K-State recruitingHundreds of miles away from Bill Snyder Family Stadium, deep in the heart of Texas, Trent Hunter fell for K-State via HDTV.Hunter, at the time a junior football player in Katy, Texas, spent that Saturday evening watching the Wildcats-Longhorns at teammate Cameron Strickler’s house. He was mesmerized, especially by the play of K-State wide receiver Jordy Nelson.After K-State prevailed, Hunter pronounced his desire to become a Wildcat.“That game opened my eyes,” Hunter, a safety and running back, said this week. “I thought to myself, ‘This team’s got a lot going for it.’ ”Hunter eventually made an oral commitment to K-State.That type of response is not uncommon, Rivals.com recruiting editor Jeremy Crabtree said, about what can happen to sway a football player’s college choice. But it isn’t exactly the norm either.“Generally, kids look at trends rather than just one game when they are being recruited,” Crabtree said, “but after that game, kids talked openly how that signaled the direction K-State was going.”Two of K-State’s top recruiting targets, wide receiver Deon Murphy and defensive back Gary Chandler, were in the house at K-State for an official visit that night. The outcome triggered their decision on the spot.“Really, that was the game that sold me to come here,” Chandler said. “I was leaning this way, but I wasn’t 100 percent sure. But after seeing that win, it sold me.”Murphy’s take: “That right there was one of the exciting moments of my life. To see a big D-I game, in my face, right then and there….I decided right then and there. I told coach Prince this is where I wanted to be.”Bottom line: Filet mignons and the red carpet aren’t the only ways to win a recruit.“I’ll never forget that night,” Hunter said, “and I wasn’t even there.”
'More examples of how the texas game will hurt us in teh long run" --Jayhox concept
