Kansas State Football: Early Signing Day brings deep class to Manhattan

Early Signing Day, which took place last week, brings talent to Manhattan, as the Kansas State football program welcomed a class loaded with both potential and depth.

Every year, Early Signing Day comes in college football and teams and their fans swell with excitement at the possibilities and potential of the newest members of the program. The Kansas State Wildcats are ready to contend for a conference or perhaps even more.

In his first full class at Kansas State, Chris Klieman welcomed 23 new members to the K-State program. What names stick out? What were the Cats able to accomplish? What remains to be done?

With a starting offensive line all on their way out due to graduation after this season, the Cats needed to find offensive linemen, and a lot of them. Two offensive tackles, Carver Willis and Witt Mitchum were brought into the fold along with junior college guard Dawson Delforge. The Cats have two linemen committed, who anticipate signing during the late signing window in February.

Defensive line depth was set to be tested with three senior departures, so enter junior college linemen Derrick Newton, Robert Hentz and Kirmari Gainous. Add in high school linemen Ronald Triplette, Nate Malack and Taylor Warner as well and you have a solid group right there.

Concerns about depth have been, for the most part alleviated. Another defensive end remains committed and anticipates signing in February, which is definitely good news for this program moving forward.

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In the Big 12, defensive backs are a must. Perhaps the gem of the K-State class can be found in Tee Denson, a corner from the Atlanta area who was also looking at Virginia Tech, Purdue and Pitt among others. He chose Kansas State though and now has the chance to to play early for Chris Klieman and the Cats defense.

Other players such as Malachi Mitchell, Aamaris Brown, TJ Smith will join Denson in the backfield. To add immediate depth, the Cats also added junior college product Justin Gardner, an awesome addition to this team.

At quarterback, the Cats signed Will Howard out of Pennsylvania, who just so happens to be a fan of current Eagle quarterback Carson Wentz. Wentz, of course, was coached by Klieman and offensive coordinator Courtney Messingham at North Dakota State. With Skylar Thompson set to graduate after the 2020 season, the next starting signal caller could very well be the signee form Pennsylvania.

All and all, the Wildcats had a very successful class, but likely are hoping to bring in another junior college offensive tackle to compete for immediate playing time next season. In the Big 12, defensive backs are always needed so don’t be surprised if the Cats look to add another before this next season.

Beyond that, Klieman and company have done a good job building a foundation of quality football players coming off an eight-win season and ready for more. In building on this momentum, Kansas State football has already received commitments from three of the top five players in the 2021 class in the state of Kansas.

Good things are coming to Manhattan and they’re coming one brick at a time.