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Kansas State Football - Clyde Price Commits!

Drew takes a look at the Wildcats newest commitment Clyde Price, and how the athlete from Missouri fits into the roster.

NCAA Football: Kansas at Kansas State
It’s hard not to watch Price’s high school film and not think of Alex Barnes.
Scott Sewell-USA TODAY Sports

Clyde Price, a 6’1, 220 pound 2-star (Rivals & 247) athlete from North Kansas City High School (MO) declared his commitment to the Wildcats 2019 recruiting class today.

Reading between the lines, it possible that Price has been undervalued because of questions regarding his ability to qualify. It appears that Kansas State believes they can get him into school. If that’s the case, the Wildcats are getting a physical specimen that should be ready to go next season.

Evaluation

Price is listed as an OLB/RB prospect, but based on roster need, I anticipate him starting in the offensive backfield. At 6’1”, 220 he has the size to compete right away, and K-State is desperate for help at running back.

After checking out some of his film, I came away impressed. He certainly doesn’t look like most of the 2-star prospects I’ve seen recently. He’s an extremely physical back with solid hands and good looking top end speed. Sometimes that’s hard to judge based on the level of competition, but when Price gets it into gear, he runs away from the other players on the field.

As a runner, he looks to have good feet and vision for big back. It’s hard not to watch his high school film and not think of Alex Barnes. Price has an upright running style and will need to work on running behind his pads against better competition, but that’s something that usually happens naturally after getting lit up in practice a few times.

One skill, in particular, caught my attention. Price is able to motion out to wide receiver or start out wide and make plays. He’s not running sophisticated routes, but he does a nice job of finding the ball and using his physical ability to dominate smaller defensive backs. This versatility could be useful moving forward. I love the wheel route out of the backfield, and Price looks like a perfect target for that particular route.

2019 Season

Assuming he gets qualified, I expect to see Clyde Price on the field in 2019.

It’s rare to see 2-star guys jump in and contribute immediately, but Price is physically mature and the Wildcats have a huge need at running back. His physical style could provide a solid goal line option as well as be useful as lead blocker in a two back set.

This late in the game, it’s hard to find high school players that are physically capable of coming into a program and making a difference. The new staff did an excellent job of identifying this, in my opinion, under valued player and getting him onboard.