SE: K-State Football’s Newcomers Relishing Support, Early Start in Program
Feb 06, 2020 | Football, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
For any football player, getting on campus a semester early has its benefits. You get a head start on everything: Practices, workouts, classes and film sessions, to name a few. You also get a feel for how the city, the university and the community align — well before 50,000-plus people pack Bill Snyder Family Stadium on Saturdays in the fall.
Carver Willis, one of 12 Wildcat newcomers already on campus from head coach Chris Klieman's 26-man 2020 signing class that was finalized on Wednesday, has already figured that answer out. He's seen it within the walls of the Vanier Family Football Complex, on K-State's campus and even at local restaurants.
"Everyone wants you to succeed. That's just it," the 6-foot-5 offensive lineman out of Durango, Colorado said. "It's crazy, everyone knows you who are. We had a waiter that was, like, 'Are you Carver Willis?' I was, like, 'Yeah, that's Will Howard, Will Swanson and Sam Shields.' It's great. Everyone wants you to succeed and everyone wants you to be the best version of you that you can be. All my professors are super supportive. It's just awesome. I love it."
"It's all about Kansas State," added freshman linebacker DeMarrquese Hayes, out of Waco, Texas. "They're all about doing what's best for you."
Some of these new Wildcats, like freshman tight end Christian Moore, witnessed glimpses of this during visits to Manhattan in the recruiting process. In the case of Moore, out of Huntington Beach, California, it was enough to commit on the spot.
"For me, personally, it was not hard at all (coming this far). I committed on my unofficial. Once I came up here, saw everything, saw what everything's about I knew this is where I wanted to be," he said. "That's why I committed so early. So, the decision was not hard at all for me."
"Everyone came here for the family aspect, especially Will Howard. He didn't even really want to take an official but then he took an official and fell in love," added Willis. "It's just a great spot. Everyone's on the same page. Those core values in family have shown from Klieman down to the receptionist, and it's really one of a kind. I've been to a lot of different programs, and it's one of a kind."
Howard, a quarterback out of Pennsylvania, agreed. He said his time on campus full-time has mirrored what he got during the visit that sold him on coming to K-State.
"Everyone says, 'Are you homesick?' I'm really not. The guys that are surrounding me have basically taken care of me. I'm spending all my time with my roommates, guys in my class, upperclassmen, and it's truly a family atmosphere," he said. "They take care of you. No matter who you are, freshman, sophomore, whatever, they're going to take you in as one of their own. There's no kind of ranks or levels or anything like that. It's all family. I love it here."
With nearly half the 2020 class on campus already, this new crop of Wildcats has built a strong camaraderie with each other. They hang out often. They pile into one group's apartment, go out to eat, study with one another, watch film and anything else they can do to be together.
"We hang out all the time outside of lifting and practicing," Moore said. "We're hanging out every weekend. We're really close already, so I'm excited about that."
"We're all so close, especially with the group chat that we've had since we committed. We all got tossed in a group chat. It's really awesome," Willis added. "We've all met each other's families and we're all just similar guys. We all have different personalities but we're all kind of on the same page and we all have similar goals. Everything's flowing easy, especially my roommates. We're just a tight group."
A tight group with big plans.
K-State's notable win against No. 5 Oklahoma last season caught the attention of the nation, but it did not surprise this group of Wildcats. They signed to play for Klieman because they believed that would be the standard, the not the exception.
"I knew Coach was going to bring a winning culture. He comes in as the coach of one of the greatest college football dynasties in recent memory. He just instilled that winning culture," Howard said. "Everybody was, like, 'Man, look at K-State.' I was, like, 'Yeah, I know. I expected this. This isn't anything out of the ordinary.'"
"That's the plan," Hayes added. "We want to win a Big 12 Championship, want to make history here as well. We want to make a lot of things happen."
For any football player, getting on campus a semester early has its benefits. You get a head start on everything: Practices, workouts, classes and film sessions, to name a few. You also get a feel for how the city, the university and the community align — well before 50,000-plus people pack Bill Snyder Family Stadium on Saturdays in the fall.
Carver Willis, one of 12 Wildcat newcomers already on campus from head coach Chris Klieman's 26-man 2020 signing class that was finalized on Wednesday, has already figured that answer out. He's seen it within the walls of the Vanier Family Football Complex, on K-State's campus and even at local restaurants.
"Everyone wants you to succeed. That's just it," the 6-foot-5 offensive lineman out of Durango, Colorado said. "It's crazy, everyone knows you who are. We had a waiter that was, like, 'Are you Carver Willis?' I was, like, 'Yeah, that's Will Howard, Will Swanson and Sam Shields.' It's great. Everyone wants you to succeed and everyone wants you to be the best version of you that you can be. All my professors are super supportive. It's just awesome. I love it."
"It's all about Kansas State," added freshman linebacker DeMarrquese Hayes, out of Waco, Texas. "They're all about doing what's best for you."
Some of these new Wildcats, like freshman tight end Christian Moore, witnessed glimpses of this during visits to Manhattan in the recruiting process. In the case of Moore, out of Huntington Beach, California, it was enough to commit on the spot.
"For me, personally, it was not hard at all (coming this far). I committed on my unofficial. Once I came up here, saw everything, saw what everything's about I knew this is where I wanted to be," he said. "That's why I committed so early. So, the decision was not hard at all for me."
"Everyone came here for the family aspect, especially Will Howard. He didn't even really want to take an official but then he took an official and fell in love," added Willis. "It's just a great spot. Everyone's on the same page. Those core values in family have shown from Klieman down to the receptionist, and it's really one of a kind. I've been to a lot of different programs, and it's one of a kind."
Howard, a quarterback out of Pennsylvania, agreed. He said his time on campus full-time has mirrored what he got during the visit that sold him on coming to K-State.
"Everyone says, 'Are you homesick?' I'm really not. The guys that are surrounding me have basically taken care of me. I'm spending all my time with my roommates, guys in my class, upperclassmen, and it's truly a family atmosphere," he said. "They take care of you. No matter who you are, freshman, sophomore, whatever, they're going to take you in as one of their own. There's no kind of ranks or levels or anything like that. It's all family. I love it here."
With nearly half the 2020 class on campus already, this new crop of Wildcats has built a strong camaraderie with each other. They hang out often. They pile into one group's apartment, go out to eat, study with one another, watch film and anything else they can do to be together.
"We hang out all the time outside of lifting and practicing," Moore said. "We're hanging out every weekend. We're really close already, so I'm excited about that."
"We're all so close, especially with the group chat that we've had since we committed. We all got tossed in a group chat. It's really awesome," Willis added. "We've all met each other's families and we're all just similar guys. We all have different personalities but we're all kind of on the same page and we all have similar goals. Everything's flowing easy, especially my roommates. We're just a tight group."
A tight group with big plans.
K-State's notable win against No. 5 Oklahoma last season caught the attention of the nation, but it did not surprise this group of Wildcats. They signed to play for Klieman because they believed that would be the standard, the not the exception.
"I knew Coach was going to bring a winning culture. He comes in as the coach of one of the greatest college football dynasties in recent memory. He just instilled that winning culture," Howard said. "Everybody was, like, 'Man, look at K-State.' I was, like, 'Yeah, I know. I expected this. This isn't anything out of the ordinary.'"
"That's the plan," Hayes added. "We want to win a Big 12 Championship, want to make history here as well. We want to make a lot of things happen."
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