Klieman offers 2020 CB prospect Hooker
Blake Seiler may have exited Manhattan, but that doesn’t mean Kansas State will distance itself from recruiting the state of Louisiana. The Wildcats offered Shreveport junior Tanner Hooker earlier this week.
Though listed as a receiver in Rivals’ prospect database, he’s being recruited by the Wildcats as a cornerback.
Though I anticipated it would be Van Malone recruiting that part of the country in place of Seiler, it sounds like it will be assistant Brian Anderson picking up the slack. That would still make sense since he’s recruited Louisiana before and already has the responsibility of other parts of the southeast, particularly Georgia.
Anderson and Malone have not been in contact with Hooker, yet. It’s all been through the head coach.
“Coach (Chris) Klieman was the one that offered me,” Hooker said. “He just said he was impressed by my film and asked if I knew anything about Kansas State. I have visited there once already so I knew a few things about Manhattan, Kansas. The legendary Bill Snyder was their coach, and he turned them into a powerhouse.”
Despite having already visited K-State before, Hooker is still learning quite a bit about the program. In a bit of a twist, the only players he could name weren’t even from Louisiana, but from Georgia in Duke Shelley and Isaiah Zuber.
That doesn’t diminish his interest in the program at all but does leave a bigger gap to close. Klieman has already dug into that effort.
“Talking on the phone with coach Klieman has been great,” Hooker shared. “We have had good conversations about my recruitment and other stuff. I have enjoyed talking to him. We have talked about me visiting up there again, since they weren’t the coaches yet when I did.
"I don’t know when I’m going to do that. My family hasn’t planned anything because this is all new to them, really.”
His only offers so far have come from Kansas State, Kansas, Louisiana Tech and Tulane. The Calvary Baptist Academy product could see plenty more once the spring evaluation arrives. It does so on Apr. 15.
Hooker is still very pleased with how his recruiting process has taken shape at this point in time.
“To be honest, every offer is a blessing,” he admitted. “It’s because I get a free education. I can also live out my dream of playing college football.”