By: D. Scott Fritchen
It wasn’t hard to spot Dejon Ackerson Jr. at the National Signing Day ceremony at Putnam City (Okla.) High School on December 3. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound linebacker, known as one of the most technically sound yet vicious defensive players in the state — characteristics that put SEC’s Oklahoma hot on his track and even prompted Big Ten’s Michigan to visit late — didn’t wear crimson and cream or blue and maize, but rather he bathed his wardrobe in royal purple to leave no doubt he was proud to bring his assets to Kansas State Wildcat and battle in the Big 12 Conference.
Purple jacket. Purple hat. Gray pants with purple accents. Silver shoes. Purple was his mother’s favorite color. It was his dad’s favorite color, too.
Might not be long before Ackerson is circled in fluorescent pen — the pen that TV color commentators use when highlighting a player and diagramming a lights-out play on the playing field.
“I have to dominate,” Ackerson said. “I have to show my talent and not back down from the challenge.”
As a midyear enrollee, Ackerson will arrive at K-State in January. By that time, new K-State head coach Collin Klein should be near wrapping up his initial coaching staff in Manhattan.
Oh, and Klein was a signing-day topic. As was the man he replaced — seventh-year K-State head coach Chris Klieman, who announced his retirement hours after the 2026 signing class was complete.
“The thing I’ve learned most about myself is I can adjust quickly,” Ackerson said. “Even during high school, I had to go through a coaching change and learn new things. That’s what I’m good at, is I can learn new things.
“I’ve learned a lot of great things about Coach Klein, that he’s a great coach, and some of the staff members at my high school told me he’s one of their all-time favorite quarterbacks. That’s pretty cool. I never saw anything about what he did exactly, but hearing those things from people around me, it’s pretty good to hear.”
As Ackerson sat at his signing day event, a bunch of thoughts raced through his head. Perhaps at the top of his list, other than Klieman’s retirement, and rumors of Klein returning, was Ackerson’s mission, the one that he heard spoken to him, the one that he felt in his heart, and the one that, amid all the other outside recruiting noise, drew him to the Flint Hills.
“Although it was a day of celebration, I couldn’t really celebrate,” he said. “I was in shock that I’d be in this position to attend that school. It’s sad that Coach Klieman is gone before I get to play a down of football, but I’m not going to the school just for the coach. I’m going to the school for the school. It wasn’t a big factor that Coach Klieman retired.
“God has an assignment for me at K-State.”
As for God’s assignment for Ackerson?
“I truly don’t know yet,” Ackerson replied. “He’ll show me once I get up there. But I know I’m definitely going to learn some things and grow myself while I’m up there.”
On April 25, Ackerson tweeted: “Blessed to be home…let’s work. #committed #EMAW”
Ackerson chose K-State over offers from Boston College, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Maryland, Pittsburgh, Nevada and Tulsa. He announced his top three — K-State, Oklahoma State and Tulsa — on April 21. His recruitment gained steam when he had 71 tackles, including 14 tackles for loss, 8.0 sacks, 3.0 forced fumbles and one fumble recovery his junior season.
Putman City head coach Willis Alexander told The Oklahoman that representatives from Michigan flew down to evaluate Ackerson for two hours and “tried to get him to flip his commitment.”
“They threw that Michigan money at him,” Alexander told The Oklahoman. “That’s big money.”
During a phone interview last week, Ackerson brushed off the overture by the Wolverines.
“K-State is the place God has for me,” Ackerson said, “and I want to follow His path so He can get the best out of me.”
Ackerson was the 30th-rated linebacker nationally in the Class of 2026 by Rivals and as the sixth-best overall prospect in the state of Oklahoma after posting 73 tackles, 13.0 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks, one interception and one fumble recovery his senior season. Ackerson also ran a 11.88 100-meter as a junior.
His path to K-State has been a journey of constant change.
“I began playing football when I was three, but my dad wanted me to play basketball, so I fell in love with basketball,” Ackerson said. “In the fifth grade, I took football more seriously. I just wanted to hit people. You can’t do that in basketball. Hitting was my game.
“I started out at running back until seventh grade. The I moved to quarterback, which was like a running back because I either handed off or pulled and ran and we didn’t pass much. In the ninth grade I played quarterback and safety for the freshman team. My junior year, I began playing linebacker, so I could be in the box and still do some safety-type things. In high school, I had to make a choice to better our team. We didn’t have too many people on the defensive side. That was that.”
Ackerson enjoys many aspects while playing the linebacker position.
“I like sacks, playing in space, and guarding people,” he said. “Basically, I’m the leader of the field, and I like to lead my team and be in that position.”
Ackerson’s mettle was tested late in the regular season. He refers to Senior Night as his most memorable game.
“My Senior Night game was a hectic day because we had to fit Homecoming and Senior Night into one day,” he said. “We came out playing pretty slow. I’m not going to lie. We were down at the half. I was furious at halftime. I wanted to lock in and play my game.
“In the second half, I’m rallying the team up, and we finally played like we’re supposed to play. I had two sacks and a couple TFLs in the second half. I was playing my game. That was my favorite game because I endured the change and went out there and played how I was supposed to play. I played mad and brought fierceness into the second half, and I was still locked in and read my keys so I could play my game.”
Ackerson did his research on K-State enduring change. He read about how Hall-of-Famer Bill Snyder, who had 45 scholarship players, and didn’t have NIL money or the transfer portal in 1989, orchestrated the greatest turnaround in college football history. That stuck with Ackerson.
“Coach Snyder did an amazing job to turn around the program,” Ackerson said. “When I think of K-State, that’s what I think of — a winning program.”
And Ackerson is honored to be a part of helping keep the Wildcats’ winning ways alive.
“It’s a great school,” he said, “but I’m in shock to have the opportunity to attend the school. It was a day of shock.”
Might not be too long before it’s Ackerson who’s shocking people.
“I have great leadership skills,” he said. “My coaches put the trust in me to lead our high school team. I have speed and when I hit, I’m trying to get you out of the game, and show that you don’t want to run my way no more.
“That’s what I’m going to bring to K-State.”
Ackerson’s bags are almost packed for a January arrival. Then the real fun begins.
