Jace Adler arrives in the 2026 kickoff countdown as a familiar kind of college football grinder: a walk-on safety from Andover High School Central who is majoring in accounting, and a player who already found a way onto the field in 2025.
Adler appeared in three games last season, logging snaps on 13 punt coverage plays against Oklahoma State, Utah and Colorado. He kept his redshirt intact and made his mark on special teams with a tackle on punt coverage at Oklahoma State.
Before getting to K-State, Adler built a decorated high school résumé under head coach Derek Tuttle at Andover Central. He was a three-year letter-winner, picked up Top-11 honors as a senior from the Kansas Football Coaches Association, and earned first-team all-state recognition from both that group and The Wichita Eagle.
His senior season also brought bigger hardware. Sports in Kansas named him the 2024 Kansas Class 4A Defensive Player of the Year after he helped lead Andover Central to a state championship. By the time his prep career ended, he had piled up 230 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, a sack and a school-record nine interceptions.
Adler’s game wasn’t limited to defense. He finished with 1,746 receiving yards and 24 touchdowns, plus 964 career kickoff and punt return yards. He also lettered three years in basketball and two years in baseball.
Football runs through the family. His father, Marcus, played baseball at Missouri and in the Detroit Tigers’ organization.
Jace is one of four siblings, alongside Will, Ben, Nate and Luc. Ben was a starting offensive lineman for the Wildcats from 2019 through 2021, and Nate pitched for Wichita State.
In May 2025, Adler received a scholarship from the Bill Snyder Sunflower Chapter of the National Football Foundation.
He chose to walk on at K-State over scholarship offers from Butler, Hutch, Independence and Iowa Western, where he had previously been committed, along with Nebraska-Kearney, Tennessee State and Washburn. He also drew recruiting interest from Emporia State, Kansas, Lindenwood, Midland, Missouri Southern, Northwest Missouri State and Pitt State.
In Other News...
Kansas State Is About To Put A New Name On Its Jerseys
Kansas State is getting ready to take a step that has become familiar across college sports but still feels new enough to draw attention in Manhattan: putting a sponsor patch on football jerseys. Athletics director Gene Taylor said the school is close to finalizing a football-specific deal, and the details should be announced soon. It is the latest sign of how programs are finding new ways to use their uniforms and branding in an era when outside corporate support has become increasingly visible.
The Wildcats have already offered a clue about where this is headed, with practice jerseys featuring a green Irish clover tied to a company that has long had connections to the university. For a fan base that pays close attention to every uniform tweak, the move adds another layer to a season in which the look of the team may change before the on-field product does. The remaining question is not whether the patch is coming, but how quickly Kansas State will make the arrangement official and what name will soon be stitched onto the jersey. [Read more 🡒]
Collin Klein Is Bringing Back A K-State Standard Fans Know Well
Collin Kleins return to Manhattan has a familiar feel for Kansas State fans who remember the Bill Snyder era for its discipline, structure and no-nonsense expectations. Klein is leaning into many of the same standards, with demanding practices and a clear emphasis on work ethic, while still bringing his own imprint to the job. The programs identity has always been tied to habits as much as hype, and Klein appears intent on keeping that foundation intact.
He also differs from Snyder in ways that matter around the edges, including a more media-friendly presence and a visible emphasis on family priorities. For the Wildcats, the bigger picture is how that blend translates on the field, especially with Avery Johnson drawing outside attention as a possible Heisman Trophy name. The buzz is understandable, but history suggests that kind of leap remains a long shot, which only adds more intrigue to a season that already has plenty riding on it. [Read more 🡒]