Q&A: Greg Cure, father of five-star Kansas State commit Linkon Cure

Following the ceremony at Goodland High School where five-star tight end Linkon Cure picked Kansas State over Oregon, Texas A&M and Kansas, KSO spoke to his father Greg Cure to gather his thoughts about how it all unfolded.

KSO: Linkon shared that he made his final decision recently. Is that how you saw it as well?
Greg Cure: I believe it was like he said. My wife and I were actually getting ready in the hotel room when Linkon called. And he was crying, and he just said, ‘I just got that feeling and I want to be here’. We were relieved for him. It was a happy moment for us. He just needed that. I think the biggest thing for these kids is that they go to these universities and develop strong relationships with these coaches. When you come home you’re hearing that noise, too. Those relationships start to really tug on you. Even us as parents. A guy like Lance Leipold and Jeff Grimes (at Kansas), you can’t get any better quality gentlemen. Dan Lanning and Drew Mehringer (at Oregon), Collin Klein and Mike Elko (at Texas A&M). I was proud of Linkon that he chose those universities. There was a value and a set of morals that surrounded those guys. And that was good for us.

KSO: How tough was it for Kansas State in those moments when Collin Klein chose to leave?
Greg Cure: (Laughed) Yeah. We never talked much about it but I think it was real, and it sure made Linkon scramble a little bit. I could see that pressure was real. He looks up to Collin Klein and always has. And Collin has been very good about helping Linkon through this process, too. He’s been very good.

KSO: What was the top factor that swung it towards Kansas State in the end?
Greg Cure: We were always going to support Linkon with any decision that he made from the get-go. We didn’t want to lean on him in any way. If he had questions, we answered them. If he asked me about something, I would give him an honest answer. My wife and I let him go through that process and come to his own terms. I think it means a lot for our family. There’s a lot of Cures across the state of Kansas, and Colorado and Oklahoma. Being able to walk out of the tunnel after a game, win or lose, and knowing you’re going to have a lot of family there, I think that mattered more than anything. Family trumps everything.

KSO: How did you think Kansas State coaches Chris Klieman and Brian Lepak handled the process?
Greg Cure: They approached it very well. They weren’t ever over-bearing, and they were conscious of that. There were some schools that got a little tough at times. Klieman, Lepak and Kansas State were never over-bearing and were always there for Linkon when he needed to ask a question or sort something out. It was just a good process. I can’t complain at all. We ran hard for four weekends, and it was tiresome, and we came back to cut wheat. But it was good. He knew down there in Manhattan that it was his place.

KSO: Now that it’s behind you, is Kansas State where you wanted him?
Greg Cure: It’s like I said about the family. You see all the people here today. There’s a lot of K-State support. My son Leyton plays at KU and there will be a lot of support at KU. I think that’s important. It’s really important.

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