Kansas State lands visits from top targets, including nation's No. 2 QB

MANHATTAN — A pair of the Class of 2027’s top players at their positions have scheduled visits to Kansas State football and coach Collin Klein.

That includes the No. 2 quarterback in the class.

Jake Nawrot, a four-star prospect out of the Chicagoland area, is scheduled to be in Manhattan on April 9. That will be his second trip to Manhattan this year, following his visit in mid-January.

The Wildcats also landed official visit dates with Cooper Ohnmacht, a four-star in-state wide receiver who is scheduled to appear at Bill Snyder Family Stadium from June 19-21. He’s considered a top 15 athlete by both major recruiting websites.

Here’s a look at both of the coveted prospects:

Jake Nawrot

Kansas State had been pursuing Nawrot before he began receiving national attention, which has made him the second-best quarterback prospect in his class.

Rivals grades him as the No. 2 quarterback and No. 32 overall prospect. 247Sports has him as the No. 6 player at his position and No. 68 overall. If he were to sign with Kansas State, he would join Josh Freeman and Avery Johnson as the highest-rated quarterback commits in the school’s history.

Listed at 6-foot-4, 200 pounds out of John Hersey in Arlington Heights, Illinois, he’s coming off his first year as a starter and won the Alpha Dog honor at the Elite 11 competition in Indianapolis.

During his junior season, Nawrot completed over 71 percent of his passes for 3,078 yards and 41 touchdowns with just two interceptions. He also added 124 yards on the ground with 8 touchdowns.

“Big and athletic one-year starter with a high-powered arm and excellent football character,” 247Sports’ Andrew Ivins wrote in his evaluation. “Can get the ball accurately to all three levels and will take advantage of coverage lapses while working off play-action in a pro-style attack…Likes to fire from a sturdy base, but will slide away from pressure and make accurate tosses on the move with his balance and coordination.”

“Not one to take many risks (just 2 interceptions as a junior) and displays the confidence to challenge tight windows over the middle with his situational awareness…Might lack game reps compared to some of his peers, but aced an in-person evaluation in advance of senior year and should be viewed as a true late-bloomer with a monster ceiling given the size, vision, and precision.”

Among Nawrot’s other unofficial visits were a recent one to Kentucky, as well as future trips to Florida State, Oregon, Iowa and Washington.

Iowa has long been seen as the favorite to land Nawrot because his father played for the Hawkeyes from 1995-97. That hasn’t slowed K-State’s pursuit of him

Cooper Ohnmacht

K-State’s new staff has stayed on Ohnmacht, securing an official visit with him come June. He’s coming off a monster season at Grand Bend High, where he caught 52 passes for 755 yards and eight touchdowns.

Ohnmacht also announced an official visit to Kansas, where he’ll be from June 5-7. Other offers include Iowa State, Wisconsin, Virginia Tech, Louisville, and Vanderbilt. Penn State is also in pursuit, as Matt Campbell offered him at Iowa State and re-offered at his new gig with the Nittany Lions.

Ohnmacht is ranked as the state’s No. 1 prospect in the 2027 class by both major recruiting sites. He’s the No. 9 overall athlete in the country, according to Rivals, and 247Sports’ No. 14 athlete. He can play defensive back after making 56 tackles last season and picking off five passes, two of which were returned for touchdowns.

A commitment to Kansas State would make him the first No. 1 player in the state to commit to the Wildcats since Johnson in 2023.

Wyatt D. Wheeler covers Kansas State athletics for the USA TODAY Network and Topeka Capital-Journal. You can follow him on X at @WyattWheeler_, contact him at 417-371-6987 or email him at wwheeler@usatodayco.com

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Jake Nawrot to visit Kansas State football as race for QB picks up