***Yesterday's Question HERE***
In an attempt to pass the time this off-season we're fortunate to have secured the help of scottwildcat from Boscoe's Boys. Scott is going to provide 100 questions about the past, present, future (and who-knows-what) involving Kansas State sports, and I'll do my very best to answer them.
Let's dive in to the 100 Questions.
Question No. 60: Do you have any insight into how in-season recruiting will look this upcoming season, as they will still be trying to put a bow on the 2020 class and still making up ground and building relationships for 2021 and 2022?
I know there's a sense among some in-season recruiting will lack some excitement considering how much work (17 current commitments) has already been done, but I'm not under the impression things will be slowing down.
Sure, the rate of commitments simply has to slow, as even if the signing class is as big as 30 members the Wildcats are still more than half-way done with this group. I'd be surprised if we aren't sitting around 20 - or even a tad more - commits when the 2019 season kicks off.
The value in that - beyond, you know, having a recruiting class full of committed players you identified and wanted early in the process - is the Wildcats are now going to have a chance to get even on the recruiting trail.
Some things things aren't excuses; they're just facts. This coaching staff has been at K-State for around six or seven months, battling coaching staffs that - for the most part - have been together the entire recruiting cycle for 2020. Those relationships really started getting built 12-to-24 months ago, at a time when Chris Klieman and company were recruiting for North Dakota State.
This season should provide an excellent opportunity to make headway for both 2021 and 2022.
You can only control what you can control in recruiting, and right now there are two things working against K-State it can't impact in the short term:
1. Proven FBS success in Manhattan
2. Length of relationships with top targets
If you're a recruit, and those things are at the top of your list, there's nothing tangible K-State has to answer those questions. It's not insurmountable, and other new coaching staffs in the league have to deal with similar questions, but it is what it is, and that's a disadvantage.
When K-State kicks off against Nicholls on Aug. 31, the Wildcats will now have control over those two factors.
Sure, winning games with a roster you didn't build is somewhat outside of your control, but the point stands the staff will be able to impact that barrier when the ball kicks off that evening.
And, by that point, they should also be able to place roughly 60 to 70 percent of their recruiting focus on the next two recruiting classes. That's what most of their peers will get to be doing, as well, and will mean the Class of 2021 will start to give us a more real apples to apples set of data to use and evaluate K-State's recruiting against its peers.
So, while the season may lack some of the commitment fireworks of the past couple of months, that doesn't mean it won't be interesting to follow. Remember, for a while the summer months weren't busy times for football recruiting coverage at K-State, either.
Fans have adjusted now to that change, and I believe this season there will be a similar level of excitement realizing how active things become for 2021.
As for a more specific look at this question (how often coaches will be out, how many visits will be conducted, etc.,) anything I could answer would be pure speculation. I am confident, however, recruiting won't slow down just because a football season starts and/or the 2020 class has filled up.
