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Since becoming the coach at K-State in December, Collin Klein has been extremely aggressive in recruiting the class of 2027.
The Wildcats currently have the No.
31 class in the country, with 27 guys committed.
Leading the way in the class are 4-star defensive backs Joshua Vilmeal and Cooper Ohnmacht are guys who have the potential to be All-Big 12 caliber defensive players.
Klein has fans excited with that start, but he knows this is just the beginning.
During an interview with John Kurtz and Derek Young on the KC Sports Network, Klein said the recruiting success won't be determined until the future when it comes to guys making it to the next level.
"We need to build a roster that is producing NFL Combine and draft picks," Klein said.
"I will tell you in three years how well we did.
Ultimately, that number is way more valuable than 'this many players got this star, this ranking'.
At the end of the day, that doesn't matter.
How many guys are we truly developing and then placing at the highest level of football on this planet, that is going to tell us how well we are doing." As Klein said, it is way too early to truly know how good of a job the new staff is doing on the recruiting trail.
While bringing in top talent is important, being able to develop those players and help them reach their potential is equally important.
Also, in today's college football, things are changing on a dime.
Some commits from the class will decide to go somewhere else, while other guys will announce they are committing to K-State.
This off-season has given K-State fans many reasons to be excited.
When Klein was hired as the coach, there was an obvious excitement and buzz in Manhattan.
Klein is as beloved of a player as there is in K-State history, and the success he had as the Texas A&M offensive coordinator made it the perfect match.
Klein has done everything he could do as a coach in his first six months on the job.
He has fans excited about the upcoming season, but the 2027 recruiting class has them ecstatic about the future as well.
At the end of the day, the results on the field are what fans care about the most, but he has shown in every other department thus far that he is up for the job.
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Mark has over a decade of experience as a reporter, with his content being on numerous websites including, ESPN, Newsweek and Cleveland.com among many others.
His career started at K-State as the sports editor for the K-State Collegian.
He also coaches high school basketball at Blue Valley West in Overland Park.
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