Of all the transfer pieces Coach Alexander added this season, Matt Gilhool might be the one with the most upside attached to it. The former 4-star recruit came through a major health scare as a high school senior, and that situation followed him into his freshman year at LSU.
The encouraging part, according to all accounts, is that Gilhool is healthy now and ready to show why he was viewed as one of the most skilled big men in his class, with real shooting ability to match.
Gilhool is a 6-foot-11 forward/center from Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, listed at 215 pounds. He came out of the 2025 recruiting class as a consensus 4-star prospect and was ranked among the top 100 players in the country. Kansas State is getting a redshirt freshman with four seasons of eligibility left after his time at LSU, where he carried a transfer portal ranking of NR.
His high school résumé was strong even before the medical issues came into play. As a senior, he averaged 16 points, 9 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game. He also earned Pennsylvania All-State honors three times, from his sophomore year through his senior year, and helped William Penn Charter win two Inter-Academic League championships.
Gilhool’s final six schools before LSU, aside from the Tigers, were Iowa, Georgia Tech, Mississippi State, Tennessee, Utah, and Alabama.
At LSU, the 2025-’26 season became a redshirt year. Gilhool’s heart issue, along with the medical procedures and recovery that followed, shaped that decision. He used the season to regain weight and rebuild his conditioning.
Looking ahead to 2026-’27, the expectation is that he enters the mix as a reserve forward. On3’s LSU writer Matthew Brune laid out why the intrigue is still very real:
“I wasn’t aware of Gilhool’s heart issue when I put this profile out this summer. First and foremost, it sounds like the heart issue has been resolved. That’s the most important part of this story.
It also makes me even more intrigued by his upside. I couldn’t understand why a highly rated recruit like Gilhool redshirted on a 15-17 LSU team that wasn’t exactly dripping with talent. I assumed it was because he was rail-thin, and in a way, it was, but only because he’d been dealing with something far more important than basketball instead of preparing for his freshman season at LSU.
As far as I’m concerned, this is no different from Coach Alexander landing a 4-star, top 100 player straight out of high school. It’s not like Gilhool is responsible for getting knocked out by a serious medical issue. He spent a season at LSU regaining his health, and now Kansas State is getting a highly skilled big man with 4 years of eligibility.
My guess is that he starts the season as a reserve at both forward and center. Whichever spot he plays, he’ll need a more physical big to pair with him.
He’s a 6’11” floor-stretching lefty with an advanced skill set and range on his jump shot, but it might take him some time to hold his own down low on defense and on the boards. Kansas State has a couple of other more experienced pieces at forward and center, but for my money, Gilhool has the highest upside on the roster.
I expect him to be part of the rotation this season as he adjusts to the college game and shakes off some rust, but in theory, he’s a key building block for Coach Alexander’s program moving forward.”
In Other News...
K-State Heads To Arizona State With More Uncertainty Than Usual
Kansas State arrives in Tempe with the kind of background that would normally suggest confidence, even after a routine win over Kansas extended its dominance in that rivalry to 18 straight. But the Wildcats have developed an odd pattern around that game, dropping the one that follows each of the past few seasons, and now they head into Saturdays matchup with Arizona State carrying a little more unease than usual.
The uncertainty starts with Avery Johnson, whose status remains questionable because of injury, and it extends to a team that has not exactly been reliable in this spot. Arizona State has struggled on both sides of the ball lately, which should give Kansas State a chance to steady itself, but the Wildcats have also not covered the spread as a road favorite since 2024, leaving plenty of room for a game that could turn messy before anyone expected it to. [Read more 🡒]
Collin Klein Has Kansas State Pushing Hard For A Texas Prize
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The group of offers also includes offensive tackles, linebackers, defensive backs and tight ends, a sign that Kansas State is still building for the long haul under its current approach. For a program that has made finding the right fits a priority, the presence of a Texas defensive back on the list is another reminder that the Wildcats are working hard to stay in the mix far beyond the Big 12 footprint. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State Has A Real Shot At A Defensive Difference Maker
Kansas States defensive backfield could be in line for a meaningful addition as the Wildcats remain in the mix for Iowa Western Community College cornerback Coaleon Johnson, who is weighing a finalist list that also includes nine other schools for the 2027 recruiting class. For a program still chasing more consistency in the Big 12, landing a player with that kind of interest would be a significant step in reinforcing a unit that always has to be ready for league play.
The timing is notable, too, with Kansas State still preparing for Arizona State and sorting through the uncertainty around quarterback Avery Johnsons availability because of injury. As the Wildcats try to keep their conference push moving, the recruiting race for Johnson is another reminder that roster building never really pauses, even when the immediate focus is on the next Saturday. [Read more 🡒]