K-State Football Recruiting

A look back at the 1999 Recruiting Season for Wildcat Football

Verbal Commitments (as of February 3, 1999)

DE	Cliff Holloman	Garden City CC (Kansas)	6'3"	265	4.75
DL/LB	Corey White	Mesquite, Texas (North Mesquite)	6'3"	265	4.80
OL	Matt Martin	Long Beach City College (California)	6'6"	260	4.90
DE	Thomas Houchin	Sanger, Texas	6'4"	240	4.80
WR	LaRoy Bias	Aurora, Colorado	6'0"	180	4.40
WR	George Williams	Butte CC (California)	6'1"	190	4.38
RB	Joe Hall	Palomar CC (California)	6'2"	260	4.59
LB	Terry Pierce	Fort Worth, TX. (Western Hills)	6'3"	235	4.60
OL	Oshin Honarchian	Pasadena CC (California)	6'5"	280	5.20
QB	Ell Roberson III	Baytown, Texas (Lee)	6'1"	190	4.50
DB	Alan Walker	Irving, Texas (MacArthur)	6'2"	175	4.50
FB	Brandt Quick	Mandeville, LA. (New Orleans Jesuit)	6'1"	235	4.70
S/ATH	Rashad Washington	Wichita, Kansas (Southeast)	6'4"	210	4.40
DB	Errick Wilson	Houston, Texas (Madison)	6'0"	170	4.58
RB	Danny Morris	Brken Arrow, OK (Tulsa Union)	6'1"	190	4.40
SS/LB	Josh Buhl	Mesquite, Texas (North Mesquite)	6'0"	193	4.40
DL	Mario Fatafehi	Snow CC (Utah)	6'2"	295	4.95
RB	Rashad Jackson	Wichita, KS. (Northwest)	5'10"	188	4.40
DT	Anthony Bates*	Phoenix CC (Arizona)	6'1"	280	4.80
OL	John Gardner	Dodge City, Kansas	6'10"	280	5.00
WR	Derrick Evans	Denver, Colorado (Montbello)	5'11"	165	4.40
LB	Bryan Hickman	Mesquite, Texas (North Mesquite)	6'2"	215	4.60
DL/TE	Andrew Shull	Webb City, Missouri	6'5"	225	4.79
TE	Thomas Hill	Tulsa, Oklahoma (Hale)	6'5"	250	4.80

*Is already enrolled and will not count against a scholarship this year.

Who likes the Wildcats?

Offense

Quarterbacks:
There were two names were constantly mentioned this recruiting season when it comes to signal-callers...Ell Roberson and Brandon Everage. Ell is a former participant in Coach Snyder's Football camp and is considered by many to be one of the top 20 QB's in the nation. The much heralded Run/Pass QB accounted for over 68-hundred yards of total offense and nearly 80 TD's during his HS career as a 3 year starter. He was also named the top offensive player in Texas by the Houston Chronicle, Texas Sportswriters Association, and Touchdown Club of Houston. After a long fought battle between K-State and Arizona...the Purple Wildcats appear to have won out over the UofA, Notre Dame, Texas Tech, and Missouri. The commit for Roberson spells good news for K-State fans wondering what the QB situation will be after Beasley. Still, the Wildcats could have really used a commitment from Everage, a QB/DB from Granger, Texas, to create a very good QB controversy in 2000 (if not earlier). Everage had shown an interest in K-State since the Wildcats recruited his brother James (who later went on the Blinn JC) last year. Both brothers have expressed an interest in being able to play together in college down the road and the K-State program said would do their best to make that happen. However that and the current depth at QB was apparently not enough to get him in Purple next year. Instead he'll be one of 4 in-coming QB's in Oklahoma's class.

Early on Everage and Roberson were the only names mentioned that the Wildcats were recruiting, however that has changed. Charlotte, North Carolina QB/Athlete C.J. Leak added the Cats to his list of visits and came to The Little Apple in December. He's a big (6-4, 215), mobile passer who threw for nearly 25-hundred yards and 35 TD's this past year. While the Cats were one of his finalists, C.J. instead chose Wake Forest, a move which suprised nearly everyone because he had listed Notre Dame as his favorite for the past 2 months.

Running Backs:
What orginally looked like a superb class of RB's for the Cats has been shaken up a little bit by the de-commit of former verbal Jamar Mozee of Blue Springs, Missouri. Mozee says instead he will sign with O-U, citing just too much turnover on the Wildcats coaching staff. His announcement came just days after he had said he was 100% behind K-State. However, there is still a great class under the purple and white banner. Wichita Northwest product Rashad Jackson is one of those top backs,he rushed for over 27-hundred yard the past two year at Wichita Northwest HS and a school in Biloxi, Mississippi. Rashad is considered to be the top RB prospect in the state. At one time it appeared as though K-State was in the running for Jonathan Shaw, a move which would have continued the pipeline of Running Backs from Fort Lauderdale, Florida (hometown of Eric Hickson). Shaw visited Manhattan in December, but the coaching shake-up and an impressive late visit to Ann Arbor sold him on the Wolverines. The good news is that the Tulsa pipeline was still operational...landing Danny Morris from Union HS (same high school as current K-Stater Chris Claybon). The 6'1' 190 pound Morris rushed for over 23-hundred yards and 32 touchdowns this past season. He may not end up lining up behind the QB though, possibly switching to WR where he had 9 receptions for 230 yards and 3 TD's last season.

While Morris may move to receiver, another K-State signee says he wants to stay right where he's at. Joe Hall gained nearly 18-hundred yards at Palomar CC (California) last year while rushing for 24 TD's. Still, with a 6'2" 260 pound frame and running a 4.59 40, many teams recruiting him wanted to move Hall to Fullback. Not K-State however, who beat out UNLV, Hawaii, and Utah amoung others for his services. Hall, who describes himself as a bigger version of Jerome Bettis, turned down schools such as Colorado and UCLA who recruited him as a FB, saying quote "I'm a tailback, not a glorified offensive lineman."

Fullbacks:
Moving on to those " glorifed offensive linemen", this is an area which could really use some depth in the coming years, and with Brian Goolsby finally moving on, recruits are taking notice. One of those is Brandt Quick from New Orleans. Quick chose the Wildcats over Clemson, Ole Miss and Tulane. The 6'1 235 pound Quick is the first recruit from Louisiana since running backs coach Michael Smith started heavily recruiting the area last year (as a side note, Smith attended Jesuit HS where Quick is currently playing). He rushed for over 17-hundred yards this past season. Another big back who was looking at K-State is Tim Burrough from Moore, Oklahoma. The 6' 225 pound Burrough is considered to be the best FB prospect in Oklahoma. He was chosen MVP at O-U's summer camp last season. However, he chose Oklahoma State over K-State, TCU and Oklahoma.

Wide Receiver:
Tulsa WR Anthony Johnson, who's a cousin of Kevin and Aaron Lockett was an early commit with the Wildcats, but has mind in early January and signed with Miami. That move at the time left the Wildcats with just one HS signee, Derrick Evans, a 5'11" speedster from Denver. A late January visit netted another top WR from the Rockies. LaRoy Bias, who considered perhaps to be the top WR prospect in the state (The National Recruiting Advisor lists him as one of the top 30 prospects in the nation) was commited to Colorado early on, but the coaching change was a big factor in changing his mind. Bias spent about 1/2 of his senior year at RB where he rushed for over 600 yards, and the other 1/2 at WR where he had just over 300 yards and 11 TD's. He's also a very good track athlete...being the runner up in the 200 (21.7 seconds) and won the 400M (48.0 sec.) dashes at the state meet. Word is that both Bias and Evans had some legendary track match-ups...could they also be sporting purple next track season? Stay tuned...! Also a pretty good track athlete in his own right, George Williams says he won't be dawning a track uniform, prefering instead to concentrate on football over the next few years in Manhattan. The 6' 175 pound wideout visited K-State in late January and commited days later, only to back off that pledge a little bit. Pittsburgh, one of the schools heavily recruiting him was making a strong run, and he liked the idea of playing a little closer to home (originally from Connecticut). However, in the end Williams was just more impressed with the Wildcats and signed with them. Williams caught 46 passes for over 1,000 yards and 13 TD's this past season at Butte CC (California).

Also looking at the Wildcats in the JUCO ranks was Larry Shyne from Mount San Antonio CC (same JC as current Cats DeRon Tyler). He's described as a game-breaker, possessing 4.26 40 speed to go with his 6' 175 pound frame. Shyne visited K-State , Purdue and Oregon State in successive weekends. It appears as though with the commitment of Bias that there was simply no scholarship left for Shyne and he will be a Purdue Boilermaker (although he really liked K-State). Ronald Bellamy one of the nations top WR's was also interested and visited K-State early in the recruiting process (due to the great recruiting efforts of Michael Smith) but K-State was amoung many teams who lost him to Michigan.

Tight Ends: Considered Oklahoma's top TE Prospect by some coaches Thomas Hill has only played organized football for 2 years, but is known for his soft hands and great blocking skills. He may be K-State's only recruit at just this position.

Offensive Line:
The last two recruiting classes have been stocked with OL prospects, but Dodge City product John Gardner still likes his chances of making an impact. Listed at 6'10" and 280 pounds expect him to put on some weight while redshirting, but the mechanics are there to make him a great blocker. Due to the depth at this position from former recruiting classes now maturing, not many HS O-Linemen have been linked with the Wildcats, however JUCO players are always a possibility. Oshin Honarchian from Pasadena CC (CA.) is one of those players. The 6-5 280 pound second team JUCO All-American was in Manhattan the weekend of January 15th and after visiting South Carolina decided K-State is the place for him. Honarchian's coach at Pasadena knows the Wildcat program well...he's also been a coach to Gavin Peries and Cody Lee Smith, two former Cats. Matt Martin was a late verbal for the Wildcats. The 6'6" OL from Hunington Beach, CA. has started all 22 games for Long Beach CC over the past 2 years and was an All-Conference and Honorable Mention All-American selection this past year. He does have a redshirt year availiable, so don't look for him to be on the field right away as coaches would like to add some weight to his 260 pound frame. Kevin Barry(6-6,325) of Hutch CC is another big body who had shown interest in K-State and was thought could come in and make an immediate impact. Kevin says he will signed with Arizona however. UofA beat out K-State, Mississippi State, and Michigan State for his signature.

Defense

Defensive Linemen:
Lots of big-time recruits are looking at K-State. One of which, DE Andrew Shull had commited to the Cats early on. Shull is considered to be one of the best D-linemen in the Midwest and is from the same school as former Nebraska All-American Grant Wistrom, which has drawn comparisons. Many JUCO linemen are also looking towards Manhattan due to the graduation of two 1998 starters. Mario Fatefehi, and Anthony Bates believe they can come in and play right away. Bates will be on campus for the fall semester, and JUCO All American Fatefehi- a former BYU verbal- signed and will be on campus in the fall. Also signing with the Cats is Thomas Houchin a DE from Sanger, Texas. A relatively new face on the recruiting trail for the Wildcats, Houchin was a Tulsa commit before taking his visit to Manhattan the last weekend in January. He's listed as one of the top 100 prospects in the Dallas area, and his HS coach calls him an invaluable asset to his team. Houchin has been named All-District and All-Area at 3 positions over the last two years (DE, LB and FB) so as you can see he's a versatile athlete. Amoung others, Houchin chose the Cats over Rice and Miami as well as Tulsa. DL/LB recruit Corey White also chose K-State. White was the 3rd North Mesquite prospect to sign with the Cats this year, he was heavily leaning to the Wildcats over Mizzou and Oklahoma State before pledging February 2nd. Also, on signing day JUCO All-American, DE Cliff Holloman from Garden City CC changed his mind and signed with K-State. Popular opinion was that Holloman would sign with the Cats because his former coach Jim Gush is now part of the Wildcats staff, and he listed K-State as a leader as of a week before signing day. However, Holloman said just the day before signing with the Cats that he had commited to the Jayhawks. A news report in the Tulsa World Wednesday (signing day) morning lists Ty Sanders has a K-State signing. Ty has been listed as a K-State commit in many circles, but he may have academic problems (a partial or non-qualifier). Look for him to be placed at a K-State friendly JUCO should he not meet the requirements. PowerCat Illustrated is reporting contrary to the Tulsa report, Sanders is not expected to sign.

Of those not signing with the Cats, but showing interest earlier was James Rose from Mount San Antonio CC (CA.). Rose is a former Colorado commitment, but with the coaching changes going on there has backed off that, and signed with Oregon. With the commitments of two solid defensive tackles already, there was simply no room left for former soft commit DT Ramon Richardson and his on again-off again commitment has ended signing with his signing with Oklahoma. Teammate DE Juqua Thomas will also end up elsewhere...he says Oklahoma State is the place for him. Another name which has been linked to K-State for some time was Des Moines, Iowa DL/LB Casey Shelton. The 6'8" 245 lb Shelton had at one time listed K-State as his front-runner...but shocked nearly everyone by choosing Iowa State. Jared Clauss, a teammate of Shelton's at Valley HS in West Des Moines, also had been getting some attention from the Wildcats, but he'll be a Hawkeye.

Linebackers:
With the spotlight of one of the nations top D's being placed on its Linebacking crew the past few years...it's easy to see why LB recruits will take a serious look at K-State. Bryan Hickman has been sold on the Wildcats since the middle of December. He's a teammate of fellow K-State verbal Josh Buhl (more about him below) and DL/LB recruit Corey White. Another Texan will be signing with the Cats to bolster the LB crew besides Hickman. After commiting to Missouri early, Terry Pierce changed his mind following a visit to Manhattan. The 6'2 235 pound linebacker from Fort Worth says he'll be headed to K-State next semester, thanks in part to the recruiting efforts of new assistant coach Phil Bennett.

Among some of the names K-State missed out on was Justin Thomas, the Oklahoma Defensive Player of the Year had K-State listed a leader for his signature before he commited to Notre Dame. Kansas City Player of the Year Sean Doyle was also linked to the Wildcats, however he decided Missouri would be the better option for him. One final note on former K-State verbal Trey Whitlock. Trey originally pledged to the Cats early on, but now has walked away from the Cats and signed with the Sooners.

Defensive Backs/Safeties:
With the youth currently at these positions, neither are of a real need this recruiting year. Still, K-State is always on the look out for great talent...which they believe they have found in SS Josh Buhl. Few other schools were recruiting Buhl as a Safety, instead recruited the hard hitting Buhl as a LB...but the acquisition of Defensive Coordinator Rex Ryan and verbal commitment of good friend LB Bryan Hickman apparently sold Josh on the Wildcats. The biggest in-state recruit to sign with the Cats may be Rashad Washington from Wichita Southeast HS. He credits the proximity to family and Mo Latimore's recruiting efforts as the factors which gave KSU the edge over Arizona in a hot recruiting battle. Involving the Defensive Backs, the Wildcats have went to the state of Texas to get two good ones so far. Errick Wilson, who's from Houston, chose the Wildcats over Louisiana Tech, and OU. He'll enroll at a Texas Junior College for at least a year because of questions regarding an SAT test he took and other possible academic problems. Also, after commiting to TCU earlier in January Alan Walker was a suprise visitor to Manhattan in late January...and changed his mind, he'll wear the Purple of K-State next year. Alan orginally pledged to TCU due to his father being ill and his feeling he should stay close to home. However, he had really liked K-State for quite a while...and his visit just reinforced those feelings. The biggest selling point for Walker and his mom was the team's family atmosphere. Walker was also recruited hard by Iowa, Colorado State, and Oklahoma. At 6'2" he'll provide some much needed heigth to the Wildcats secondary (probably playing cover corner).

Hamin Milligan, a SS from Garden City CC also visited K-State in late January as well, and thought seriously about commiting to the Cats. However he stood by his commitment and signed with Houston. Despite the youth currently on the roster many other HS kids were looking at the Wildcats. Those included Kendrick Holley from Allen, Texas. Holley would have loved to be a Wildcat, but by playing the waiting game found out K-State had run out of scholarships at that position. He inked with Tulsa. The Cats had also picked up steam with Elbert Craig from Oklahoma City. Craig visited Manhattan earlier in January and after that moved the Cats up to #2 on his list...but in the end no one was able to beat out Oklahoma State. Just to mention a few more names linked with the Cats this recruiting season, KC product Brandon Lloyd signed with Illinois and Greg Brooks put pen to paper for Michigan.

K-State 1999 Recruiting Class By State

Texas-8, Kansas-4, California-4, Colorado-2, Oklahoma-2, Missouri-1, Louisiana-1, Hawaii-1

Go back to my K-State SportsLinks, or 1999 Recruits Page.

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NOTE: This web site is in no way affilliated with either the K-State Athletic Department, or Football Program. It is a fan based site with information compiled from various web and print based media sources.