, hangs in his office. Pictures with current Philadelphia Eagles starting quarterback Carson Wentz, who played for Klieman at North Dakota State, caught Howard's attention the first time they sat in his office in Vanier.
"His favorite player is Carson Wentz. That was obviously a big sell, when he and his parents sat in my office and saw the pictures of Carson Wentz and knew my background with Carson and the success he had within the system," Klieman said of Howard. "He's a really, really smart football player, he's athletic, and he has a really strong arm."
4. Winning Weighs in the Recruiting World
Klieman was asked about what he liked most about Jay Harris, the 27th-best linebacker in the Class of 2020, according to Rivals. His answer applied to several players in the class, however.
"The fact that he's playing for a state championship this weekend," Klieman said. "I want winners. I want guys that have been at a championship level and are playing at a championship level."
Harris will play for a Class 5A Division I title on Friday in AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. He will do so alongside another K-State signee and Shadow Creek High School teammate in Ronald Triplette, a 6-foot-3 defensive end.
DeMarrquese Hayes, a 6-foot-2 linebacker out of Waco, Texas, will play for a Class 4A Division I title on Friday in AT&T Stadium. Denson recently won a Class AAA State Championship in Georgia.
Howard led his team to the state semifinals and a 13-2 record. Brown's Armwood High School squad also reached the semifinals in the Florida Class 7A Playoffs this year, after making the state title game the year before.
Even K-State's crop of community college signees all came from teams that finished this past season ranked between No. 3-6 in the final NJCAA polls.
"Success breeds success. Winning is a habit, and those guys know how to win," Klieman said. "That's huge. Being from successful programs is important. That's something that we look at. Is it the almighty thing? No, but it's something that is important because the expectation is high here to be successful. We want those guys who have been at that expectation and that know that winning is the most important thing."
5. Winning Helps, Relationships Still the Key in Recruiting
K-State had a big batch of recruits in for its upset win against Oklahoma. It's the only loss for any of the four College Football Playoff teams.
Did it help in recruiting? For sure. Did it change how K-State's staff approached the task? Not at all.
"A lot of those relationships we built before we played a game," Klieman said when asked if the team's success, including an 8-4 record and a tie for third place in the conference, helped on the recruiting trail. "We had a lot of kids here for the Oklahoma game, and I think that opened up more eyes, which is always a good thing to say, 'Wow, they're close. They're getting it done.' Or, they see the vision or plan our staff has and want to be a part of that. Without question, our success doesn't hurt us.
"I still believe that your relationships with the family and the young man are the most important thing to those kids making a final decision."
For this class, Klieman had a full staff and a full year to build those relationships all over the country.
The result: K-State's 18 high school signees came from 10 different states, ranging as far west as California and east as Florida. The Wildcats signed six high school players from Texas and four from Kansas, including another from Lee's Summit, Missouri.
"Now, I know all the guys. Whether I've been to their place or they've been here, I've been in constant communication with some of them for a full year, some for half a year and some for a few months," Klieman said. "Somebody on our staff has been in contact with them for a long time, and obviously that is huge because it goes back to the building of relationships."
K-State football head coach Chris Klieman said it in his opening statement on Wednesday afternoon: The early signing period, in its third year of existence, is "becoming the signing period now."
What used to occur in late basketball season has moved up a few months into bowl preparation. Recruiting classes are now wrapped up on the February date (February 5 this year) that used to be the biggest day of recruiting celebration across the college football world.
K-State, for instance, saw 23 student-athletes sign National Letters of Intent on Wednesday to play for the Wildcats in 2020. The team's social media account used Lego-themed animations to release the signees, creating fitting "building blocks" visuals for Klieman's second recruiting class at K-State. Really, it's his first with a complete staff and an entire year to recruit.
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— K-State Football (@KStateFB) December 18, 2019
Tomorrow #KStateFB ? #NSD20 pic.twitter.com/N7WTdL17jc
Klieman broke down the recruiting class, as well as K-State's preparation for the 2019 AutoZone Liberty Bowl on December 31, in a press conference in the Vanier Family Football Complex on Wednesday.
Here are five takeaways from the recruiting side of things:
1. K-State Adds Community College Talent in Trenches
The Wildcats will lose five senior starters on the offensive line after their bowl game against Navy in Memphis, Tennessee. It will also be the last game for five significant contributors on the defensive line.
K-State filled part of both departures through the community college market.
The Wildcats added three defensive linemen (two defensive tackles and a defensive end) from the community college ranks and one offensive lineman in Dawson Delforge, a Wamego native coming from Butler Community College.
K-State's class also included Kirmari Gainous, a defensive end out of Hutchinson Community College, and Robert Hentz II, a defensive tackle from Northwest Mississippi Community College. Both were named NJCAA Second Team All-Americans this past season. Derick Newton, a 6-foot-2, 280-pound defensive tackle, signed from Butler Community College.
"We just saw those guys being a fit. We were able to evaluate film but, more importantly, see practices, and that was the key, to be able to see some guys run around in practice," Klieman said. "We were able to do that during the two weeks we were out (recruiting). Those were two big areas. The defensive tackle position, specifically, we needed to try to fill some holes because we are losing a lot of seniors. Our offensive line, obviously we lose a lot of guys there. It is another area where we're happy with what we've done, and we are still doing some work there, too."
2. Length a Priority in Secondary
Klieman summed up the five defensive backs who signed on Wednesday in one word.
"Length," he said. "That's the biggest thing we see we need to recruit to is length, getting some size there."
Four of K-State's five secondary signees stand at 6-foot or taller. Justin Gardner, the lone community college transfer out of the group, tops the group at 6-foot-2. He earned second-team all-conference honors this season for Hutchinson Community College.
Of the high school signees, Tee Denson brings in the biggest frame at 6-foot-1. An Atlanta, Georgia native, he was rated the 79th-best cornerback in the Class of 2020 by 247Sports, with Rivals slotting him No. 83.
Aamaris Brown, from the Tampa, Florida area, and Malachi Mitchell, out of Mansfield, Texas, both stand at 6-foot. TJ Smith, at 5-foot-10, was rated the No. 63 cornerback in his class by Rivals.
All five represent a focus for K-State's staff during the year-round recruitment cycle: Find length with talent and build on it.
"We need to have corners that are heavier guys. We need guys that can go put on 10, 15, 20 pounds," Klieman said. "At the corner position you always want a guy that is taller, but we need length, we need weight, we need all those things. That is not only with the guys coming in but the guys we have coming back too. We just need to get bigger and stronger there."
3. QB Will Howard Coming in Early, a Football 'Sponge'
Getting signees on campus a semester early is almost always the goal for college head coaches. Klieman got what he wanted and more from Howard, a 6-foot-4 talent out of Pennsylvania rated the 19th-best pro-style quarterback in the Class of 2020 by 247Sports.
"He's a sponge that wants to learn. He comes in at semester, which is huge for us to be able to get him in. It is a big advantage to get those guys in at semester," Klieman said of Howard, named the 2019 All-Southeastern Pennsylvania Player of the Year by the Philadelphia Inquirer. "He can be a sponge from Skylar (Thompson) for a year and be a sponge to (quarterbacks coach) Collin Klein, who has done a phenomenal job with Skylar. Getting around our older guys, the system and Coach (Courtney) Messingham as well.
"Will is excited about that. He's had it planned out where he was going wherever he was going to go at semester, and we were fortunate enough to land him in the summer and be able to hold on to him for six months. I'm so excited because he has really good ability and the want to learn what we are doing."
Klieman also said his first selling point to Howard, K-State's only quarterback signed in the 2020 Class, hangs in his office. Pictures with current Philadelphia Eagles starting quarterback Carson Wentz, who played for Klieman at North Dakota State, caught Howard's attention the first time they sat in his office in Vanier.
"His favorite player is Carson Wentz. That was obviously a big sell, when he and his parents sat in my office and saw the pictures of Carson Wentz and knew my background with Carson and the success he had within the system," Klieman said of Howard. "He's a really, really smart football player, he's athletic, and he has a really strong arm."
4. Winning Weighs in the Recruiting World
Klieman was asked about what he liked most about Jay Harris, the 27th-best linebacker in the Class of 2020, according to Rivals. His answer applied to several players in the class, however.
"The fact that he's playing for a state championship this weekend," Klieman said. "I want winners. I want guys that have been at a championship level and are playing at a championship level."
Harris will play for a Class 5A Division I title on Friday in AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. He will do so alongside another K-State signee and Shadow Creek High School teammate in Ronald Triplette, a 6-foot-3 defensive end.
DeMarrquese Hayes, a 6-foot-2 linebacker out of Waco, Texas, will play for a Class 4A Division I title on Friday in AT&T Stadium. Denson recently won a Class AAA State Championship in Georgia.
Howard led his team to the state semifinals and a 13-2 record. Brown's Armwood High School squad also reached the semifinals in the Florida Class 7A Playoffs this year, after making the state title game the year before.
Even K-State's crop of community college signees all came from teams that finished this past season ranked between No. 3-6 in the final NJCAA polls.
"Success breeds success. Winning is a habit, and those guys know how to win," Klieman said. "That's huge. Being from successful programs is important. That's something that we look at. Is it the almighty thing? No, but it's something that is important because the expectation is high here to be successful. We want those guys who have been at that expectation and that know that winning is the most important thing."
5. Winning Helps, Relationships Still the Key in Recruiting
K-State had a big batch of recruits in for its upset win against Oklahoma. It's the only loss for any of the four College Football Playoff teams.
Did it help in recruiting? For sure. Did it change how K-State's staff approached the task? Not at all.
"A lot of those relationships we built before we played a game," Klieman said when asked if the team's success, including an 8-4 record and a tie for third place in the conference, helped on the recruiting trail. "We had a lot of kids here for the Oklahoma game, and I think that opened up more eyes, which is always a good thing to say, 'Wow, they're close. They're getting it done.' Or, they see the vision or plan our staff has and want to be a part of that. Without question, our success doesn't hurt us.
"I still believe that your relationships with the family and the young man are the most important thing to those kids making a final decision."
For this class, Klieman had a full staff and a full year to build those relationships all over the country.
The result: K-State's 18 high school signees came from 10 different states, ranging as far west as California and east as Florida. The Wildcats signed six high school players from Texas and four from Kansas, including another from Lee's Summit, Missouri.
"Now, I know all the guys. Whether I've been to their place or they've been here, I've been in constant communication with some of them for a full year, some for half a year and some for a few months," Klieman said. "Somebody on our staff has been in contact with them for a long time, and obviously that is huge because it goes back to the building of relationships."
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