Kansas State University Athletics
Duff is a ‘Competitive Winner with a Killer Instinct’
Dec 13, 2024 | Football, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
"I want to be where my feet are," Dillon Duff says into his phone during a late-night chat from his parents' home in St. Louis, Missouri. And who could blame him? Why, six days ago, the star quarterback sat with seven of his buddies, each signing to play college football with half of De Smet Jesuit (Mo.) High School cheering on their gridiron heroes. Then three days later, Duff threw for 121 yards and one touchdown and rushed eight times for 69 yards, including a 38-yard touchdown run, in leading the Spartans to a 35-20 win over previously unbeaten Nixa at Faurot Field to capture the Missouri Class 6 state championship.
The string of emotions that accompany the most exciting, life-altering week of a young man's life can be a bit much to process, regardless of his maturity. There will be a time when it all sets in for Duff — he signed with Kansas State and will arrive in Manhattan in January — but it assuredly won't arrive in this phone interview with a guy anxious to learn the ins and outs of Duff's story, his being, and how the 6-foot-3, 190-pounder plans to fit into the Wildcats' offensive system.
"I'm just enjoying my family right now and the time I have left as a high school kid," Duff says. "When the time comes, I'm going to put my head down and get to work."
He pauses.
"I bring leadership, I'm a vocal guy who leads by example and doesn't want to let his teammates down, and I'm just a competitor," he says, finally. "I want to win, and I'll do whatever it takes to win. I'm a dual-threat quarterback and I've proven that these past two years. Avery Johnson is the same way, and he's had a solid career so far. I fit in well with their offense. I can beat you with my legs and my arm. I'll just improve as time goes."
Duff completed 64.2% of his passes for 2,614 yards and 25 touchdowns and six interceptions to go along with 596 rushing yards and eight scores his senior season. He had 10 carries for 156 yards and one touchdown in a "snow bowl" semifinal win (34-14) over Liberty on November 30.
"Halfway through that game, I said, 'Is that Dillon or Josh Allen?'" De Smet High School head coach John Merritt says. "He was running guys over in the snow and threading the needle on passes. It was an unbelievable performance on a day when the other team couldn't manage to take a snap, and this guy is throwing touchdown passes (three of them, to be exact). It just shows the ability between him and everyone else."
Duff's ability became apparent soon after Merritt arrived as De Smet High School head coach in April 2022. Merritt dumped the previous run-heavy, three-back offense and installed an air-raid passing attack. Duff, a sophomore backup, soaked it all in, and saw action in the meat of every game because Merritt thought highly of his capabilities. Thrust into a game against eventual Illinois state champ East Saint Louis High School, Duff coolly opened the first drive of the second quarter with a zone read that he took 55 yards.
"He got up and had a big smile on his face," Merritt recalls. "I thought, 'Man, he's going to be pretty good. He's pretty special.'"
"He was curious that first year and wanted to learn and clearly had a confidence and swagger about him that you could tell he was going to be good," Merritt adds. "He just soaked up everything."
Duff chuckles at the memories, but carries serious respect for Merritt, who Duff says, "is a big part of the reason I'm successful now."
"He's a great coach and even better person," Duff says. "He reminds me of K-State head coach Chris Klieman in a lot of ways. That's part of the reason I grew a liking to Coach Klieman — because he reminds me of Coach Merritt. Coach Klieman is a family man who cares for his team, and he'll do whatever it takes to win. He's a great coach."
Duff received his first scholarship offer at a mega football camp prior to his junior year. He received two scholarship offers, in fact — one from Miami (Ohio), and one from Kent State. Other interest followed as Duff threw for 1,863 yards and 15 touchdowns while rushing for 595 yards and eight scores his junior season.
"It wasn't until January of this year that we were in basketball season and (co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach) Matt Wells was going around recruiting and came to De Smet to watch me throw," Duff says, "and then he watched me play basketball."
Duff made nine 3-pointers in the contest, a school record.
"I had watched his junior tape, and I liked it," Wells says. "When I saw him throw, I became intrigued. Then I watched him play the basketball game and he had 29 points in three quarters. I promptly walked out of the gym, got into my car, called Coach Klieman, and said, 'I think we found our guy.'"
Why?
"It wasn't about basketball," Wells replies. "It was his demeanor, competitiveness, and steely eyes. The opposing crowd was all over him and he didn't flinch and performed in a really good way. He was aggressive, diving for loose balls, and showed his competitiveness and that he was a winner. That's how I'd describe Dillon. He's a competitive winner with a killer instinct."
Two days later, on January 25, 2024, the Duffs met Klieman in a De Smet High School classroom. Klieman, who has sent quarterbacks Carson Wentz, Easton Stick, Trey Lance, Skylar Thompson and Adrian Martinez to the NFL, drove five hours from Manhattan to St. Louis for a face-to-face meeting with Duff.
Klieman offered Duff a scholarship.
Duff took his first unofficial visit to K-State nine days later.
"I wanted to get the process started as soon as possible," Duff says. "Coach Wells wanted me to come over and see what it was all about. At that point, it was between K-State, Mizzou and Nebraska. It felt like it was a very welcoming place, a place I could see myself going to. It wasn't too big or too small. It felt just right."
Duff took his official visit to K-State on June 7-9.
"Man, Coach Wells is a cool dude," Duff says. "That's the best way to put it. He's passionate for what he does and shows that every time he calls me and every time we meet. I got to see him coach his players in practice and in meetings. I got to see every side of him. He's a family man, a great coach, and he's also a person who wants to see you succeed. He's everything I'm looking for in a coach, a guy who's going to develop me as a player but also as a person and to be the best version of myself."
What set K-State apart from the other schools?
"A lot of things really stuck out to me," Duff says. "It was a really easy decision. When you narrowed down what was important to you, the recruiting process becomes pretty easy. K-State checked all those boxes. It had a stable coaching staff and Coach Klieman isn't in a race to go anywhere soon. Second part was I wanted to play for a team that could play for a championship, and they played in the Big 12 Championship not too long ago. Then there's the genuine coaching staff and people. Everything they were telling me they meant. They just kept it real."
The journey officially begins in January.
Wells appears excited to help captain the ride in developing Duff into a bonafide FBS talent.
"It's a mix," Wells says. "It's a mix of and a balance of teaching him Kansas State's offense schematics, formations, personnel groups, etc., and then it's a balance of teaching "Quarterback 101" and how to carry yourself and be a great teammate and how to lead in different ways. So, you're balancing both of those when he first gets on. You can't overwhelm him with either one. But it's a balance that grows as the semester grows. How much of specific Kansas State versus I need to teach this kid how to be a college quarterback. It's ongoing. It's a fun process."
For now, Duff insists on being where his feet are. He just signed with a Power 4 team. He just won a state title. He's walking down the same high school hallway a few more times. Memories flow as he passes by the football stadium where it all began.
Five hours away, a new world awaits.
And soon his feet will be moving like never before.
"I want to be where my feet are," Dillon Duff says into his phone during a late-night chat from his parents' home in St. Louis, Missouri. And who could blame him? Why, six days ago, the star quarterback sat with seven of his buddies, each signing to play college football with half of De Smet Jesuit (Mo.) High School cheering on their gridiron heroes. Then three days later, Duff threw for 121 yards and one touchdown and rushed eight times for 69 yards, including a 38-yard touchdown run, in leading the Spartans to a 35-20 win over previously unbeaten Nixa at Faurot Field to capture the Missouri Class 6 state championship.
The string of emotions that accompany the most exciting, life-altering week of a young man's life can be a bit much to process, regardless of his maturity. There will be a time when it all sets in for Duff — he signed with Kansas State and will arrive in Manhattan in January — but it assuredly won't arrive in this phone interview with a guy anxious to learn the ins and outs of Duff's story, his being, and how the 6-foot-3, 190-pounder plans to fit into the Wildcats' offensive system.
"I'm just enjoying my family right now and the time I have left as a high school kid," Duff says. "When the time comes, I'm going to put my head down and get to work."
He pauses.
"I bring leadership, I'm a vocal guy who leads by example and doesn't want to let his teammates down, and I'm just a competitor," he says, finally. "I want to win, and I'll do whatever it takes to win. I'm a dual-threat quarterback and I've proven that these past two years. Avery Johnson is the same way, and he's had a solid career so far. I fit in well with their offense. I can beat you with my legs and my arm. I'll just improve as time goes."
Duff completed 64.2% of his passes for 2,614 yards and 25 touchdowns and six interceptions to go along with 596 rushing yards and eight scores his senior season. He had 10 carries for 156 yards and one touchdown in a "snow bowl" semifinal win (34-14) over Liberty on November 30.
"Halfway through that game, I said, 'Is that Dillon or Josh Allen?'" De Smet High School head coach John Merritt says. "He was running guys over in the snow and threading the needle on passes. It was an unbelievable performance on a day when the other team couldn't manage to take a snap, and this guy is throwing touchdown passes (three of them, to be exact). It just shows the ability between him and everyone else."
Duff's ability became apparent soon after Merritt arrived as De Smet High School head coach in April 2022. Merritt dumped the previous run-heavy, three-back offense and installed an air-raid passing attack. Duff, a sophomore backup, soaked it all in, and saw action in the meat of every game because Merritt thought highly of his capabilities. Thrust into a game against eventual Illinois state champ East Saint Louis High School, Duff coolly opened the first drive of the second quarter with a zone read that he took 55 yards.
"He got up and had a big smile on his face," Merritt recalls. "I thought, 'Man, he's going to be pretty good. He's pretty special.'"
"He was curious that first year and wanted to learn and clearly had a confidence and swagger about him that you could tell he was going to be good," Merritt adds. "He just soaked up everything."
Duff chuckles at the memories, but carries serious respect for Merritt, who Duff says, "is a big part of the reason I'm successful now."
"He's a great coach and even better person," Duff says. "He reminds me of K-State head coach Chris Klieman in a lot of ways. That's part of the reason I grew a liking to Coach Klieman — because he reminds me of Coach Merritt. Coach Klieman is a family man who cares for his team, and he'll do whatever it takes to win. He's a great coach."
Duff received his first scholarship offer at a mega football camp prior to his junior year. He received two scholarship offers, in fact — one from Miami (Ohio), and one from Kent State. Other interest followed as Duff threw for 1,863 yards and 15 touchdowns while rushing for 595 yards and eight scores his junior season.
"It wasn't until January of this year that we were in basketball season and (co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach) Matt Wells was going around recruiting and came to De Smet to watch me throw," Duff says, "and then he watched me play basketball."
Duff made nine 3-pointers in the contest, a school record.
"I had watched his junior tape, and I liked it," Wells says. "When I saw him throw, I became intrigued. Then I watched him play the basketball game and he had 29 points in three quarters. I promptly walked out of the gym, got into my car, called Coach Klieman, and said, 'I think we found our guy.'"
Why?
"It wasn't about basketball," Wells replies. "It was his demeanor, competitiveness, and steely eyes. The opposing crowd was all over him and he didn't flinch and performed in a really good way. He was aggressive, diving for loose balls, and showed his competitiveness and that he was a winner. That's how I'd describe Dillon. He's a competitive winner with a killer instinct."
Two days later, on January 25, 2024, the Duffs met Klieman in a De Smet High School classroom. Klieman, who has sent quarterbacks Carson Wentz, Easton Stick, Trey Lance, Skylar Thompson and Adrian Martinez to the NFL, drove five hours from Manhattan to St. Louis for a face-to-face meeting with Duff.
Klieman offered Duff a scholarship.
Duff took his first unofficial visit to K-State nine days later.
"I wanted to get the process started as soon as possible," Duff says. "Coach Wells wanted me to come over and see what it was all about. At that point, it was between K-State, Mizzou and Nebraska. It felt like it was a very welcoming place, a place I could see myself going to. It wasn't too big or too small. It felt just right."
Duff took his official visit to K-State on June 7-9.
"Man, Coach Wells is a cool dude," Duff says. "That's the best way to put it. He's passionate for what he does and shows that every time he calls me and every time we meet. I got to see him coach his players in practice and in meetings. I got to see every side of him. He's a family man, a great coach, and he's also a person who wants to see you succeed. He's everything I'm looking for in a coach, a guy who's going to develop me as a player but also as a person and to be the best version of myself."
What set K-State apart from the other schools?
"A lot of things really stuck out to me," Duff says. "It was a really easy decision. When you narrowed down what was important to you, the recruiting process becomes pretty easy. K-State checked all those boxes. It had a stable coaching staff and Coach Klieman isn't in a race to go anywhere soon. Second part was I wanted to play for a team that could play for a championship, and they played in the Big 12 Championship not too long ago. Then there's the genuine coaching staff and people. Everything they were telling me they meant. They just kept it real."
The journey officially begins in January.
Wells appears excited to help captain the ride in developing Duff into a bonafide FBS talent.
"It's a mix," Wells says. "It's a mix of and a balance of teaching him Kansas State's offense schematics, formations, personnel groups, etc., and then it's a balance of teaching "Quarterback 101" and how to carry yourself and be a great teammate and how to lead in different ways. So, you're balancing both of those when he first gets on. You can't overwhelm him with either one. But it's a balance that grows as the semester grows. How much of specific Kansas State versus I need to teach this kid how to be a college quarterback. It's ongoing. It's a fun process."
For now, Duff insists on being where his feet are. He just signed with a Power 4 team. He just won a state title. He's walking down the same high school hallway a few more times. Memories flow as he passes by the football stadium where it all began.
Five hours away, a new world awaits.
And soon his feet will be moving like never before.
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