Just one year ago, both Chandler Burks and Taylor Henkle knew almost nothing about KSU, let alone had either of them attended a sporting event on campus.
In fact, Burks and Henkle, both rising juniors on their respective high school’s football teams (South Paulding and Kell), were leaning toward a future of playing collegiate football at Mercer and Georgia Tech, respectively. On June 25, Burks’ environment had drastically changed. He sat in the coach’s office at Fifth Third Bank Stadium, and without a doubt in his mind, he committed to become the first ever varsity football player for KSU.
“I called coach Bohannon and told him I wanted to talk with him,” Burks said. “He said, well come on in to my office. I knew when they offered me back before spring ball that there was something special going on there.”
Henkle, the first Cobb County product to commit and second overall commitment, saw that special something as well.
“I saw a lot of things that I hadn’t seen before,” Henkle said of the campus. “Honestly, I think the dorms are tops in the country. Those are legit dorms that any athlete would love to be able to live in. There was just a bunch of awesome stuff that I never knew was in my own backyard.”
It was a relationship in the waiting for Henkle. A safety and receiver for the Longhorns, who play on Friday nights just four miles away from KSU campus, Henkle wasn’t being heavily recruited. He had been overshadowed by defensive stars Quincy Mauger and Brendan Langley—both current freshmen defensive backs at the University of Georgia. Georgia Tech seemed a likely option for Henkle, however, thanks to the recruitment by the Yellow Jacket’s assistant coach, Brian Bohannon.
On March 24, Bohannon accepted the job as KSU’s first football coach, and his interest in Henkle followed him closer to Henkle’s own home. Two months later, Bohannon offered a scholarship to Henkle.
That was when Henkle began to notice what was already in place on the KSU campus: the dorms, the dining hall, the stadium. He said he was shocked with what was already in place.
“I’m assuming from the locker room that they built the stadium knowing there’d be football there one day,” Henkle said. “That’s a pretty cool, top- of-the-line locker room.”
Now Henkle will head into his senior season with all eyes on him. Not only is he committed to play for a brand new Division I (FCS) program, but he’s one of the top products in the same county. Henkle has been named to the Marietta Daily Journal’s Elite-11 team, and the journal’s sports editor and producer of the award-winning Cobb Football Friday, John Bednarowski, thinks highly of the young star.
“I think Henkle is the best player in Cobb County,” Bednarowski said.
Burks, who has played multiple skill positions including quarterback, also found his way to KSU through coaching relationships. Tim Glanton, who is now the A-backs coach for the Owls, was the head coach at South Paulding for Burks’ first three years.
“Not too long after they offered me (coach Glanton) ended up leaving and going to KSU,” Burks said. “I started doing my research and everything was so appealing to me.”
Apparently the appeal was good enough to lure Burks away from a heap of other schools who were recruiting him. According to Burks, Mercer, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Lafayette, Lehigh, Harvard, Yale, Fordham and Western Kentucky all were bidding for his talent.
“Since then I’ve been so excited,” Burks said. “I know everybody at KSU is excited.”
Burks and Henkle have made quite the commitment, but they insist both of their pledges are hard. Their commitment will mean having to redshirt and spend an entire year without playing an official game—a commitment other 2014 recruits will have to make to the program.
“It’s tough knowing you have to go a whole year not stepping on the field against another opponent,” Henkle said. “Getting that one year of not really having to worry about other teams could benefit us coming into the new program, though. To be able to get the team together and bond on and off the field—it can really be a good thing for us.”
So far the program has four total commitments, and season tickets for the opening season in 2015 are already halfway to being sold out. The first-
ever team will be composed of redshirt freshman from the 2014 committing class, true freshman in 2015, and walk- ons, which could potentially include members of the current club team, which is entering its second season.
“It’s going to be a great experience, and I’m blessed to be a part of it,” Burks said.
