“Kansas State Football: 2026 Recruits Signal Bright Future with Surprise Early Commitments”

Kansas State's spring practice is over, but their recruitment drive is just heating up with linebacker Dejon Ackerson joining the Wildcats. Since football never sleeps—not really, right?—Coach Chris Klieman and his team are already looking ahead, focusing on laying the groundwork for future seasons. As we close the chapter on practice for this year, it’s a bit of a relief, let’s be honest, but it’s also exciting to jump into the world of recruiting and what’s in store for K-State’s roster. With Ackerson’s commitment, the Wildcats are bolstering their defense with top prospects, which is honestly, really intriguing for the upcoming years. Now, I’m not saying this makes us the kings of 2026 recruiting, but it’s a sign that something dynamic and fierce is brewing in Manhattan.

With every commitment, you can feel the excitement ripple through Wildcat Nation. As a seasoned digital marketer and an old sports hand, I’ll tell you, it’s just like a well-engineered SEO strategy—time, effort, and the right moves, and the results can be spectacular, and this recruitment cycle is shaping up to be just that. Curious to see how Coach Klieman pivots from the field to the future?

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Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett network. He can be reached at [email protected] or on X (formerly Twitter) at @arnegreen.Ackerson is a consensus three-star prospect who had 71 tackles in 12 games as a junior last year, including 14 tackles for loss and three forced fumbles. He is the No. 17-ranked player for his position in his class by On3.

K-State has enjoyed recent success with Mill Valley products, including starting center Sam Hecht, promising redshirt freshman offensive lineman Gus Hawkins, safety Mikey Bergeron and former kicker Chris Tennant.

Earlier in the week, the Wildcats picked up their first in-state commitment from Mill Valley High School offensive lineman Lemarcus Barber. Barber, who has a three-star rating from Rivals, also had offers from Iowa State and Arkansas State, plus received interest from Arkansas, Boston College, Missouri and Nebraska.Brandon Ford— 5-10, 170, cornerback, Crowley, Texas

The Wildcats picked up their third high school commitment of the 2026 recruiting cycle and second in a week Friday, swooping in and stealing three-star Putnam City, Oklahoma, linebacker Dejon Ackerson.High school players

Lemarkus Barber— 6-3, 280, interior offensive lineman, Mill Valley HS (Kan.)

Kansas State football 2026 recruiting tracker

2026 RECRUITING COMMITMENTSThe Wildcats’ first 2026 commitment came from Texas cornerback Brandon Ford, who gave his pledge last October.Kansas State football finished spring practice last week with an eye on the upcoming season, but that hasn’t stopped coach Chris Klieman and his staff from addressing the future as well.

Ackerson, a 6-foot-3, 193-pounder from Putnam City High School, chose the Wildcats over multiple Power Four offers, including in-state schools Oklahoma State and Oklahoma. He took an unofficial visit to Manhattan on April 17.K-State linebackers coach Steve Stanard led the recruiting effort with Ackerson.Dejon Ackerson— 6-0, 193, linebacker, Putnam City, Okla.