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Recruiting Kansas, and finding those hidden gems has long been a staple of Bill Snyder's recruiting class and the 2015 version is no different. Early on in the recruiting season Kansas State secured commitments from Kansas high school players like: Alex Barnes, Denzel Goolsby, Alex Delton, Evan Applegate, and Scott Frantz. All of these players were big time players in high school and it's a great testament to Bill Snyder and his coaching staff that he was able to keep them away from not only Kansas, but also border schools like: Missouri, Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Oklahoma State. Lately, Bill has ramped up his effort to find those two star rated, but five star try hard's as the Wildcats have secured three more commitments in the form of Kyle Ball, Brett Bell, and Trey Dishon. Let's examine how these two star players can impact Kansas State football in the future and possibly beyond (why hello there Jordy Nelson).
Kyle Ball- 2* Shawnee Mission, KS
I just accepted an offer to grey shirt at K-State, excited to be a part of the family and know that Kstate is the perfect fit for me!#EMAW
— Kyle (@KyleKyleball) December 17, 2014
As you can read in his tweet, Kyle Ball will join Kansas State's highly successful grey shirt program. Ball, a 6'2" 231 lbs DE, spurned offers from Air Force, Kansas, and South Dakota State to commit to Kansas State.
In his Hudl.com video, Kyle shows a great burst, and good leverage to push back opposing linemen. He also displays good chase down speed, as he is consistently able to chase down QB's and RB's when rushing off the edge. His stance when his hands are on the ground appears a little unorthodox, but I imagine that is something that could be corrected by the coaching staff. Ball already displays the motor and effort, that all of Bill Snyder's hidden gems possess. Maybe the biggest story regarding Ball is his willingness to go through grey shirt at K-state, rather than accepting Kansas outright scholarship offer.
Brett Bell-2* Wichita, KS
The Bell name may sound familiar to you and for good reason. Brett Bell's older cousin, made the Belldozer famous at Oklahoma. That's right, Brett Bell is the younger cousin of Blake Bell, OU's former TE. Back on January 18th, Bell had his official visit and later committed to Kansas State
#KSU TE commit @tweetsbylance on his official visit this weekend to #KState. #EMAW pic.twitter.com/aKWy83pMR7
— Jeremy Crabtree (@jeremycrabtree) January 18, 2015
Bell, 6'6" 195 lbs, has flown far under the radar, as most recruiting sites list his only offer as Kansas State. Hopefully, Bell's bloodline (Father Mike Bell played 12 season with the Kansas City Chiefs as a defensive end, while Uncle Mark Bell played five season for the Seahawks, and Colts as a tight end.) will shine through and Bell will evolve into a solid contributor as a tight end.
His Hudl.com video shows a player who is a good pass catching tight end, but also shows that Bell needs to work on improving his footwork. The biggest challenge for Bell will be to add weight to his 6'6" frame without losing his speed and agility. If he is able to do that Bell should make a big impact for Kansas State in a couple of years.
Trey Dishon-2* Horton, KS
Another lightly recruited player, Dishon's only other offer was from Northwest Missuori State. Dishon, 6'3" 305 lbs, had committed to play for Northwest Missouri State but after Kansas State's offer and an official visit he flipped to Kansas State.
Big Day. Officially Committed to Kansas State University. http://t.co/GqvXKUhi7n
— Sarg (@Dishon15) January 27, 2015
Dishon doesn't currently have a Hudl video, however Kansas-sports.com has a great article with a youtube highlight video. In the video you can see, Dishon dominate the line of scrimmage against smaller competition. The best highlight of the video has to be Dishon channeling his inner James Castleman, as he catches a pass out of the back field and hurdles a would be tackler.
Overall, I would be surprised if these three players contributed much next season, but following a red-shirt year, all three have the talent to contribute to Kansas State in a major way. It'll be fun watching these three guys develop in Bill Snyder's system.