Kansas State beats Texas for CB Josiah Vilmael after Collin Klein hiring

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MANHATTAN — Kansas State football won a recruiting battle with Texas, landing a three-star cornerback on the day after Collin Klein was announced as the program’s next head coach.

Josiah Vilmael announced his commitment to the Wildcats on Friday, Dec. 5, through On3. Vilmael is listed as a 6-foot-1 cornerback out of Fort Bend Travis in Richmond, Texas. On3 said Klein delivered a final pitch to Vilmael, helping the Wildcats land the prospect.

Vilmael visited Manhattan for the Wildcats’ Nov. 29 win over Colorado. He was also being heavily pursued by Texas, Baylor, Arizona and Arizona State in recent weeks. He was initially committed to Oklahoma State, but decommitted after the school fired Mike Gundy.

Kansas State added several pieces to its secondary on Wednesday, including Garrick Dixon (Fort Zumwalt West, Missouri), Nick McClellan (Christian Brothers, Missouri), and Michael Gram Jr. (Hutchinson CC).

Klein was announced as Kansas State’s coach on Thursday, Dec. 4, a day after Chris Klieman announced his retirement after seven seasons. Even with Klieman’s retirement, Kansas State managed to sign all of its commits, while flipping two other players in the process.

Josiah Vilmael 247Sports ranking

Vilmael is ranked as a three-star prospect and the No. 146 corner in the country. The 247Sports Composite ranks him as the 1,645th best prospect.

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: Josiah Vilmael commits to Kansas State football after Klein hiring

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