Five Western Kansas Safeties to Watch

In our first installment of Western Kansas positional updates, I showcased 10 linebackers to keep an eye on for this coming season in a two part series. In this update we will dive into five safeties every college should have their eyes for the coming seasons.   With the June camp-combine season upon us, we are seeing plenty of kids busting their tails to get showcased to the masses. These five safeties are doing their part and I'm eager to follow them further as the summer progresses into the fall.   Represented in this article are kids hailing from the Mid Continent League, the Western Athletic Conference, the Northern Plains League, the Great West Activities Conference and the Central Prairie League.   Once again profiles for each of these athletes have been created on Prep Redzone and can be claimed by using the following link.   <a href="https://prepredzone.com/prospects-index/#claim-profile-anchor">https://prepredzone.com/prospects-index/#claim-profile-anchor</a>    One of the top Athletes in the state regardless of classification. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Ohnmacht has already picked up multiple offers from D-1 programs in Kansas State and Iowa State. With him being in the 2027 class, look for plenty of more offers to roll in as time goes by.   First off he takes care of business in the classroom, where he holds a 4.031 GPA. Athletically he has a 38.5 vertical jump and runs a 4.5 forty.   He is also a three sport athlete participating in football, basketball and track. He is one of the finest track athletes in the state. Ohnmacht is the defending 5A state champion in the triple jump. His personal best in that event is 48'-3" but also excels in the long jump where he has recorded a 22'-10.5" leap during the season. Not to mention he also participates in the javelin, where he has a throw of 182' in this first year of competing in that event.   On the football field, he has been honored as a First Team All-Western Athletic Conference athlete and Honorable Mention 5A All-State.   This past season he excelled on both sides of the ball. Defensively from his safeties position he had 40 tackles on a loaded Great Bend defense. On offense, he hauled in 35 catches for 466 yards (13.3 yards per reception) and six touchdowns. Overall he had 10 total touchdowns and 787 all-purpose yards.     The 6-foot-0, 170-pound Hutchinson is one of the best small school safeties in the state. He is a big time weapon on both sides of the ball for the Redmen.   It is on the defensive side of the ball he has gotten most of his attention from colleges so far. Described as a secondary player who possess great instincts, very good athletic ability and a top notch tackler.   He was a First Team Mid-Continent League honoree the past two seasons at safety and a Second Team performer as a running back last fall.   The past two years he had nearly 100 tackles each season and on the offensive side of the ball he racked up over 750+ yards rushing, 500+ yards passing and had nearly 20 touchdowns during that same timeframe.   Definitely keep an eye on Hutchinson not only on the football field but on the wrestling mat. He placed 5th in the 157 pound class in the 3A-2A-1A State Wrestling Meet this past spring.     Only in the 2028 class, Cranston is one of the best freshman in the state bar-none.   The 6-foot-1, 190-pound athlete carries a 4.0 GPA in the classroom.   He not only excels on the football field but in track and field. This past track season he posted some staggering times for someone so young. In the 110m hurdles he posted a 14.39 on the season. In the event placed second in 3A to Kansas State bound tight end Linkon Cure from Goodland. He also had a 300m hurdle time of 40.04 and a javelin throw of 181'.   On the gridiron he had 78 tackles from his safeties position. Even though he is a freshman, he is very fundamental sound in his coverage skills and shows good physicality at the point of attack.   When it comes to the offensive side of the ball, he had 10 total touchdowns, 396 yards receiving (20.8 yards per reception) and had 732 all-purpose yards.   Cranston should be one of the most sought after recruits in Kansas in the coming years. I definitely look forward in following how he does in both football and track while he is staring for the Longhorns.     The St. John Tigers are blessed to have the 6-foot-1, 185-pound Alpers staring for them in football, basketball and track.   It is on the football field where the he is getting most of his recruiting attention and rightfully so.   A physical and athletic ballhawking type safety, this past fall he was a honored as a Honorable Mention 8-Man II All-State safety, a First Team All-Central Prairie League performer at the same position and was Second Team as a quarterback.   As a defender he had 80 tackles (42 solo and 38 assisted), two forced fumbles and a whopping seven interceptions. He also showed very well on offense and in special teams.   As a quarterback, he threw for 722 yards and eight touchdowns but performed best as a runner where he racked up 1,049 yards rushing and 21 more touchdowns.   He is a also a key performer for the Tigers in basketball and participated in state track. We should be hearing a lot more about the 2026 star this coming fall on the gridiron.     Bell is a one of the top receivers in all of 8-Man football but he is also a tremendous safety when playing defense. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound was yet another high quality multiple sport athlete participating in football, basketball and track. He is a 12'6" pole vaulter, where he placed 6th in the 2A state meet.   During this past football season he had 65 tackles, two interceptions and forced two fumbles from his safety position.   On the other side of the ball he hauled in 52 receptions for 815 yards and seven touchdowns. He also rushed for 138 yards and returned kicks for the Leopards where he brought two back for touchdown.   Lincoln should be a one of the favorites in 8-Man I this coming fall with not only Bell returning but the likes of [player_tooltip player_id='1566706' first='Brody' last='Shearer'], [player_tooltip player_id='1113161' first='Xavier' last='Miller'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1113297' first='Jeremiah' last='Miller'].      Having covered the linebackers and safeties positions, be on the look-out for our next positional update showcasing the top cornerbacks in the Western half of the state. Once again I'm eager to get out and see new kids I am unaware about and start giving them the proper pub they deserve. If you knows of anyone that fits that bill and needs the proper attention, reach out to me at @Coach_Mitchum on X.

In our first installment of Western Kansas positional updates, I showcased 10 linebackers to keep an eye on for this coming season in a two part series. In this update we will dive into five safeties every college should have their eyes for the coming seasons.