Atlanta DE Ozzie Hoffler commits to Kansas State
Kansas State has landed its 16th verbal commitment for the 2021 class and it came from College Park (Ga.) Woodward Academy defensive end Ozzie Hoffler.
The 6-foot-3, 215 pound rush end chose the Wildcats over Boston College and UCF.
"I have been talking to Kansas State for a while. We started talking in March, they offered verbally August 18 (Tuesday), then they offered officially Saturday and I knew I was ready," said Hoffler.
"I did some research and I like the school, the program, the relationships I have with the coaches and I like how strong their academics are. They play big-time football, and that is another thing I looked at."
The communication with not only the coaches, but the players in Manhattan played a big role in his decision.
"One of the big things that was different about Kansas State was how the players would text me on their own. They would tell me about the coaches, be real with me and that really made a different. They were all honest and real, so that stood out a lot.
"The amount of love the head coach showed made a difference too. It wasn't just one coach, but multiple coaches recruited me hard, made me feel wanted, and the overall effort Kansas State put into this stood out to me."
The first coach to receive the news was Buddy Wyatt, the defensive ends coach. He got the news Sunday. The rest of the staff got in on the plan Monday.
"I told coach Wyatt Sunday, then I talked to the whole coaching staff Monday to give them the news," said Hoffler. "Coach Wyatt was really happy and fired up about the news.
"Coach Klieman and coach Klanderman were happy too when I told them Monday morning. All were laughing, yelling and it was a pretty cool experience."
Hoffler's recruitment will be one he will be talking about for a very long time. The year of 2020 has been different for all, and the pandemic has affected recruiting in a big way.
But he made it through it and it now headed to play in the Big 12.
"It has been like a lot of ups and downs because of the pandemic. Schools couldn't see me in the spring, so that was different, and it made things more stressful, but overall, it has been a good experience.
"Looking back, I wouldn't change anything and I am happy with how it turned out. Kansas State is my top choice, so I am excited to go there.
"To be committed now is a big stress relief, I am happy with my decision and it feels great to be going to a school like Kansas State."