Here’s a look at the 15 football recruits that Kansas State inked on signing day

There are two very different ways to look at the recruiting class that Chris Klieman officially welcomed to the Kansas State football roster when the early signing period began on Wednesday.

1. The Wildcats could have done better on the recruiting trail. A year after winning the Big 12 they will bring in a group of 15 high school prospects and junior college transfers that the national recruiting services rank near the bottom of the conference.

The folks at On3 have this K-State recruiting class rated 45th nationally and sixth in the Big 12. Things aren’t any better at 247Sports (61st nationally and 12th in the Big 12) or Rivals (62nd nationally and 12th in the Big 12).

2. K-State built this class around a strong core of talented players who could make the 2024 recruiting cycle age like a fine wine. The Wildcats aren’t known for signing an abundance of four-star and five-star recruits, but seven players in this class carry a four-star rating by at least one recruiting service.

If Mill Valley offensive lineman Gus Hawkins, Lyndon offensive lineman Kaedin Massey and out-of-state recruits Trae Davis, Blake Barnett, Jacques Spradley-Demps, Jake Stonebraker and Malcolm Alcorn-Crowder live up their highest expectations, then this group could turn out to be quite promising.

It’s far too early to know which one of those outlooks will be proven correct. But it’s never too early to start thinking about the future.

Here is a rundown of all the players that K-State signed on Wednesday:

Kansas State’s 2024 football recruiting class

Malcolm Alcorn-Crowder: 6-6, 295-pound defensive lineman from Butler Community College

Blake Barnett: 6-2, 205-pound quarterback from Erie, Colorado

Callen Barta: 6-2, 180-pound defensive back from Topeka

Trae Davis: 6-1, 171-pound wide receiver from Troup, Texas

Gus Hawkins: 6-7, 280 pound offensive lineman from Shawnee

Ryan Howard: 6-5, 320-pound offensive lineman from Downingtown, Pennsylvania

Kaedin Massey: 6-8, 270-pound offensive lineman from Lyndon

Boone Morris: 6-2, 225-pound linebacker from Mount Vernon, Texas

John Price: 5-11, 185-pound running back from Stilwell

Kyle Rakers: 6-3, 290-pound offensive lineman from West Des Moines, Iowa

De Von Rice: 5-9, 175-pound running back from Las Vegas

Zashon Rich: 6-2, 180-pound defensive back from Minneapolis

Jacques Spradely-Demps: 6-1, 190-pound wide receiver from Jarrell, Texas

Jake Stonebraker: 6-1, 205-pound defensive back from Castle Rock, Colorado

Dante Thomas: 6-1, 175-pound defensive back from Southwest Mississippi State junior college

Incoming transfers

These players are expected to enroll in January:

Travis Bates: 6-3, 250-pound defensive end from Austin Peay

Easton Kilty: 6-5, 305-pound offensive lineman from North Dakota

Jordan Riley-Scott: 6-1, 195-pound defensive back from Ball State