NOTE: Kansas State has elected to advance players’ classification even though the 2020 season did not affect eligibility. Those who wish to take advantage of this extra year will be listed as a (“super”) senior again after their original eligibility would have been exhausted.

#17 Ozzie Hoffler

Redshirt Freshman | 6-2 | 223 lbs. | Atlanta, Georgia

Courtesy Kansas State Athletics

• Position: Defensive End
• Previous College: None
• Projection: Scout Team
• Status: On Scholarship

Ozzie Hoffler II (b. Oct. 28, 2002) is a disruptive, quick young defensive end prospect out of Woodward Academy in Atlanta who helped to keep the Wildcats’ Georgia pipeline flowing.

Hoffler, who redshirted in 2021 and is majoring in business administration, prepped under head coach John Hunt at Woodward, where he was regarded as the the 73rd-best weakside defensive end in the Class of 2021 by 247Sports.

He finished his prep career with 115 tackles, 21 tackles for loss and 17 sacks, and was a 2020 preseason all-state honoree by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Hoffler helped the War Eagles to a 13-1 record and a trip to the state semifinals as a junior, when he earned honorable mention all-region honors from the Journal-Constitution.

A three-star player by most recruiting services, he picked K-State over offers from Akron, Appalachian State, Boston College, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Charlotte, Colorado State, East Carolina, Eastern Michigan, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Kansas, Kent State, Liberty, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Memphis, Mercer, Miami (Ohio), North Carolina A&T, Savannah State, South Alabama, Temple, Troy, UCF, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Washington State, West Virginia and Western Kentucky, as well as interest from Louisville.

Hoffler’s primary recruiter was defensive ends coach Buddy Wyatt, his future position coach, who ironically beat out his fellow former KU assistant coach Darrell Wyatt (no relation, as far as I can discern), who was working for UCF at the time, for Hoffler’s services.

Here’s what our own Drew Schneider had to say about him in a recent recruiting wrap-up:

Georgia has been fertile recruiting territory for the defense, and Coach Wyatt headed down to the ATL and pulled out Ozzie Hoffler. This is all about improving the pass rush, because that’s what Hoffler does. He’s explosive off the edge, can make the turn, and puts quarterbacks on the ground. At 6’3, 220, he’ll need to pack on some weight to be a three-down player, but in the meantime, he could play early in his career as a situational pass rusher on passing downs.

Hoffler’s younger brother, AJ, is a four-star defensive end recruit who has committed to Clemson over 50-plus other offers from Division I schools. Too bad he didn’t follow Ozzie...