This Week in K-State Recruiting: Fun graphics help Wildcats ‘show love’ to prospects
Some of the most entertaining things a high school football prospect can share with his followers on social media are the graphic designs he receives from college recruiters.
In the old days, recruits showed off unopened envelopes with logos of various college teams plastered across the outside. Now they share much more creative visuals that show the world what it would look like if they chose to play for a specific college team or even had super powers.
The K-State football team came up with a creative design that left an impression on one of its recruiting targets last week.
The concept: ESPN football experts Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay are breaking down a K-State football recruit as the projected first overall pick at a future NFL Draft.
It got the attention of Justin Williams, a four-star running back out of Dallas, Georgia. He is a coveted recruit who holds 24 scholarship offers. It didn’t previously seem like K-State was high on his radar compared to Louisville, Nebraska, South Florida and West Virginia. And it still might no be. But that recruiting graphic definitely got his attention.
He shared the design on his Twitter account last week along with the following words: “Kansas State showing love!”
K-State’s graphic design team has been hard at work in recent weeks. They have shared many unique images with prospective recruits, ranging from players wearing jet packs to players holding sledge hammers.
Silas Etter, a three-star receiver from Eudora in the Class of 2022 who committed to the Wildcats last December, shared a number of them on his Twitter account earlier this month.
He wrote the following words in his post: “There’s not another family I’d rather be apart of!”
Rising star in the Sunflower State
Jaren Kanak, a 6-foot-2 athlete from Hays, has long been one of the most sought-after 2022 recruits in the Sunflower State.
He currently has 18 scholarship offers, and most schools within driving distance of his hometown are showing interest. Kansas, K-State, Nebraska, Iowa, TCU and Texas Tech are all involved.
But his recruitment might get cranked up to an even higher level now that he is the state’s top-rated high school recruit, according to 247sports. The recruiting service moved him up to No. 1 in its state rankings last week and boosted him up to a four-star ranking.
Kanak has June visits scheduled with Iowa, KU, K-State and Nebraska. They seem like the leaders for his services at the moment. But it will be interesting to see if any other schools get involved as he gets more and more attention.
That already seems to be happening. On Monday evening, Clemson reportedly reached out to Kanak and expressed interest in him taking an unofficial visit to the school’s ACC campus.
Returning to normal
College football recruiting will start to feel normal again in June.
That is when teams will once again be allowed to host recruits on official visits at their schools. It is also when college coaches are allowed to observe recruits at summer camps.
K-State coaches appear eager to scout as many prospects as possible this summer, as they announced eight camp dates at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. The first one will take place on June 5.
The Wildcats have also lined up recruiting visits with a number of players for June.
Looking way ahead for men’s basketball recruits
With no open scholarships to use for the upcoming season and a young roster that won’t feature many departing seniors next year, the K-State men’s basketball team has turned its recruiting focus to the future.
Way into the future, actually.
K-State assistant coach Shane Southwell offered scholarships to a pair of 2024 recruits who live in New York last week.
They are Ian Jackson, a 6-foot-6 shooting guard, and Boogie Fland, a 6-2 point guard.
It’s too early to know much about either player, but K-State coaches think highly of them both if they are willing to offer them scholarships this early in the game.
This story was originally published April 26, 2021 at 4:36 PM.