K-State commit off to a good start

Marysville, Kan., offensive lineman Kaleb Drinkgern was one of Kansas State's first commitments, and at the time very little was known about him.

Some said he was a project and that he wasn't a very good player. But a strong showing at the Wildcats' summer camp and a great start to his senior season has people suddenly more excited about the 6-foot-7, 260 pounder.

And make no mistakes about it, he's a Wildcat through and through.

"I'm very solid," Drinkgern said. "I haven't even thought about it. There is no chance of me changing my commitment. I will never change my mind. I wouldn't even think about it. I'm 100 percent positive. I've been a K State fan all my life."

"I've been going down to the games and we've been text messaging and keeping in contact."

While some might see a skinny kid that isn't ready for college, the Wildcats apparently see exactly what they want from him. He's added 10 pounds of muscle since the summer and his long and lean frame is what coach Ron Prince is looking for in an offensive line target.

"I'm not trying to add weight, no," he said. "My build and what they want me to look like, I'm going to worry about when I get down there. I play basketball so even if I put on weight during football, I'm going to lose it during basketball."

The Wildcats were an easy choice for Drinkgern.

"It's close to home," he said. "I love the coaching staff. They're just so welcoming. They're a great group of guys. Coach Snyder did a great job and Coach Prince is going to do the exact same thing so I'll be looking forward to that."

"Coach Prince is an awesome guy. His personality is great and I love his play of football. It's an upbeat tempo and I love it. I think he will turn things around. His experience at Virginia, they were a dominant football team. There's no reason he won't do the same with K-State."

Drinkgern was pleased with the start of his senior season.

"I'm not the kind of guy to talk myself up," he said. "I don't do that. I don't win the game. Our team wins the game. I've done my job. Let's put it that way. I've done what I need to do to help the team win. I going to play hard no matter what I'm doing. I don't put glory upon myself. I'm just going to do what it takes to help the team win."