Kansas State 2012 Recruiting

Kansas State Wildcats 2012 ... Head Coach: Bill Snyder

Kansas State Wildcats

2011 Record: 10-3

Sep. 3 Eastern Kentucky W 10-7
Sep. 10 OPEN DATE
Sep. 17 Kent State W 37-0
Sep. 24 at Miami W 28-24
Oct. 1 Baylor W 36-35
Oct. 8 Missouri W 24-17
Oct. 15 at Texas Tech W 41-34
Oct. 22 at Kansas W 59-21
Oct. 29 Oklahoma L 58-17
Nov. 5 at Oklahoma State L 52-45
Nov. 12 Texas A&M W 53-50 4OT
Nov. 19 at Texas W 17-13
Nov. 26 Iowa State W 30-23 Cotton Bowl
Jan. 6 Arkansas L 29-16

2010 CFN Prediction: 4-8
2010 Record: 7-6

Sept. 4 UCLA W 31-22
Sept. 11 Missouri St W 48-24
Sept. 18 Iowa St W 27-20 (in KC)
Sept. 25 UCF W 17-13
Oct. 2 OPEN DATE
Oct. 7 Nebraska L 48-13
Oct. 14 at Kansas W 59-7
Oct. 23 at Baylor L 47-42
Oct. 30 Oklahoma St L 24-14
Nov. 6 Texas W 39-14
Nov. 13 at Missouri L 38-28
Nov. 20 at Colorado L 44-36
Nov. 27 at North Texas W 49-41
PINSTRIPE BOWL
Dec. 30 Syracuse L 36-34
- Get KSU Tickets

- Get KSU Tickets

The Entire 2012 Recruiting Class

Top 5 Kansas State Recruits To Care About
Player writeups by Scout.com

1. LB Will Davis
6-1, 210, Scout.com 41st ranked, three-star middle linebacker.

2. QB Tay Bender
6-2, 205, Scout.com 77th ranked, three-star quarterback.

3. OT Tavon Rooks
6-6, 280, Scout.com three-star offensive tackle.

4. OG Aderius Epps
6-2, 275, Scout.com 79th ranked, three-star guard.

5. TE Cody Small
6-4, 232, Scout.com 58th ranked, three-star tight end.

The 2012 Class Was Heavy On... It’s Kansas State, so as always the focus is on bringing in as many ready-made JUCO players as possible to win right now. This isn’t going to be a huge signing class, and there won’t be as many JUCO signees as normal, but Bill Snyder will try to gets instant starters for both lines while hoping to find the right fit at quarterback in Tay Bender for down the road. However, Snyder is 72, and it’s questionable whether or not he’ll still want to be coaching by the time the freshmen are done.

Team Concerns For 2012: Three starters are needed for an offensive line that did a great job throughout last year. There’s been some good developing going on, so there might not be as much of a learning curve as it might seem, but Snyder will still come up with a few JUCO prospects just in case. The secondary gets back ball-hawking corner Nigel Malone, but loses playmaking free safety Tysyn Hartman and corner David Garnett.

Looking Ahead To The 2012 Season: What can Bill Snyder do for an encore? After nearly getting to the BCS by winning close game after close game, the team needs to find more offensive weapons and has to be even stronger on defense. Collin Klein will get the hype as one of college football’s best running quarterbacks, but he’ll have a patchwork line in front of him. John Hubert is a quick back who should do even more, while Brodrick Smith and Chris Harper are big targets who should do more as Klein expands the passing attack. The D has to find a playmaker in the secondary to replace Tysyn Hartman and corner David Garrett, but Nigel Malone should be among the nation’s top defensive backs. Arthur Brown is a terrific linebacker to build around, but three starters are gone off the front seven.

The 2011 Class Was Heavy On … Quarterbacks. As always, Bill Snyder went hard after the JUCO transfers with corner Allen Chapman a lockdown defender and safeties Kip Daily and Nigel Malone ready for right now, and defensive end Meshak Williams a great-looking end to put in the rotation. The offensive backfield got a few new options with JUCO transfers Justin Tuggle and Angelo Pease two fast, mobile players who can handle the offense this year. Daniel Sams is a prep pickup who’ll be groomed for the near future.

2010 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 84. That Class Was Heavy On ... JUCO transfers. If it's Kansas State there are going to be Junior College transfers. Overall this is a mediocre class with the bulk of the players for the near future coming in last year, especially in the secondary, and Bill Snyder is going for the immediate boost to get the program back over the hump and into Big 12 South title contention. Matthew Pearson will start somewhere in the secondary and Adam Davis will be used from Day One on the line as a pass rusher. In the freshman class, linebackers Tre Walker and Laton Dowling will be the keys to the 2013 Wildcat defense.

2009 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 89. That Class Was Heavy On ... defensive backs. If you’re going to try to compete in the Big 12, you need good defensive backs. Kansas State didn’t exactly break the recruiting bank on star prospects, but the secondary got the most help with safeties Thomas Ferguson and Carlton Callendar the best in the class. Throw in JUCO transfer Troy Butler and corner Courtney Thompson, along with safeties Joseph Bonugli and Torrell Miller, and the Wildcats are thinking defense first with this class.

Cotton Bowl
Arkansas 29 … Kansas State 16
- CFN Thoughts on the Cotton

Arkansas: The Hogs outgained Kansas State 129 rushing yards to 87 … Tyler Wilson completed 20-of-31 passes for 216 yards and two touchdowns …Broderick Green ran seven times for 60 yards. … Greg Childs caught five passes for 48 yards, and Jarius Wright caught three passes for 88 yards with a touchdown and returned three punts for 62 yards and a score. … Jerry Franklin made eight tackles. … Jerico Nelson made seven tackles with an interception for 61 yards.

Kansas State: The Wildcats held on to the ball for 33:51. … Collin Klein completed 16-of-30 passes for 173 yards and a score with a pick, and he led the team with 24 carries for 42 yards and a touchdown. … Sheldon Smith caught five passes for 50 yards. … David Garrett led the team with ten tackles with two tackles for loss. … Adam David made four tackles with two sacks and three tackles for loss.

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) -- Explosive returner Joe Adams had one last big highlight to help No. 7 Arkansas end a record-tying season in tall Cotton.

All-SEC quarterback Tyler Wilson was well short of the record passing performance he had earlier this season at Cowboys Stadium, but did throw two touchdown passes after Adams' fourth punt return for a TD and the Razorbacks beat No. 11 Kansas State 29-16 in the Cotton Bowl on Friday night.

The Razorbacks (11-2) matched a school record with their 11th victory. Their only losses were to No. 1 LSU and No. 2 Alabama, their SEC West rivals who will play for the BCS national championship Monday night.

"Joe Adams has made big plays for us all year long," Wilson said. "We were struggling offensively until he sparked us. Great players make big plays, and he definitely got his."

Adams' 51-yard return early in the second quarter gave the Razorbacks a 10-0 lead before they even gained a first down. It was the first punt return for a touchdown in the Cotton Bowl in 51 years.

"It was another one of those where you just go, Wow!" coach Bobby Petrino said. "You could see when he made the catch he had in mind what he was going to do. We got some good blocks. ... Joe showed great acceleration, made another spectacular play for us."

Adams matched the SEC single-season record with his four punt return TDs. The senior receiver, who had five catches for only 22 yards Friday, was the only FBS player this season with multiple punt returns for TDs, along with rushing and receiving scores.

After fielding the ball near midfield, Adams took a few steps back before squirting through a gap past several defenders. He got all the way to the opposite sideline and got his path cleared by one last block from Javontee Herndon downfield.

"It obviously made a major difference," Kansas State coach Bill Snyder said. "We knew he's a talented player. We knew that he could make you miss him. .... The players were probably tired of me talking about being able to contain Joe Adams and not let him bounce the ball outside. Sure enough he bounced it outside."

The last punt return for a touchdown in the Cotton Bowl also was by a Razorback, when Lance Alworth had a 49-yard return in a 7-6 loss to Duke in the 1961 game.

The only other 11-win seasons for the Razorbacks were by the Lou Holtz-coached team in 1977 and coach Frank Broyles' only undefeated season at Arkansas in 1964. They won 10 games last season with a Sugar Bowl appearance.

"To get this program consistently in the top 10, in BCS bowl games, great bowl games like the Cotton Bowl, hopefully in the top five in the country with 11 wins, it means so much to me personally, and to this group of seniors," defensive end Jake Bequette said. "It's just been such a fun ride."

A member of that 1964 team that won the Cotton Bowl over Nebraska was Jerry Jones, the Dallas Cowboys owner who attended the game in his $1.2 billion stadium that opened in 2009. He was part of a loud crowd of 80,956.

Kansas State also was trying to match its school record with 11 victories, but still finished a surprising season in Snyder's second Wildcats turnaround. K-State won 11 games six times during a seven-year span in Snyder's first tenure before his three-year retirement, and almost reached that mark again in his third season back.

Wildcats quarterback Collin Klein tied the Big 12 record with his 27th rushing touchdown this season and matched the FBS record for quarterbacks.

After being held to 15 yards on 12 carries in the first half, Klein finished the opening drive of the third quarter with a 6-yard TD run that got the Wildcats to 19-16. That came after Klein had a 15-yard run on the previous play.

That matched the Big 12 record for rushing touchdowns held by 1998 Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams of Texas. The only other FBS quarterback with 27 rushing touchdowns in a season was Ricky Dobbs for Navy in 2009.

Klein finished with 42 yards on 24 carries, while completing 16 of 30 passes for 173 yards.

The Razorbacks played their second game at Cowboys Stadium this season, three months after they overcame an 18-point halftime deficit to beat Big 12 team and future SEC foe Texas A&M 42-38.

In the return trip, Arkansas led the Big 12 opponent at halftime and had mostly throttled Klein and the Kansas State offense. It was the first game for new Razorbacks defensive coordinator Paul Haynes, who was hired in December after Willy Robinson resigned.

Wilson, who threw for a school-record 510 yards in that Oct. 1 game at Cowboys Stadium, was 20 of 31 for 216 yards against Kansas State. Jarius Wright, who had 13 catches for a record 287 yards against the Aggies, and three catches for 88 yards and a 45-yard TD in the Cotton Bowl.

The Cotton Bowl was the only non-BCS game with both teams in the top 15 of the Bowl Championship Series standings - Arkansas came in sixth, Kansas State eighth. It also is the only bowl featuring the SEC vs. the Big 12, the top two conferences in the BCS computer rankings.

The Razorbacks didn't even get a first down until 12 1/2 minutes left in the first half when Dennis Johnson opened a drive with a 28-yard run. That drive ended with the second of Zach Hocker's three field goals, a 22-yarder.

Arkansas led 19-0 when Wilson threw a 45-yard TD pass to Jarius Wright with 4 minutes left in the first half.

Kansas State, which has lost its last four bowl games since beating Arizona State in the 2002 Holiday Bowl, blocked the extra point and Nigel Malone returned it for two points.

It was 19-9 at halftime after Klein threw a 3-yard TD pass to Andrew McDonald with 26 seconds left in the first half. That score was set up after Wilson was sacked by Adam Davis and fumbled at the Razorbacks 13.

Wildcats defensive end Meshak Williams was injured at the end of the first half, when he made helmet-to-helmet contact with Emmanuel Lamur when both were trying to tackle Wilson, who put his head down to avoid the hit.

Williams remained down on the field for several minutes being tended to by medical personnel and then placed on a stretcher. He gave a thumbs-up signal when being placed on a cart, then when he was being driving off the field extended his right arm high and flashed a Wildcat sign.

Kansas State officials said after the game that Williams had already been released from the hospital and was going back to the hotel to join the team. They said he was moving all extremities and doing OK.

Arkansas led 3-0 after Bequette sacked Klein and forced a fumble, setting up Hocker's 26-yard field goal.

Tenarius Wright, the Razorbacks' other defensive end, jumped over a pile to recover the loose ball at the Kansas State 13.

Klein's fumble came on a second-and-33 play after a sequence that started with his 20-yard run to inside Arkansas territory being wiped out by an illegal shift penalty. He was sacked on the next play before a holding call and a false start pushed the ball all the way back to the 20.

"We got off to an awfully bad start and really couldn't overcome the damage that we did," Snyder said. "And most of it was pretty obvious."

Nov. 19 Kansas State 17 … at Texas 13
CFN Analysis: Collin Klein was beaten, battered, and bruised, and the offense didn’t work with just 121 yards, but the defense came up with a great performance of its own to keep the Texas offense under wraps. … The O line didn’t get a push, and the team didn’t control the clock and couldn’t get a hold of the game, but the safeties did their part – led by Tysyn Hartman’s nine stops – and the defensive front didn’t miss tackles. … At 9-2, now the team gets two weeks off to rest up and prepare for Iowa State and a ten-win regular season. Depending on what the two Oklahoma teams do, there’s a chance to tie for the Big 12 title.  

Nov. 12 at Kansas State 53 … Texas A&M 50 4OT
CFN Analysis: In any other conference, Collin Klein would be the signature player. He was unbelievable a week after being unbelievable against Oklahoma State running 35 times for 103 yards and five scores, and completing 17-of-27 passes for 281 yards and a touchdown with an interception. … The offense didn’t even pretend to do much of anything else. This was Klein’s game, his comeback, and his win, marching the team late again. It’s almost like he learned from the OSU loss how to come through in the clutch, making up for the one misfire that closed out last week’s game. … Again, this is said every week, the formula is the formula. KSU held on to the ball for over 34 minutes, only committed one penalty, and was only -1 in turnover margin. … There was no pass rush, but the secondary did a far better job after getting torched by OSU’s Brandon Weeden. … With this win, and with Oklahoma and Oklahoma State out of the way, a ten-win season is possible with wins over Texas and Iowa State.  

Nov. 5 at Oklahoma State 52 … Kansas State 45
CFN Analysis: As disappointing as this might have been, it also proved the team, and the first half of the season, are for real. Collin Klein was terrific, but he had plenty of help from an offensive front that held its own against the aggressive Oklahoma State offensive front. Most importantly, the formula worked. Win the turnover margin (4 to 2), own the time of possession battle (40:49 to 19:11), and keep the chains moving. Klein not only ran well, but he also threw for 231 yards and a score with a pick. It also helped to have a special game from Tyler Lockett, who caught a touchdown pass, ran for 84 yards, and did a great job on kickoff returns. This was the team’s signature moment, even in a loss, but it can still do big things with against Texas A&M, Texas, and Iowa State to close things out. It’s going to take more shootouts, though, to come up with more wins. There’s no shame in losing to Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, but these Cats can do more. 

Oct. 29 at Oklahoma State 58 … Kansas State 17
CFN Analysis: Kansas State was up 17-14. Things were working. Collin Klein was making the right decisions, the running game was effective, and the defense was doing just enough to get by. And then the roof caved in. The secondary couldn’t handle the OU receiving corps, the offense stopped moving the chains, and the rout was on as the Sooners scored 44 unanswered points. The Wildcat have to quickly throw this game out, because it’s not going to get any easier with a trip to Oklahoma State up next followed up by Texas A&M. KSU has own third downs. Against the Sooners, KSU only converted 4-of-13 third down chances and the defense was on the field way too much. This might have been ugly, but the formula can still work. Time of possession, no mistakes, and running effectively can get the Wildcats wins over stronger Big 12 teams, but there’s no margin for error. 

Oct. 22 Kansas State 59 … at Kansas 21
CFN Analysis: Kansas State did exactly what it’s supposed to do to a bad team that’s struggling to do anything right on defense. Collin Klein will never be Tom Brady, but he did a good, efficient job of throwing the ball enough to keep the Jayhawks off the line so the ground game could work. Klein ran for four scores and John Hubert was effective whenever he got his chances, while the special teams and defense also chimed in to help keep the blowout rolling after a big 28-7 start. The D allowed KU to complete throws, but it kept the deep balls to a minimum. This wasn’t a perfect game, but it was close with no turnovers, just two penalties, and a 21-0 start to prove that the hot start really hasn’t been a fluke so far. The team is playing with house money, and now it’s time to take things to another level with Oklahoma and Oklahoma State up next.  

Oct. 15 Kansas State 41 … at Texas Tech 34
CFN Analysis: Relentless. Kansas State had its chances to fold, and there were times when the offense wasn’t working, but the defense kept hanging on, hanging on, hanging on, and the Texas Tech screwed up. The early interceptions helped, and finishing +4 in turnover margin was a big plus, but it was the play of quarterback Collin Klein, who had an effective 12-of-18 passing day for 146 yards and a score, while running for 110 yards and three scores and seemingly converting on every big third down chance. The ten penalties were a problem that have to be corrected, and the defense gave up almost 600 yards of total offense, but somehow, helped by a brilliant kickoff return for a score from Tyler Lockett and a Nigel Malone pick six, the Wildcats did just enough to get the win and go for 6-0 with a date at Kansas up next. 

Oct. 8 at Kansas State 24 … Missouri 17
CFN Analysis: Kansas State’s defense was terrific early, and it could afford to have problems late. The D didn’t let Missouri get a thing in the first quarter, and Collin Klein and the offense took control handling the clock and the game by keeping the Tiger offense off the field. Klein once again showed that he can do just enough with the short to midrange passing game to keep defense away from the ground game a wee bit. His 11-of-16, 112-yard performance through the air was good enough, and his three touchdown runs will get the focus, but John Hubert was the workhorse with 126 yards on 26 carries. The Tiger defense was keyed in on keeping Klein under wraps, but Hubert got the job done. The attention should start to come, but there’s test after test to deal with. If the Wildcats beat Texas Tech on the road then, it’ll really be time to think big.  

Oct. 1 at Kansas State 36 … Baylor 35
CFN Analysis: How did Kansas State pull it off? The secondary was bombed on, the passing game was mediocre, and the defense couldn’t come up with any big plays … until Arthur Brown came up with a big play. The running game kept the chains and the clock moving with Collin Klein finishing with 113 yards and a touchdown to make up for his 13-of-28 passing day, and while the defense might have gotten torched by Robert Griffin, it was solid against the run while getting off the field time and again on third downs. It hasn’t always been pretty, and three of the games easily could’ve gone either way, but Kansas State is 4-0 with Missouri coming into town. With the way the run defense is playing and with the pass rush consistent, this is quickly turning into a dangerous team to watch out for if Klein can start throwing a bit better.  

Sept. 24 Kansas State 28 … at Miami 24
CFN Analysis: Who gave Kansas State a shot against the Canes? Kansas State came in with an attitude and a terrific offensive performance, controlling the game and the clock with third down conversion after third down conversion thanks to Collin Klein making plays with his arm as well as his legs. He completed 12-of-18 passes for 133 yards and two scores, and he ran 22 times for 93 yards and a score, but it was the running of John Hubert, who came up with 166 yards and a touchdown that caught the Canes off-guard. Of course, it all came down to the final stop, and while it might be a game of inches, Kansas State forced Miami to rally in the first place. After a rough start with the near miss against Eastern Kentucky, KSU is 3-0 with a red-hot Baylor coming to Manhattan. With the way the defense is playing, there’s a shot at coming up with another shocker if the team can put together another performance like this.  

Sept. 17 at Kansas State 37 ... Kent State 0
CFN Analysis: Kansas State actually has an offense? The defense hasn’t played an offense with a pulse so far, but it still looks nice to be No. 1 in the nation in scoring D, pass efficiency D, and total defense. Kent State couldn’t get anything going through the air, cranking out just 81 yards, but after the nightmare last week against Eastern Kentucky, the Wildcat offense was under the microscope. It was way too centered around Collin Klein, who threw for 74 yards and a score and ran for 139 yards and two touchdowns, and there wasn’t much help from anyone else. Bryce Brown didn’t get a carry and Robert Rose and John Hubert each ran for 29 yards; KSU needs more options. Bryce’s brother, Arthur Brown, was tremendous, making 12 tackles with two tackles for loss.  

Sept. 3 at Kansas State 10 ... Eastern Kentucky 7
CFN Analysis: Yeeeeeesh. Kansas State is supposed to be able to pound away with the running game on anyone, but instead it was held to a pedestrian 175 yards with QB Collin Klein running for 78 of them. Bryce Brown didn’t even get the start, running just three times for 16 yards, while John Hubert was the main man with 91 yards on 17 carries. Fortunately, the defense was terrific allowing just ten rushing yards and camping out in the backfield. Five turnovers meant the Wildcats needed a last minute score to put away the layup game, and now they get two weeks off to let this close call sink in before going against Kent State’s nasty defense. 

The 2011 Class Is Heavy On … Quarterbacks. As always, Bill Snyder went hard after the JUCO transfers with corner Allen Chapman a lockdown defender and safeties Kip Daily and Nigel Malone ready for right now, and defensive end Meshak Williams a great-looking end to put in the rotation. The offensive backfield got a few new options with JUCO transfers Justin Tuggle and Angelo Pease two fast, mobile players who can handle the offense this year. Daniel Sams is a prep pickup who’ll be groomed for the near future.

Five Kansas State Recruits You Should Care About
Player writeups by Scout.com

1. QB Justin Tuggle
6-3, 225, three-star JUCO transfer. Signed with Boston College in 2008 and redshirted. Played for the Eagles in 2009 before transferring to Blinn in January. Will have two years to play two after the 2010 season.

2. DE Meshak Williams
6-3, 231, three-star JUCO transfer.

3. CB Allen Chapman
5-10, 175, three-star JUCO transfer.

4. DE Marquel Bryant
6-3, 219, Scout.com’s 75th ranked defensive end.

5. DT Lamonte Clark
6-3, 287, Scout.com’s 95th ranked defensive tackle.

2011 Entire Recruiting Class
Dante Barnett ATH 6-1 175 Fr. Tulsa, Okla./Booker T. Washington
Arthur Brown LB 6-1 223 Jr. Wichita, Kan./Miami
Bryce Brown RB 6-0 216 Jr Wichita, Kan./Tennessee
Marquel Bryant DE 6-3 215 Fr. Dallas, Texas/Skyline
Morgan Burns DB 5-11 195 Fr. Wichita, Kan./Trinity Academy
Tanner Burns DB 6-0 183 Jr. San Jose, Calif./San Jose State
Jade Cathey WR 6-5 185 Fr. Liberal, Kan./Liberal
Allen Chapman DB 5-11 180 Jr. San Francisco, Calif./Oak Grove/City College of San Francisco
Lamonte Clark DL 6-4 308 Fr. Washingon, D.C./Ballou
Kip Daily DB 6-0 181 Jr. College Station, Texas/A&M Consolidated/Blinn College
Tyler Davidson TE 6-5 265 Fr. Tulsa, Okla./Jenks
Hunter Davis DE 6-3 246 Fr. Choctaw, Okla./Choctaw
Glenn Gronkowski FB 6-3 195 Fr. Amherst, N.Y./Williamsville North
Samuel Harvill DL 6-1 255 Fr. Springdale, Ark./Shiloh Christian
Kason Hostrup OL 6-5 300 Fr. Sachse, Texas/Sachse
Kyle Klein DE 6-5 218 Fr. Loveland, Colo./Loveland
Tyler Lockett WR 5-11 170 Fr. Tulsa, Okla./Booker T. Washington
Vaikalafi Lutui DT 6-2 280 Jr. Salt Lake City, Utah/West/Mt. San Antonio CC
Nigel Malone DB 5-10 185 Jr. Manteca, Calif./Sierra/City College of San Francisco
Brandon Mickens LB 6-4 195 Fr. League City, Texas/Clear Springs
Mike Moore LB 6-1 213 Fr. Dallas, Texas/Skyline
Destin Mosley WR 5-9 175 Fr. Jefferson, Texas/Jefferson
Angelo Pease ATH 5-11 205 Jr. Cairo, Ga./Hutchinson CC
Daniel Sams QB 6-2 210 Fr. Slidell, La./Salmen
Ian Seau DE 6-4 240 Fr. Carlsbad, Calif./La Costa Canyon
Curry Sexton WR 6-0 190 Fr. Abilene, Kan./Abilene
Shaun Simon OL 6-2 315 Jr. Tulsa, Okla./Hutchinson CC
Boston Stiverson OL 6-4 295 Fr. Andover, Kan./Andover Central
Justin Tuggle QB 6-3 228 Jr. Alpharetta, Ga./Northview/Boston College/Blinn College
Cody Whitehair OL 6-5 300 Fr. Abilene, Kan./Abilene
Meshak Williams DL 6-4 235 Jr. Sylvester, Ga./Hutchinson CC
Dillon Wilson PK 6-0 175 Fr. Midlothian, Texas/Midlothian