Kansas State Football: August brings good news for recruiting

August has seen Kansas State football nab prospects from multiple time zones and regions in their efforts to build a winning program in Manhattan.

After a slow summer that saw little to no action, and in many cases involved prospects the Wildcats had their eyes on moving on elsewhere, August was a new month with good news followed by more good news when it came to recruiting. Prioritized and coveted prospects opted for Kansas State football during this unusual recruiting cycle.

Here are some of the names K-State was able to lock down.

Matthew Langolis, DB (New Roads, LA)

Landing this defensive back was a big win for the Wildcats, especially during the unusual year that 2020 continues to be. With offers from Virginia, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest and Mississippi State just to name a few, acquiring this defensive back can be scored as a big win for the Wildcats.

Matthew Langolis projects to offer an extremely athletic safety capable of being a playmaker for years to come in Manhattan and could become a team leader. A multi sport athlete, Langolis is fast and versatile and could make an impact early for the Wildcats in a variety of spots.

Andrew Leingang, OL (Bismark, ND)

Perhaps no recuitment was followed more closely over the summer or debated more hotly than the recruitment of the North Dakota lineman. Other finalists being Minnesota, Stanford and North Dakota State, the developments of Andrew Leingang‘s recruitment have been followed closely for months.

After multiple recruiting losses in the 2020 recruiting cycle to Minnesota (Topeka’s Ky Thomas and Ruskin Heights Aireontae Ersery), the Cats are able to land a coveted offensive line prospect and beat out a Big Ten and Pac12 program in the process. Head Coach Chris Kieman’s history in North Dakota certainly helped the Wildcats pull sway here.

With good size and strength, Leingang could likely play anywhere along the offensive line, though he projects most likely along the interior, but could in theory move the outside on the right side.

Ozzie Hoffler, DE (Atlanta, GA)

https://twitter.com/O_hoff2021/status/1297972272741965826

The defensive end prospect had been on the radar of the Cats for awhile, but soon after the Wildcats offered him a scholarship, the Georgia pass rusher made the call and committed to the Wildcat football program. Combining both burst and quickness of the edge, fans can see what the defensive staff saw in Ozzie Hoffler. Built more as a linebacker currently, he will certainly need to add weight to his frame.

A year after the program took another Georgia product in Khalid Duke, they are at it again in another prospect they hope can be a havoc and make plays behind the line of scrimmage. Hoffler choose the Wildcats over offers from Boston College, Kansas, and Wake Forest to name a few.

Krew Jackson, LB (Queen City, AZ)

The Arizona native surprised many by opting to commit to Kansas State over offers from both instate programs Arizona and Arizona State among the many. The tall lanky player, currently a safety, will move to linebacker in Manhattan, where his long, lanky frame fits with what the Kansas State program looks for in athletes.

With speed and experience both stopping the run as a safety and even experience covering the outside as a corner, Krew Jackson brings the necessary tools of pass defense and tackling to help the linebacking group for the Wildcat defense.

Jackson certainly fits the bill of the athletic playmaker the Wildcats so desperately need with their linebackers, and his height and length could play well covering the short areas of the Big12 passing attacks.

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An important note – Commitments are not binding and players as we know will switch commitments all the way up to signing day and perhaps even beyond.

The Langolis and Jackson commitments are something to follow, as they come from states that don’t have a history of producing players at Kansas State, and in-state schools could turn up the heat late in the process. Hopefully all four stay in the fold and sign on the dotted line come Signing Day, whenever that may be.

Here are some other names to keep an eye on as we move to the fall:

Al Ashford, Cornerback (Colorado)

The Wildcats are in a good spot and have a need at corner, which Ashford would fill, but the pull of staying closer to home and playing for the in-state Colorado Buffaloes may be tough for Kansas State to beat.

Myles Purchase, Cornerback (Colorado)

Purchase is a teammate of Ashford and a target of Kansas State for much longer. Purchase is considering schools such as Iowa State along with Kansas State, so it will be interesting to see the direction his recruitment goes.

Nick Martin, Athlete (Texas)

Recruited by the Cats most likely at linebacker, Martin will be a tough sign, as he’s being pursued by Texas Tech and possibly Arkansas as well. He plays running back at the high school level, but future could very well land him on the defensive side of line of scrimmage.

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Here’s to hoping these young men are donning Kansas State football uniforms in the foreseeable future!