When I started writing about K-State, I put out an article about how I would improve recruiting. The gist was, “Kansas State’s best chance to land elite talent is to lock down in-state guys.” Not exactly groundbreaking analysis, but when Chris Klieman took over, it had been a looong minute since the Wildcats had landed a truly elite (at least in terms of recruiting site evaluators) talent.
Obviously, a certain Mr. A. Johnson ended that streak in the 2023 class, and the late addition of Dylan Edwards to the class (that’s how I’m framing it because he should have always been in the 2023 class) further bumped the top-end talent on the offense.
While Avery and Dylan were highly touted recruits, neither was considered truly “elite” by the recruiting services. They weren’t sure Avery could work within an offense (he can) or if Dylan is big enough to be a full-time back (TBT, but he doesn’t have to be in Manhattan).
Linkon Cure, on the other hand, is unquestionably an elite recruit.
I also cover Clemson, and as one of the elite teams (yes, they’re still elite, leave me alone) in the nation, I use them as my recruiting gold standard. Dabo may not use the transfer portal, but the man sells his program better than any coach in the nation (Chris Klieman is top five in this category and rising by the hour). Keep in mind, everything (outside of location) that allegedly makes K-State a tough school to recruit to applies to Clemson.
My Tigers, despite assembling one of the most talent-laden squads in the history of college football in 2017, have never landed a tight end of Linkon Cure’s caliber during Dabo’s tenure. The closest tight end to Cure’s ranking for Clemson is 2021 recruit (and current Clemson starting tight end) Jake Briningstool, a high 4* (97) 6’5”, 215-pound tight end (as a recruit) out of Brentwood, Tennessee. 247’s composite considered Jake the best tight end of the 2021 class. He’s a match-up nightmare on the outside for the Tigers and is looking for a breakout season in 2024 after collecting 50 receptions for 498 yards and five touchdowns in 2023.
If you’re wondering why, as a K-State fan, on a K-State site, you’re reading about Jake Briningstool, allow me to get to the point. As much as I loved Briningstool as a recruit and as much as I love him as a featured part of Clemson’s offense, Cure has a higher ceiling. That’s impressive considering Jake would have been a mid-round draft pick in the 2024 NFL draft and is returning to further bolster his draft stock in hopes of having his name called during one of the first two days of the draft.
Physically, Cure is on a different level, and Briningstool is going to play in the NFL.
He’s one of those guys that might be underrated physically, despite being highly rated, because everything he does looks effortless. He’s a menace in the open field, leaving a trail of defensive backs in his wake with his deceptively quick cuts and willingness to go both around and, when the situation calls for it, through defensive backs. In the red zone, he should be options 1, 2, and 3 for the Wildcats because Linkon was born with springs in his legs instead of the more traditional knee joint. Even when he’s covered, he’s open because you’re not going to find a defensive back that can jump with him. His catch radius alone makes him a quarterback’s dream receiver, and that’s without taking into consideration his black hole hands. Any ball that enters his space is sucked into Linkon’s massive mitts. He’s the ultimate wide receiver/tight end hybrid for the modern game. Ask me to design the perfect pass-catching tight end, and I will decline because Linkon Cure already exists.
OK, so the above may be hyperbolic, but this is, after all, a K-State blog, and there’s nothing wrong with getting silly when someone as talented as Cure comes along. The opportunities to hype someone of his caliber are few and far between. He’s the real deal.
That doesn’t, however, mean he’s a finished product. Unless he’s going to continue playing the jumbo wide receiver position in college (and he’ll get that opportunity on occasion) like he does in high school, blocking is the obvious concern.
Right now, he’s a big wide receiver, and Kansas State needs him to play tight end.
He doesn’t have to be a great blocker, but he needs to be functional. One-dimensional tight ends are hard to play. If all Cure does is catch the ball, defensive coordinators will adjust accordingly. You need to have him on the field for running plays to keep the defense from using him to key in on pass plays. As excited as everyone is about his pass-catching ability (I basically cut a WWE-style hype promo on him), his ability to block will be crucial to getting on the field consistently as a freshman. I don’t think Coach Klieman or Coach Riley is willing to play a man down in the run game, regardless of Cure’s utility in the passing game.
That brings me back to Jake Briningstool. He had the same issue as a freshman, and that, combined with the presence of Clemson (and now Rams tight end) Davis Allen, kept the top-rated tight end in the nation tethered to the bench as a freshman while he added an additional 15–20 pounds of weight and figured out how to block. I’d love to see Cure hit campus between 230 and 240, but with his extensive slate of extracurricular activities in high school (both track and basketball), I wouldn’t be surprised to see him closer to 220 initially.
At the same time, I hope he doesn’t forgo track and basketball to get ready for football because part of what makes him great is his all-around athletic ability. He cuts like a basketball player and runs like a hurdler. One of the things I love about recruiting Kansas kids is they tend to play more than one sport. Goodland High School has 413 students…total, so he kinda has to play more than one sport. I’ll take a player with Cure’s athletic background 10/10 times over a football-exclusive player. Some things you have to learn on the court or on the track and not in “the lab.”
That’s to say, it wouldn’t shock me if it takes Cure a little while to fully come online once he reaches Manhattan. I know having a 5* recruit is exciting, but I hope the fan base gives him (and the coaching staff) enough time to figure things out before demanding an All-American season. He’s a unique talent for certain, but a unique talent that doesn’t quite fit into the normal football parameters. It might take him a minute to figure out how to block, and it might take the coaching staff a minute to figure out how to best utilize his receiving ability. It might even take the quarterback a minute to build enough trust to toss up jump balls when he’s covered. He’s dripping with talent but isn’t necessarily a plug-and-play guy right out of the gate, despite his high rating.
This staff is excellent at utilizing unique players to the best of their ability (see Vaughn, Deuce) and will get some utility out of Cure early. But if he stays the course, avoids major injury, and things work out around him, he’ll own every tight end receiving record at Kansas State and could break some wide receiver records as well (I’ve got my eye on Tyler Lockett’s 29 career touchdowns).
Give him time, and I would be shocked if your patience isn’t rewarded.