K-State keeping tabs on DE Javier Derritt

There was plenty of talent from St. Thomas Aquinas High at Kansas State for Junior Day and we’ve already recapped kicker Joe O’Leary’s experience. Meanwhile, top target Jayden Russell will be in Manhattan at the end of the month.

However, defensive end Javier Derritt was on campus as well on March 3. He is not a new name at all and has been on the Wildcats' radar for several months. The Johnson County product visited for a regular season game last fall.

He’s one of the linemen that could impress enough at camp over the summer to possibly earn an offer. Because he's already being familiar with the program, the trip only reinforced his feelings about KSU rather than opening his eyes or convincing him that it was an attractive destination.

“Honestly, it was about the same,” he said. “They’re a great program and I already knew that. I’ve always liked the way that they do things there.”

The spring visit and the fall visit were still not identical. The feelings are the same but the experience was not. There were some new faces around the Vanier Family Football Complex this time around and he was also able to receive more of a focus from the coaching staff.

“It was nice,” Derritt said. “It’s always nice to get up there. There were some differences from the first visit. I got to spend more time talking to the coaches. I was able to get a better feel for their personalities.”

Finally, prospects love to leave with a little bit of feedback. Even if it is not a scholarship offer, they seek information about what the chances are, how it can be achieved, when it could happen, what the process will be like and any other additional information that can be gleaned.

Derritt received a simple and concise answer as to how the rest of his recruitment will play out in relation to the Wildcats.

“They just want me to continue to work” he said. “That is both on and off the field. They really like me, they said, but are still evaluating. They’re going to stay in touch and we’ll go from there. That’s been the message I have gotten from them. I didn’t specifically hear anything from them about camp but I will likely be doing it anyways over the summer.”