Kansas State lands LB DJ Ackerson

Kansas State is on the board once again in the class of 2026. After a bit of a lull, K-State has landed two prospects in the span of four days with the addition of Oklahoma linebacker DJ Ackerson.

The announcement from Ackerson comes a little over a week after his spring unofficial visit to Kansas State. His visit to K-State took place April 17. The visit really impressed the linebacker and he appreciated the love and attention the Wildcats coaching staff gave him while in Manhattan. He he also visited Oklahoma and Oklahoma State this spring. He was going to visit Tulsa this weekend, but will no longer be making the trip.

For still just being April, the recruitment of Ackerson was very much a sprint. Kansas State offered him in January and worked quickly not just to schedule an official visit in June, but also to get him on campus for an unofficial visit during the spring. The Oklahoma native also did not have a single offer before the January contact period making this recruitment a true sprint.

It is a nice recruiting win for K-State. Ackerson held offers from Boston College, Maryland, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Pittsburgh and Tulsa. His top three was announced as the Wildcats, Cowboys and Golden Hurricanes. However, it is likely a win for Kansas State head-to-head over Oklahoma State.

K-State linebackers coach Steve Stanard had a nice recruiting cycle in the 2025 class and continues his run in 2026. His relationship with Ackerson stood out to the junior linebacker and played a major role in the Wildcats landing the Oklahoma product.

Overall, the junior linebacker is commitment No. 3 in Kansas State’s 2026 class. He joins a class of Texas corner Brandon Ford and Kansas offensive lineman LaMarcus Barber. According to the latest On3 rankings, the Warr Acres linebacker is ranked the No. 28 player at his position and No. 5 ranked player in the state of Oklahoma.