Kansas State has added another junior college offensive lineman to its board, this time turning its attention to Sitaiai Maileoi of Mt. San Antonio College.
Maileoi, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 335 pounds, is the latest prospect to pick up an offer from coach Collin Klein and the Wildcats. Kansas State is not alone in the chase, either, with the Cal Bears also in the mix.
The Wildcats have been busy on the recruiting front, especially along the offensive and defensive lines and at tight end. Khayree Lee is one of the recent names to receive an offer. He started his career with LSU and was a three-star recruit in high school, rated among the top offensive linemen in the country.
Kansas State has also gone after a pair of defensive ends. Julian Dwyer, who plays at Cincinnati Moeller High School, is a three-star recruit with offers from Boston College, Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, Illinois and Indiana.
247 Sports lists him as the 16th-best player in Ohio. Moeller, meanwhile, is one of the top programs in the nation.
Another defensive line target is Jekai Lee of Butler Community College. The 6-foot-6, 280-pound prospect also has offers from Florida International, Georgia State, Southern Mississippi and UTSA.
At tight end, Kansas State has been active as well. Brady Reeves, a three-star prospect at Hill-Murray High School in Maplewood, Minnesota, has offers from Vanderbilt, Iowa State and Miami (OH).
He is ranked just outside the top 20 at his position by 247Sports. Last season, Reeves caught 25 passes for 327 yards and nine touchdowns.
The Wildcats also offered Sloan Blackwell on Tuesday night. Blackwell attends Waco Midway High School in Waco, Texas, and has offers from Arizona, Syracuse and Arizona State. Per MaxPreps, he finished last season with 18 receptions for 254 yards and two touchdowns.
Kansas State’s offensive line search includes Jerry Richmond, who attends East St. Louis High School in East St.
Louis, Illinois. Richmond has also been offered by Florida Atlantic, North Carolina and South Dakota.
The most recent offensive tackle offer went to Asher Megonnell of Ankeny Centennial High School in Ankeny, Iowa. Big 12 rival Iowa State has also offered him, and he is currently unranked.
In Other News...
Kansas State Is Tracking A Former SEC Lineman Fans Will Notice
Kansas State has been busy on the recruiting trail, handing out a fresh batch of scholarship offers as it continues to build out future classes on both sides of the ball. Among the prospects who surfaced is offensive lineman Khayree Lee Jr., a former LSU player who also spent time at Copiah Lincoln Community College, giving the Wildcats a name in the mix that fans familiar with SEC recruiting will recognize right away.
Lee is part of a group that also includes defensive ends Julian Dwyer and Jekai Lee, tight ends Brady Reeves and Sloan Blackwell, offensive lineman Jerry Richmond and offensive tackle Asher Megonnell. The broader picture is familiar for a program trying to stay active and selective at the same time, with each offer bringing its own background, school history and competition from other programs as Kansas State keeps widening the board. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State's Defense Is Giving Fans Real Reason To Believe
Kansas State keeps giving Collin Klein a pretty encouraging early answer in his first season, and the latest came in a 34-7 win over Washington State that pushed the Wildcats to 2-0. Avery Johnson handled the scoring end with three touchdown passes, while Rodney Fields provided a big lift on the ground in a game that never really felt like it was in doubt once the defense settled in.
The most convincing part for Kansas State, though, was how thoroughly the Wildcats controlled the Cougars. Washington State finished with just 166 total yards, and Caden Pennick was kept to 65 passing yards as the Wildcats made every possession feel crowded and uncomfortable. For a team trying to build something new under Klein, that kind of defensive command is the sort of development fans can actually believe in. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State's Defense Looks Ready But One Offensive Concern Remains
Kansas State left Bill Snyder Family Stadium with a 34-7 win over Washington State and a 2-0 start, but the bigger takeaway was how quickly the defense took control. Wendell Gregory was at the center of it, and the Wildcats spent most of the afternoon smothering the Cougars, setting the tone while the offense found its footing in stretches rather than all at once.
The second half looked cleaner for Collin Kleins group, with Josh Manning and Rodney Fields helping the attack settle in after a mixed outing from Avery Johnson. Even so, Johnsons uneven performance keeps a familiar question in the background for a team that otherwise looks early-season sharp, especially with the offense still searching for a steadier rhythm when the game is in the balance. [Read more 🡒]