Five things: Why Jordan Riley makes Kansas State better

1.) The Kansas State recruiting win of safety Jordan Riley was a victory over Power Four programs. Though it was a quick recruitment, the Wildcats swooped in and received a visit upon extending him a scholarship, fellow Big 12 programs Cincinnati and Houston did offer him. The Ball State transfer wasted little time picking K-State, though.

2.) Clearly, Riley is a replacement for the departing Kobe Savage. The former K-State defender snuck out of Manhattan and ended up at Oregon (where he might not start). Early impressions and past production suggest that it could be a scenario where Kansas State has upgraded at the spot. And defensive coordinator and assistant Joe Klanderman, likely along with head coach Chris Klieman, has completely nailed just about every transfer addition to the secondary during his tenure at K-State.

3.) There is maturity and leadership in spades. He is a grown adult. Those things matter, and those things typically play incredibly well at Kansas State and in Manhattan. They tend to be elite matches. I compare it to when the Wildcats added transfer defensive tackle Timmy Horne as a graduate transfer and he took off as a player as well and made it to the NFL. While he doesn’t possess great length, Riley is explosive, very smart and definitely physical.

4.) Riley played in all 37 games at Ball State since his true freshman season. Of those 37 contests, he started in 24 of them and had 167 career tackles. He was a third team all-conference selection in 2022 and has commanded the respect of his new K-State teammates ever since arriving in Manhattan in January. He also has the ability to play man coverage well for a safety, and he remarked at a media availability this offseason that it’s a strength for the Wildcat defense as a whole.

5.) Besides having a redshirt available, one season of eligibility remains for Riley. We anticipate him immediately starting for Kansas State alongside VJ Payne and Marques Sigle.

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