K-State Recruiting Heat Wave: High School Gems and Basketball Portal Chaos
While the basketball world braces for the portal, K-State football is building a "boring" but dominant high school foundation.
In this episode of 3MAW, John Kurtz and Derek Young dive into the “boring” but brilliant strategy currently unfolding in Manhattan.
While the college basketball world is fixated on the looming chaos of the transfer portal, K-State football is quietly crushing the high school recruiting ranks. The guys break down the massive gets of safety Julian Elsey and linebacker Colton McComas, explaining why building a program through high school “backbones” is a refreshing and necessary change of pace from the portal-heavy era.
But don’t worry, hoops fans—the basketball talk is just as hot. With the portal set to open at the stroke of midnight, the duo explores the “rarity investment” strategy of new head coach Casey Alexander. They discuss why true point guards and post players like Drew Charowski are the high-dollar priorities, while shooters and wings are in higher supply.
From the departure of David Castillo and Abdi Bashir to the “dual-whammy” of competing against national powerhouses for elite talent, this episode is a masterclass in modern roster construction. If you want to understand how K-State is blending “old-school” development with “new-school” portal hunting, this is a must-watch.
Top 3 Takeaways:
The “Rarity” Investment: Casey Alexander’s staff prioritizes investing NIL funds into “rare finds”—elite point guards and true post players—while viewing wings as a higher-supply commodity.
Football Recruiting Resurgence: K-State football has flipped the script by securing high-profile high school commitments (like Julian Elsey and Colton McComas) earlier in the cycle than in years past.
High School vs. Portal Data: Despite transfer portal news getting 25x more clicks, the hosts argue that high school recruiting remains the essential “cornerstone” for long-term program stability and retention.