Mailbag: Why Kansas State is recruiting better

1. What is the chance that Kansas State lands both Grant Brix and Michael Boganowski?

DY: I have a better feeling on Kansas State landing Kaedin Massey, to be honest. Both Grant Brix and Michael Boganowski are going to be difficult to pry away from Oklahoma. I’m not saying they won’t land either one, but the chances on both are slim.

2. Who commits first out of Grant Brix and Kaedin Massey?

DY: It is much like the first question. Because I like the chances for K-State with Massey more, he’s my answer.

3. What position group needs to step up the most for K-State to repeat as Big 12 champs?

DY: My faith in Kansas State offensive coordinator Collin Klein is at an all-time high, especially with a returning starter at quarterback in Will Howard. That means the difference could be the defense and if the Wildcats are able to fill in the voids from a season ago.

Surprisingly, I won’t pick the safety spot, even though that is likely the biggest question for K-State. For the 3-3-5 to work at a high level the way it is intended, Chris Klieman and Joe Klanderman need a very good pass rush from the front four and dependable cornerbacks.

Both of those spots will be tested after losing Ekow Boye-Doe, Julius Brents and Felix Anudike-Uzomah. Perhaps the move of Khalid Duke quells the anxiety on the defensive front a bit. But are the cornerbacks up to the challenge? That’d be my pick.

4. What seed in the NCAA Tournament would Kansas State be with the current roster?

DY: That is a tough one to answer without knowing every roster in the Big 12 and across the landscape as well as I will in a few months. Kansas State earned a 3-seed with last year’s squad, and I’m not sure this roster is up to par with that one just yet, but they will play a much challenging non-conference schedule.

That could mean more losses in the first batch of games, of course, but it could also provide larger rewards. My initial instinct is to say that they are about a 4-seed or a 5-seed.

5. Is Dorian Finister prepared to be a role player?

DY: Not yet. But it’s early in the offseason and there is still a bunch of time before that is ironed out by the K-State coaches. There’s also a ton of time left to develop and improve enough to surge up the pecking order, so to speak.

6. In your opinion, is it better to win transfers because of NIL or lose out on targets or lose your own players due to price tags?

DY: That’s a great question. I’m somewhere in the middle, which I think is similar to how both Kansas State staffs do it. They have an NIL coffer to use and it can be competitive, but they aren’t down with the back-and-forth bidding wars because that tells them that the money is more important than the game.

7. Why are the current K-State basketball and football staffs able to recruit at a higher level and capitalize off success more than previous coaching staffs in Manhattan?

DY: Simply put, the K-State basketball staff has deeper connections and is much more charismatic and aggressive on the recruiting trail. There is something to being extremely likable, charismatic, successful and also having an attractive playing style. That combination did not exist prior to Jerome Tang.

In terms of the Kansas State football staff, they receive massive amounts of institutional support and take advantage of it. The recruiting operation itself has much more investment, about 100 times over, than was the case before Chris Klieman.

On the football front, they try a lot harder and recruit much more. The prior K-State staff invested very little time and effort into it. Recruiting was an afterthought for much of the football calendar in prior years under the previous regime.

8. Did Nae’Qwan Tomlin connect with Arthur Kaluma in the NBA Draft process and play a role in attracting him?

DY: I don’t know how much of the recruiting needle that it moved, but Nae’Qwan Tomlin, Tylor Perry and David N’Guessan have all been extremely active and engaged when it comes to the Kansas State recruiting efforts and trying to make it a better squad.

9. Will the 2024 Kansas State recruiting class finish in the top 10?

DY: While K-State could reasonably land a trio that consists of David Castillo, Derrion Reid and Patrick Ngongba, I’m not sure that it will crack the top 10. That is three top 50 prospects that could make it to Manhattan, but there’s a handful of classes that will be just as good and others that have more quantity.

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