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There were a few minor surprises in K-State's signings on Wednesday, but they were all situations where players we expected to walk on instead got offers and signed NLIs. Right up until about 12:30pm CT, we assumed the staff had everything nailed down and settled.
Oh, boy, were we wrong.
Sure, we knew that Isaiah Riddle, a 6'2" 230 3-star ranked as the #9 JUCO LB in the class, hadn't officially chosen his destination yet. But it was assumed in pretty much every quarter that Riddle was headed to Louisville.
And then this happened at 12:30:
Not sure if this is out there yet, but Isaiah Riddle just informed me he's signed with Kansas State
— Mike Singer (@Rivals_Singer) February 5, 2014
Insert screeching tires. 29 minutes later, it became official:
Welcome Isaiah Riddle to the #KStateFamily
— K-State Athletics (@kstatesports) February 5, 2014
K-State had been quietly in on Riddle, and he ultimately chose K-State over Louisville and Memphis without ever visiting Manhattan. According to a conversation with Ryan Wallace at GoPowercat.com, linebackers coach Mike Cox earned Riddle's loyalty by telling him to take his Louisville visit in case the Wildcats didn't have room.
This is a huge pull. With D'Vonta Derricott, Riddle almost immediately rebuilds the decimated linebacking corps; combined with the incoming talent in the secondary, the defense could be a fearsome thing to behold this fall.
We'll have more on Riddle, as well as the other unexpected signees, later on. For now... E freakin' MAW. Great day.
