Recruiting Notebook: Kansas State visitors in July
Kansas State visitors in July
Much of July is under a dead period every year. That means recruiting halts to a stop in many ways, outside of phone calls and a few messages. No visits from coaches are permitted. Athletes can’t visit campuses, either. But it kicks up soon, and Kansas State will be busy.
The Wildcats often have a team barbecue of sorts to signify the end of the offseason and fall camp soon afterwards. That is once again the case this year, and it is also typically accompanied with a camp and a few days where they host important visitors as well.
Not only will Junction City linebacker Michael Boganowski be in Manhattan (and Kansas and Oklahoma, too), but K-State will host a few of their top targets from the 2025 cycle as well. Both tight end targets in Linkon Cure of Goodland and DaSaahn Brame of Derby will make another trip to the Kansas State campus.
Boganowski comparison
A popular conversation to participate in lately is a comparison for Boganowski. The four-star has been mentioned with former Clemson standout Isaiah Simmons. It probably isn’t a coincidence since the Olathe North product was coached in college by now Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables.
That is the pitch from the Sooners.
Like others have noted, I would disagree with that sentiment. Maybe Boganowski would take on that role in Norman, and I’m sure he could do well in it, but they aren’t similar as high school players both in performance and in frame or build.
For one, Simmons was more of an underachiever of sorts in high school. He was a gifted athlete that was not all that aggressive or active when it came to overall impact and production. Boganowski is the opposite. He plays a significant part in Junction City’s production and success.
There was a game where he had over 150 yards rushing when he was forced to play quarterback and he still found his way to 20-plus tackles on the defensive side of the ball, too. Simmons’ entire prospects was on potential and upside whereas Boganowski’s is on actual performance and appealing traits.
Furthermore, Simmons was a super long and lean athlete with very little bulk on him. He crafted his frame once he arrived at Clemson and beefed up in order to play for the Tigers. Boganowski, a K-State target, already has more bulk and is not nearly as long.
There is a reason why Boganowski plays in the front seven for Junction City and Simmons was a safety and wide receiver in high school at Olathe North. Both are great players, but I wouldn’t consider their games, frames/builds or eventual roles to be all that similar.
In fact, I’ve heard former Kansas State linebacker Arthur Brown thrown out as a comparison for Boganowski. That one would be more accurate.
Old K-State receiver target
As noted above, Northwestern chose to fire head coach Pat Fitzgerald due to the hazing allegations that surfaced about the program. He was in Evanston for a long, long time and had success with the Wildcats. Fitzgerald also played at Northwestern.
Like with any other coaching move, everyone wants to know about the recruiting or roster ramifications. Because they aren’t battling often with the Wildcats from the Big Ten, K-State likely doesn’t stand to benefit a great deal.
For example, I don’t foresee Nick Herzog becoming a Kansas State target on any level. But there is a receiver that Chris Klieman and company pursued and offered that could make some sense. Fitzgerald was fired soon after Brett Eskildsen committed.
Eskildsen held an offer from K-State. The Wildcats were on the chase after seeing him at a camp. Do not be surprised if there is an official visit that ends up on the books for a game in the Fall. Communication has re-started between the two sides.
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