Kansas State’s 2026 class includes a cornerback who has already made a noticeable jump before ever taking a snap for the Wildcats. Josiah Vilmael, a 4-star defensive back from Texas, arrived at Vanier at 174 pounds and, over 51 days, added 19 pounds of muscle and 2 pounds of fat, a surge that caught the attention of Kansas State director of sports nutrition Scott Trausch.
“Josiah stepped into Vanier at 174 pounds and in 51 days, he gained 19 pounds of muscle and put on 2 pounds of fat, but for putting on that much muscle, and for the scale to go from 173 to 197 in 51 days, is incredible. His goal was (to) scale weight.
He wanted to gain weight. You’re not going to be a great defensive back at 173 pounds.”
Vilmael, born Nov. 24, 2007, plans to major in business administration. He is expected to redshirt while still seeing the field and showing up on the depth chart as a reserve.
At Fort Bend-William B. Travis High School in Richmond, Texas, Vilmael played for head coach Trey Sissom and built a resume that drew plenty of attention.
ESPN listed him as the 83rd-best cornerback in the Class of 2026, while Rivals placed him at No. 97.
He finished his senior season with four interceptions, earned first-team all-district honors at both cornerback and safety, and was named the district’s cornerback of the year.
Vilmael also brought speed to the table in track and field. He posted personal bests of 10.66 seconds in the 100-meter dash and 21.29 seconds in the 200-meter dash, earned six USATF All-America honors, and runs a 4.33 40-yard dash.
His recruitment reflected that kind of profile. Vilmael committed to Kansas State and signed last December after taking a Thanksgiving official visit, choosing the Wildcats over offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, California, Houston, Iowa, Maryland, Missouri State, Oklahoma State, Stephen F.
Austin, Texas, UNLV and UTEP. He also drew recruiting interest from Houston Christian, Louisiana, Minot State, North Texas, Sam Houston, TCU and Texas Tech.
On3 reported that new head coach Collin Klein made the final push that landed him.
The family connection runs through Manhattan, too. Vilmael’s younger brother, Joshua, is one of Kansas State’s most highly ranked recruits in the current Class of 2026. Their father, Joinel, played football at the University of Dubuque, and their mother, Damaris, competed in track and field at Drake.
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