The 2024 college football season will usher in a new era of Kansas State football.
Avery Johnson will take over as the team’s starting quarterback, the offensive line will undergo a remake after losing several starters due to exhausted eligibility, and the lineup will be all Chris Klieman.
This season will mark the first since Chris Klieman took over that the roster was without a player recruited by Bill Snyder, who retired in 2018.
So far, Snyder’s players have played important roles on the K-State roster. They were starters, all-conference standouts and even future NFL players.
Snyder’s last recruiting class was in 2018, ranking 52nd in the country. The last remaining players in the lineup were Christian Duffie It is KT Leveston.
In total, the 2018 recruiting class featured 23 commits, including six players from Kansas. Three of those Sunflower State players were from Butler Community College in El Dorado.
Here are some highlights from Snyder’s final recruiting class at K-State.
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The complete class
DT Jaylen Pickles
Jaylen Pickle was the highest-rated high school recruit in the 2018 class, earning a three-star rating from Rivals.com.
Pickle spent five seasons with the Wildcats, appearing in 36 games, starting seven. Pickle spent the 2022 Big 12 Championship winning season as a rotational defensive end and posted his best overall season, finishing with 1.5 sacks and 2.0 tackles for loss.
OL Christian Duffie
Christian Duffie was a key part of K-State’s offensive line, starting 41 games over four seasons. In 2022, Duffie started at right tackle in all 14 games, helping lead the Wildcats to a Big 12 Championship.
This season, Duffie has started the last seven games and has proven, once again, to be a stalwart along the line.
OT KT Leveston
Like Duffie, KT Leveston was an important part of K-State’s offensive line, starting 32 games, including the final 27 of his career.
Leveston hasn’t received the same accolades as other players along the offensive line, but he was an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention in 2022 when he helped the Wildcats win the Big 12 Championship.
Leveston was selected in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams.
DB Wayne Jones
Wayne Jones emerged as a multi-year starter at K-State, starting 26 games over three seasons. Jones was known for his versatility, playing safety and nickel cornerback for the Wildcats.
In three years at K-State, Jones recorded 94 tackles, including two for loss, and recovered two fumbles.
Following the 2021 season, Jones entered the transfer portal and ended his career with Charlotte.
DB Ekow Boye-Doe
Ekow Boye-Doe was a multi-year starter at cornerback for K-State, starting 35 games over his career.
In 2022, Boye-Doe earned All-Big 12 honorable mention after finishing with 26 tackles and four pass breakups. Boye-Doe was an important part of K-State’s defense that season, and even recorded a pass breakup in the Big 12 Championship Game against TCU.
Boye-Doe finished his career with 74 tackles and 13 passes defended.
Following his college career, Boye-Doe was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent. This season, Boye-Doe and the Chiefs won the Super Bowl.
DB Kevinon McGee
Kevion McGee spent two seasons at K-State, starting seven games but appearing in 24 of a possible 25 games during that span.
McGee started the final five games of 2019, recording a career-high 28 tackles. He finished his college career with 37 tackles and two interceptions.
LB Cody Fletcher
Another junior college signing, Cody Fletcher appeared in 42 games over four seasons, starting 15 of them.
In 2021, Fletcher emerged as a full-time starter, finishing second on the team in tackles (75) and third in tackles for loss (7.0). That season, Fletcher received honorable mention Big 12 coaches.
Fletcher finished his career with 144 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and one interception.
WR Malik Knowles
The lowest-ranked recruit in the class, Malik Knowles wasted no time emerging as a starter. Knowles started eight games his sophomore season, finishing with 397 yards and three touchdowns.
Over the course of his career, Knowles played in 51 games, emerging as a dynamic wide receiver and kick returner. Knowles is a multiple-time All-American, earning the honors in 2021 and 2022.
During K-State’s Big 12 Championship-winning season, Knowles caught 48 passes for 725 yards and two touchdowns. He also added 592 kick return yards.
Following the 2023 NFL Draft, Knowles was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent. He spent last season on injured reserve.
