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Disclaimer: As the 2020 current football season still is technically set to proceed as planned in Manhattan on Sept. 5, we will continue the Countdown as normal for now.
#93 Jaylen Pickle
Redshirt Sophomore | 6-4 | 298 lbs. | Cimarron, Kansas
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- Position: Defensive Tackle
- Previous College: None
- Projection: Second-String
- Status: On Scholarship
Jaylen Brian Pickle (b. July 4, 1999) is a promising young three-tech defensive tackle from Cimarron High School who is majoring in business administration and was the first commitment in the Wildcats’ Class of 2018.
He redshirted in 2018 and played against Bowling Green in 2019.
Pickle selected K-State over offers from South Dakota, Southern Illinois, UCF and Western Illinois, as well as strong regional interest from Iowa, Kansas and Oklahoma State.
A four-year letter-winner for the Bluejays, including the final year under head coach Greg Koenig, Pickle was regarded as the third-best prospect in the state of Kansas and the 44th-best defensive tackle in the nation for the Class of 2018 by Rivals.
He also was rated the fourth-best player in the state of Kansas by 247Sports.
Pickle picked up honorable mention all-state honors as a junior in 2016 and as a senior in 2017 from The Topeka Capital-Journal and The Wichita Eagle, leading Cimarron to league and district championships each year.
He also was a four-year all-league player who totaled 50 tackles, including four tackles for loss, as a senior and a high school teammate of current K-State quarterback Nick Ast.
Pickle also lettered four years in basketball — earning all-league and all-state honors — three years in track and field, and one year in golf.
Despite rising interest toward the end of the early signing period, he stayed loyal to purple:
“People would still call to talk to you and try to get you to switch sides to them,” he said.
“I knew in my heart that this is where I wanted to be, so any school that called me, I just said thanks for calling, but I’m really into K-State. I listened to what they had to offer, but I knew where I wanted to be. No schools were going to overpower K-State in my mind.”