Wildcats Lands First Defensive Transfer Commitment of the 2026 Cycle

Coach Klein and the Wildcats land their first defensive commit of the 2026 transfer portal with the commitment of Arkansas defensive back Keshawn Davila.

Sep 27, 2025; Manhattan, Kansas, USA; Kansas State Wildcats mascot Willie Wildcat celebrates a touchdown against the UCF Knights in the third quarter at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-Imagn Images | Scott Sewell-Imagn Images

MANHATTAN, Kan. — The Kansas State Wildcats are looking to retool after an underwhelming 2025 season, going 6-6 overall and skipping out on bowl season following the retirement of coach Chris Klieman.

With so many players moving on, visiting or staying, it's been a very busy time, but K-State was able to start Sunday off with good news. Former JUCO All-American defensive back Keshawn Davilla announced his decision to play for the Wildcats next season, following his former position coach Marcus Woodson's from Arkansas.

Keshawn Davila Commits to Kansas State

Former Arkansas Razorbacks Keshawn Davila during his official visit last year. | Keshawn Davila, X

On Sunday morning, On3's Hayes Fawcett reported via X that the Kansas State Wildcats have received a commitment from Arkansas transfer defensive back Keshawn Davila.

The 6-foot-1, 165-pound defensive back from Florida was in Manhattan for his official visit on Saturday and has decided to follow his former position coach, now Wildcats co-defensive coordinator Marcus Woodson, in making Kansas State his home.

Before transferring to Arkansas, Davila spent two seasons at Northwest Mississippi Community College and was ranked as the number one juco corner in the class of 2025.

BREAKING: Arkansas transfer DB Keshawn Davila has committed to Kansas State, @Hayesfawcett3 reports. https://t.co/twx2zKBxOG pic.twitter.com/ynt7Wivhs0

— Transfer Portal (@TransferPortal) January 4, 2026

Davila was seen as a potential starting corner for the Razorback secondary and drew interest from other Power Five teams, such as Michigan State, Iowa, Florida, Utah, Arizona State, and Virginia Tech.

Davila struggled to see the field after Woodson was let go midseason amid considerable staff changes, which forced the former JUCO star into a more special teams role.

In his minimized role, Davila recorded two tackles and two pass deflections on the season. After following his former position coach to Kansas State, Davila is looking to build on his production from the first half of last season and take his game to the next level.

Wildcats' Digest

During the early portions of the offseason, many key players have left for what they see as greener pastures, which is often the case in today's college football landscape.

Although the Wildcats lost many key contributors, they returned their starting quarterback, Avery Johnson, and, to date, have assembled a strong recruiting class with 24 signees.

The Wildcats are relying on a strong transfer portal to help them return to Big 12 title contention next season.

Kansas State has been very active in the portal thus far, hosting high-value targets on visits since it opened on January 2nd.

This list includes Paul Bowling, an O-lineman for Troy, De'Arieun Hicks, a defensive lineman for Gardner-Webb, Charlie Adams, an O-lineman for Cal Poly, Antonio Tripp, an O-lineman for Florida International, and Arkansas defensive back Keshawn Davila, amongst others.

The Wildcats are looking to finish with a strong portal class after making early pushes and scheduling future visits with their top targets.

As the 2025 offseason continues, coach Klein and the Wildcats hope Davila is just the beginning of a domino effect of Kansas State transfer commits, as they look to continue adding depth to the secondary for next year while filling holes elsewhere.

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