Will Kansas State Wildcats Coaching Change Impact Iowa State Cyclones Commit?

The Kansas State Wildcats are making a coaching change. How does that impact an Iowa State Cyclones commit who was considered their Big 12 rivals?

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This year’s Signing Day has gone off without a hitch for the Iowa State Cyclones. They have 22 players who have signed letters of intent with the school, filing the necessary paperwork to make their impending arrivals to Ames official.

Right now, there is only one commit who has not signed with the program: athlete Kaprice Keith. A three-star player out of Omaha Central High School in Omaha, Nebraska, he has been committed to the Cyclones for over a year.

However, that commitment began to waver recently. A two-way player, Iowa State was planning to deploy him as a defensive back. However, all indications are that he prefers playing wide receiver offensively.

That was the main reason why many expected Keith to decommit from the Cyclones and head to the Kansas State Wildcats. They recently hosted him for a visit and were recruiting him with the intention of playing him on offense.

Will Kansas State coaching change impact Kaprice Keith's standing with Iowa State?

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However, there was major news out of Manhattan during signing day. Their head coach, Chris Klieman, is potentially retiring, and the school is going to hire Texas A&M offensive coordinator Collin Klein to take over as head coach.

What I am hearing on the lone remaining commit in Iowa State's 2026 recruiting class amid reporting on Chris Klieman's future being in question at Kansas State:

🔗 https://t.co/Kvi4wlK9Oy pic.twitter.com/DQxBZYCG5B

— Alec Busse (@alec_busse) December 3, 2025

A change of that magnitude could certainly have an impact on the recruiting class. However, the Kansas State change isn’t expected to affect Iowa State.

As shared by Alec Busse of Cyclone Alert, part of the 247Spots Network, Keith’s status with the Cyclones isn’t expected to change with the news of the Wildcats' coaching change. By all accounts, Iowa State has moved on from the talented two-way player being part of their Class of 2026.

The writing was on the wall for that when it was announced that Iowa State had landed a commitment from defensive back Tayten Duncan. A former Army Black Knights recruit, he essentially slid into the spot of the recruiting plan that Keith was in previously.

As for his status with Kansas State, that is more up in the air. However, the people who were most heavily involved in recruiting Keith to the program outside of Coach Klieman, wide receivers coach Matthew Middleton, and director of recruiting Taylor Braet, are likely to be kept by the incoming Klein.

That could make the decision for Keith to flip to the Wildcats easier. But anything could happen with such an unexpected major change occurring.

For Matt Campbell and his staff, however, the change at Kansas State doesn’t look like it will impact their Class of 2026. But it will lead to major changes in how they prepare for their rivals on the field at Klieman led the program for seven seasons.