It’s not often a battle for a preferred walk-on will get a ton of focus and attention, but that was absolutely true in the case of Olathe (Kan.) South offensive tackle Tre Eaton. The 6-foot-7 lineman had opportunities from both Kansas and Kansas State he was considering.

One school has already come out a winner only three days removed from the dead period. Eaton committed to K-State during a home visit in which he and his family hosted Wildcat assistants Collin Klein and Conor Riley.

What made him pull the trigger on Kansas State so quickly?

“I was already leaning towards K-State before today,” Eaton admitted. “Today sealed it due to my relationship with coach Klein and getting to know coach Riley. I have been to Manhattan a couple of times on an unofficial visit. Coach Klein and I have developed a relationship. I wanted to go to either K-State or KU, and it was a goal that I shot for all year.

“When K-State offered me a preferred walk-on opportunity before coach Snyder left, I felt like that was where I wanted to be.”

Due to that reasoning, it is not wrong to say that a lot of the leg work was completed by the previous staff in Manhattan. Although, the main one is still on staff, in Klein. The quarterbacks coach chose to stay on under new head coach Chris Klieman and will still be a fixture for the Wildcats on the recruiting trail in the Kansas City metro.

Kansas State will also be using the talents of new offensive line coach Conor Riley in the area as well. He is also well-known in Kansas City after recruiting it for Nebraska-Omaha before his stint as an assistant in Fargo under Klieman for North Dakota State.

Since he already knew Klein well, Eaton was excited to become more familiar with Riley.

“I wanted to meet coach Riley as soon as he was hired,” Eaton pointed out. “It was my first interaction with him. We had a great visit with both he and coach Klein. I really believe in what coach Riley shared about his philosophy. I like the fact that I will be given the same opportunity and resources as scholarship athletes when I’m there. I cannot wait to get to work this summer with coach Riley and the rest of the guys.”

“The main part of his philosophy is that the best five will always play for him. That stood out to me, and I liked his style.”

For more on Kansas State’s final push on the recruiting trail, other targets they’ll visit, and when and by what coach, keep it locked in THIS THREAD that will remain updated in real time.