Seeking Something Different
Apr 21, 2025 | Track & Field, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Kansas State track and field received a big lift in April.
The Wildcats signed high jumper Devin Loudermilk. He is a three-time NCAA First Team All-American and two-time Big 12 Champion.
And he's transferring from KU to K-State.
"I've always been a KU fan and was raised a KU fan my whole life, and I had success at KU, but I think I need something a little bit different," Loudermilk said. "K-State ended up being the spot that was for me."
Loudermilk, a native of tiny Howard, Kansas, is a graduate transfer who has been a dominant force on the Big 12 and national scene for several years. Boasting a high jump of 2.26 meters (7-foot-5), Loudermilk swept the indoor and outdoor Big 12 titles in 2024, and he finished third in the indoor NCAA Championships in 2023 and 2024.
However, you won't find Loudermilk competing in the national championships in Eugene, Oregon, this year.
He took the entire 2025 indoor and outdoor seasons off.
"No Eugene for me," he said. "I'm taking a break and letting my body heal up, any little injury or any little setbacks from last season. I'm working out right now and getting my body ready for next season."
Last year, he won two indoor meets, then hit his personal-best of 2.26 (7-foot-5) to capture the Big 12 Indoor Championship before taking third place at the NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championship with a jump of 2.21 meters (7-foot-3). He then went on to win two outdoor meets, claimed the Big 12 Outdoor Championship title with an outdoor personal best of 2.24 (7 feet, 4.25 inches), then finished fourth at the NCAA West First Round at 2.20 meters (7 feet, 2.5 inches) and fifth at the NCAA Outdoor Championships at 2.20 meters (7 feet, 2.5 inches).
"I watched the indoor high jump championships this year and was like, 'Dang, I should have the first-place trophy,'" Loudermilk said. "I'm staying patient. Eugene will come and Eugene will always be there. I'll have so many major track meets down the line. I'm investing in myself so I can do something greater the next couple years."
What might that include?
"I want to be in a position to make it to the 2028 Olympics," he said.
K-State, Loudermilk believes, will help him get there.
First-year head track and field coach Travis Geopfert arrived at K-State in July after a sensational stint at Arkansas, where he earned National Assistant Coach of the Year four times and was a part of two NCAA Championships, 21 top-10 team finishes and 25 SEC Championships. Geopfert has also coached 15 Olympians.
First-year jumps coach Clive Pullen arrived at K-State in August after spending 2024 as an assistant coach working with horizontal jumpers at KU. Prior to that, he spent time at his alma mater Arkansas and Tennessee. He has assisted with six NCAA Champions and 15 First Team All-Americans. Pullen competed in the triple jump for Jamaica in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janerio.
"Everybody knows Travis from Arkansas," Loudermilk said. "I've been talking about Travis for a couple years now, telling everyone how good of a coach he was, and for him to go to K-State, I knew K-State was going to be on the uphill slope just because Travis brings in the best recruits and coaches people and develops people.
"Clive being from KU, I knew he was a great jumps coach in general in terms or mindset and physicality."
Loudermilk put his name into the transfer portal one day in mid-March.
"The next day, K-State came and picked me up to take me over there," Loudermilk said. "It was my first visit."
Of course, dozens of schools wanted Loudermilk.
"The first couple weeks was stressful," he said, "but then I realized what I was looking for, and narrowed it down really quick."
It's been quite a journey for Loudermilk, who grew up sharing a room with older brother Isaiahh Loudermilk, in the family's trailer in Howard. Isaiahh chased his passion, earned a scholarship at Wisconsin, and is now a defensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Similarly, Devin, who high jumped for the first time in the seventh grade, saw his passion blossom both as a standout guard on the West Elk High School varsity basketball team and as one of the finest high jumpers in the state of Kansas.
"Growing up, everybody was like, 'Oh, you're Isaiahh's brother,'" Devin said. "Everybody expected me to play football, go to college, and get drafted like Isaiahh. But track and field is its own game. He's taught me so much throughout my athletic career. When he got drafted by the Steelers, I was like, 'This is a regular guy I grew up with, shared a room with, and he's a regular guy who's in the pros.
"I realized I just had to do it the right way and put my focus on it."
And once in a while, perhaps take a step back.
"I realized a year off was for the best," Loudermilk said. "I want to go to the Olympics in 2028 in LA. I want to go pro. I want to jump those higher pro bars. Throughout the year, I knew it would take a little bit more patience than I wanted for next year to come, but I've been having fun with it. I'll go play basketball or do workouts that I haven't been able to do being in season all the time. I kind of let loose a little bit. I have workouts that are a little bit more on the fun side."
As for the discipline necessary to continue to work during the year off?
"My mindset is a little bit different when it comes to stuff like that," Loudermilk said. "Growing up, I went to a school with 20 people in my class, so I always knew I was going to go to the track meet and win. I never had any pressure on me to train. Right now, my mindset when I'm training and when I'm not in competition is almost the same. I'm level-headed. When it comes to competition, I'm really excited but at the same time I'm really excited to go out and train. I find some sort of fun or excitement in anything I do."
Now it won't be long before the fun and excitement begins for Loudermilk in purple and white. He plans to move from Lawrence to Manhattan on July 1 to get things started.
"We are absolutely thrilled that Devin is coming to join us at K-State," Geopfert said. "It's been a pleasure getting to know him and learn more about his future goals. To say Devin is motivated would be an understatement. He's a Kansas kid seeing the huge benefits of training with some of the best jumpers in the world in Manhattan. He's a humble and talented young man who's excited to make his family proud as he continues to prove himself on the biggest stages both on the NCAA and global level.
"We're thrilled he has chosen to join our program at K-State to help him achieve his elite goals."
Kansas State track and field received a big lift in April.
The Wildcats signed high jumper Devin Loudermilk. He is a three-time NCAA First Team All-American and two-time Big 12 Champion.
And he's transferring from KU to K-State.
"I've always been a KU fan and was raised a KU fan my whole life, and I had success at KU, but I think I need something a little bit different," Loudermilk said. "K-State ended up being the spot that was for me."
Loudermilk, a native of tiny Howard, Kansas, is a graduate transfer who has been a dominant force on the Big 12 and national scene for several years. Boasting a high jump of 2.26 meters (7-foot-5), Loudermilk swept the indoor and outdoor Big 12 titles in 2024, and he finished third in the indoor NCAA Championships in 2023 and 2024.
However, you won't find Loudermilk competing in the national championships in Eugene, Oregon, this year.
He took the entire 2025 indoor and outdoor seasons off.
"No Eugene for me," he said. "I'm taking a break and letting my body heal up, any little injury or any little setbacks from last season. I'm working out right now and getting my body ready for next season."
Last year, he won two indoor meets, then hit his personal-best of 2.26 (7-foot-5) to capture the Big 12 Indoor Championship before taking third place at the NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championship with a jump of 2.21 meters (7-foot-3). He then went on to win two outdoor meets, claimed the Big 12 Outdoor Championship title with an outdoor personal best of 2.24 (7 feet, 4.25 inches), then finished fourth at the NCAA West First Round at 2.20 meters (7 feet, 2.5 inches) and fifth at the NCAA Outdoor Championships at 2.20 meters (7 feet, 2.5 inches).
"I watched the indoor high jump championships this year and was like, 'Dang, I should have the first-place trophy,'" Loudermilk said. "I'm staying patient. Eugene will come and Eugene will always be there. I'll have so many major track meets down the line. I'm investing in myself so I can do something greater the next couple years."
What might that include?
"I want to be in a position to make it to the 2028 Olympics," he said.
K-State, Loudermilk believes, will help him get there.
First-year head track and field coach Travis Geopfert arrived at K-State in July after a sensational stint at Arkansas, where he earned National Assistant Coach of the Year four times and was a part of two NCAA Championships, 21 top-10 team finishes and 25 SEC Championships. Geopfert has also coached 15 Olympians.
First-year jumps coach Clive Pullen arrived at K-State in August after spending 2024 as an assistant coach working with horizontal jumpers at KU. Prior to that, he spent time at his alma mater Arkansas and Tennessee. He has assisted with six NCAA Champions and 15 First Team All-Americans. Pullen competed in the triple jump for Jamaica in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janerio.
"Everybody knows Travis from Arkansas," Loudermilk said. "I've been talking about Travis for a couple years now, telling everyone how good of a coach he was, and for him to go to K-State, I knew K-State was going to be on the uphill slope just because Travis brings in the best recruits and coaches people and develops people.
"Clive being from KU, I knew he was a great jumps coach in general in terms or mindset and physicality."
Loudermilk put his name into the transfer portal one day in mid-March.
"The next day, K-State came and picked me up to take me over there," Loudermilk said. "It was my first visit."
Of course, dozens of schools wanted Loudermilk.
"The first couple weeks was stressful," he said, "but then I realized what I was looking for, and narrowed it down really quick."
It's been quite a journey for Loudermilk, who grew up sharing a room with older brother Isaiahh Loudermilk, in the family's trailer in Howard. Isaiahh chased his passion, earned a scholarship at Wisconsin, and is now a defensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Similarly, Devin, who high jumped for the first time in the seventh grade, saw his passion blossom both as a standout guard on the West Elk High School varsity basketball team and as one of the finest high jumpers in the state of Kansas.
"Growing up, everybody was like, 'Oh, you're Isaiahh's brother,'" Devin said. "Everybody expected me to play football, go to college, and get drafted like Isaiahh. But track and field is its own game. He's taught me so much throughout my athletic career. When he got drafted by the Steelers, I was like, 'This is a regular guy I grew up with, shared a room with, and he's a regular guy who's in the pros.
"I realized I just had to do it the right way and put my focus on it."
And once in a while, perhaps take a step back.
"I realized a year off was for the best," Loudermilk said. "I want to go to the Olympics in 2028 in LA. I want to go pro. I want to jump those higher pro bars. Throughout the year, I knew it would take a little bit more patience than I wanted for next year to come, but I've been having fun with it. I'll go play basketball or do workouts that I haven't been able to do being in season all the time. I kind of let loose a little bit. I have workouts that are a little bit more on the fun side."
As for the discipline necessary to continue to work during the year off?
"My mindset is a little bit different when it comes to stuff like that," Loudermilk said. "Growing up, I went to a school with 20 people in my class, so I always knew I was going to go to the track meet and win. I never had any pressure on me to train. Right now, my mindset when I'm training and when I'm not in competition is almost the same. I'm level-headed. When it comes to competition, I'm really excited but at the same time I'm really excited to go out and train. I find some sort of fun or excitement in anything I do."
Now it won't be long before the fun and excitement begins for Loudermilk in purple and white. He plans to move from Lawrence to Manhattan on July 1 to get things started.
"We are absolutely thrilled that Devin is coming to join us at K-State," Geopfert said. "It's been a pleasure getting to know him and learn more about his future goals. To say Devin is motivated would be an understatement. He's a Kansas kid seeing the huge benefits of training with some of the best jumpers in the world in Manhattan. He's a humble and talented young man who's excited to make his family proud as he continues to prove himself on the biggest stages both on the NCAA and global level.
"We're thrilled he has chosen to join our program at K-State to help him achieve his elite goals."
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