Lawson McGraw will follow in his father’s footsteps and play football at Kansas State
Kansas State’s newest football recruit has strong family ties to the Wildcats.
Lawson McGraw, a promising 6-foot-4 and 205-pound athlete from Blue Valley West, has announced his intentions to play for K-State coach Chris Klieman via social media.
That name should sound familiar to K-State fans. McGraw will now follow in his father’s footprints in Manhattan.
Many in EMAW country still remember his dad, Jon McGraw. The elder McGraw played safety for K-State from 1998-2001 and then spent 10 seasons in the NFL with the Detroit Lions, New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs.
Jon McGraw went from being an unheralded recruit at Riley County to a star football player at K-State and then a steady contributor in the NFL.
K-State fans will be interested to see how Lawson McGraw develops during his time in Manhattan.
The Wildcats offered him a scholarship last week and he jumped at the opportunity to wear purple. Lawson McGraw doesn’t currently have a star rating from any of the recruiting services, but he holds scholarship offers from Arkansas State, Coastal Carolina, New Mexico, Rice and others.
It is unclear what position McGraw will play when he joins the Wildcats. But he did a little bit of everything last season at Blue Valley West, as he lined up at linebacker, tight end and defensive end on his way to 45 tackles on defense and 10 catches for 162 yards and three touchdowns on offense.
Klieman and his coaching staff will find a spot for him.
His commitment continues a recruiting hot streak for the Wildcats. They are up to 15 known pledges for the recruiting class of 2026, with the majority of those recruits picking K-State this month.
This story was originally published June 18, 2025 at 9:40 AM.