Junior college linebacker Rex Van Wyhe explains why he picked Kansas State

The latest Kansas State commit was Iowa Central Community College linebacker Rex Van Wyhe after he announced for K-State on Monday afternoon. Seemingly, the Kansas State coaches were aware that was coming well before he chose to tweet it.

Van Wyhe was commitment No. 23, but it has dropped to 22 due to the de-commitment of corner RJ Lester.

“I love the coaching staff, the atmosphere and the Midwest feel of K-State,” Van Wyhe initially said.

Remember, he is a native of Iowa and likely draws a lot of familiarity to Kansas State because of that. It’s not just the close proximity that connects it, but even head coach Chris Klieman is from the state, recruits it regularly and can relate to Van Wyhe on a number of different levels.

However, it was a two-man attack that led the charge for the junior college linebacker. K-State linebacker coach Steve Stanard and scouting analyst Chuck Lillie were the Iowa native’s lead recruiters.

“I’ve been growing closer and closer to them the more we talk,” Van Wyhe shared.

He has a lot of size and a good frame, which is why his future linebacker position is still a little bit up in the air. Van Wyhe clocks in at about 6-foot-4 or 6-foot-5 and is listed anywhere from 240-252 pounds. Can he replace Daniel Green? Does he play the ‘Sam’ linebacker spot? Or can he play with his hand in the ground?

“They haven’t decided on what linebacker position I’ll play,” Van Wyhe revealed.

At least we know that he’ll be standing up, but it is just unclear what spot that will be in the Kansas State 3-3-5 defensive scheme. The only spot that we presume is not necessarily unaccounted for going into next season is the ‘Will” position because Austin Moore will be back for the Wildcats.

As we shared, K-State moved quickly for Van Wyhe. It was a sprint and they wrapped it up in a flash because of how well he related to the school, but also because they wanted to eliminate the possibility of him blowing up and others getting a whiff of just what kind of player he can be at the Power Five tier.

He took an official visit to Manhattan on November 26 and saw Kansas State win the Sunflower Showdown. Van Wyhe actually arrived without a scholarship offer at the time.

“The visit was electric,” he noted. “My favorite part was watching the game and then going in the locker room after.”

Speaking of Moore, the K-State linebacker was Van Wyhe’s host on the official visit and the two hit it off, according to the newest Kansas State verbal pledge.

“It was good to get a player’s perspective on the visit,” Van Wyhe explained. “We just hung out, and it was good to get around him to see what the players are like outside of football.”

But, let’s not kid ourselves. He likes what he has seen on the field, too.

“The energy and discipline [the linebackers] play with stands out,” Van Wyhe pointed out. ” The way they let their linebackers attack excites me. Winning the Big 12 is an awesome accomplishment for the team and the coaches.”

Van Wyhe will have four years of eligibility to play three seasons when he arrives in Manhattan.

As a KSO subscriber, Kansas State fans can find out more about the rest of the targets still being chased, which underclassmen players could return for the Wildcats and how many of the seniors will be back on the roster for an extra season in Manhattan.

Remember, we have plenty of bowl coverage on the way for Big 12 Champion K-State as well in the lead-up to the Sugar Bowl matchup with Alabama, plus Jerome Tang and company are cooking and have shot out to an 8-1 record.

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