K-State lands QB recruit who held offers from Colorado, KU, Oregon State, Washington

It didn’t take long for the Kansas State football team to land a quarterback during the current recruiting cycle.

Not long after signing a batch of new prospects in December, the Wildcats gained a commitment from three-star passer Blake Barnett on Thursday. He is a 6-foot-2 and 205-pound recruit from Erie, Colorado, and he is the second member of K-State’s 2024 recruiting class.

Barnett chose the Wildcats over a host of other power-conference schools, as he held scholarship offers from Colorado, Kansas, Oregon State and Washington.

His relationship with K-State offensive coordinator Collin Klein likely gave the Wildcats an edge. Klein also grew up in Colorado and made Barnett a recruiting priority for several months.

Barnett is the top-rated recruit in the state of Colorado for his recruiting class and the 49th rated quarterback in the nation, according to the 247Sports consensus ratings system.

K-State will welcome Barnett to what could be a crowded quarterback room next year. Starting QB Will Howard has two years of college eligibility remaining. Jake Rubley, Adryan Lara and Avery Johnson are all looking to take over after he moves on. Barnett will add extra competition to the position.