Linkon Cure Reflects on Dream Come True With Kansas State Football

Linkon Cure’s journey to Kansas State feels like some story straight out of a sports movie. Before he became the first five-star football prospect in Kansas State history, he was the small-town standout from Goodland, Kansas. He surely made his big dreams look reachable. Now, as the No. 30 overall player in the 2025 class according to 247Sports.

The Rise of a Record-Breaking Athlete

Cure’s explosion onto the national stage didn’t happen by accident. His high school resume has 1,049 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns. If that wasn't enough, he also added 208 rushing yards and six rushing scores in his final season.

He earned first-team all-state honors as both a junior and a senior, and his name landed on the 247Sports 2025 Freaks List at No. 16. His athletic gifts stretched well beyond football, making him one of the most complete multi-sport athletes in Kansas.

He excelled in track and field, earning a two-time state championship in the 300-meter hurdles. And then he won the 110-metre hurdles in both his junior and senior seasons. His senior-year 14.36 in the 110 hurdles shattered the state record. In basketball, he competed with the same edge that made him a nightmare matchup on Friday nights.

4⭐️ Linkon Cure SIGNS with KANSAS STATE✍️

Huge signing for the Wildcats👀 pic.twitter.com/SZVQWcM8fb
— Rivals High School (@RivalsHS) December 4, 2024

Athletic excellence runs deep in the Cure family. Born in Wray, Colorado, he grew up surrounded by sports. His brother Leyton played football at Fort Hays State and Kansas. On the other hand, his sister Lindsey plays volleyball at Regis University. His cousin Mitch Unrein also spent seven years in the NFL.

Despite offers from Kansas, Oregon, and Texas A&M, Cure chose the school he had always dreamed of representing. "It’s a dream come true," he said.

Cure didn’t graduate early, choosing instead to finish basketball and track. This meant arriving late and missing all of fall camp. Shortly after stepping on campus, he suffered a knee injury and immediately encountered the massive leap from small-school Kansas football to the Big 12.

Depth at tight end led coaches to shift him to wide receiver, forcing him to learn two positions in real time. "It’s been rough," Cure admitted. "But it shows a lot about my perseverance, and I just think that it’s been a lot of fun. I love being out there."

Coach Klieman’s Perspective and Cure’s Growth

Head coach Chris Klieman understood the uphill climb. Missing camp meant Cure had to be "spoonfed" into the system, and the expectations that come with being a five-star recruit only intensified the spotlight.

"When you come in as highly touted as he, and the expectations, those are hard for a young person to handle coming in here," Klieman said.

Cure spent time on the scout team early in the season, quietly grinding while adjusting to the Power 4 level. Klieman praised his attitude and remains fully confident in his long-term ceiling. "Sky’s the limit for him still."

Klieman confirmed that tight end remains his long-term position. And Cure believes the receiver reps will make him even better down the road.

Reflecting on his journey, Cure captured the emotion perfectly, "I sat there as a kid watching (the team run out of the tunnel), and now I have the ability to do it. It’s been awesome. It’s just been a dream come true."

In seven career games, Cure has five catches for 32 yards and recently played a season-high 21 snaps in the Wildcats’ win over Oklahoma State.

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