Derby High School head coach Brandon Clark was gracious enough to take some time after Dylan Edwards committed to Kansas State to speak about his star pupil, his pride for his alma-mater and his thoughts and impressions of Chris Klieman and his staff.
KSO: When did you find about Dylan Edwards’ decision?
BRANDON CLARK: I just found out when everyone else did. I didn’t prod him or anything like that. I just let him have fun with it. What was knowing a day or two earlier going to do for me? I wanted to make it fun for me, too.
KSO: As an alum of Kansas State, and having played for the school, was this extra special for you at this point?
CLARK: Yeah. This is huge. We have a couple of guys on staff that played for K-State. More than half our staff are K-State fans. For the coaching staff alone, it’s awesome. Just having Dylan out of high school, commit on scholarship, is great. We always have guys go to K-State but not often straight out of high school on scholarship. So, we’re super excited for him. I’m very proud. We always go back to K-State games. My whole family is all about K-State. I didn’t try to impose that too much on Dylan, but he knew where I wanted him to go.
KSO: Dylan’s best trait is his explosiveness with the ball in his hands. How would you evaluate him and is his explosiveness the best that you’ve ever coached?
CLARK: Oh yeah. I think he’s one of the fastest guys to ever go through Kansas high school football. He is so fast. I said it last year, but he was so much better last year than he was his sophomore year when he got on the stage and everyone started to recruit him. I said just wait until you see him this year. He’s a lot more special. It’s the same way now for his senior year. He’s so much more explosive. He’s bigger now. He knows our whole offense. He teaches it to the younger guys. He’s a leader out there. He never gets upset when someone screws up. He handles himself the right way. He’s explosive. He’s fast. He understands the blocking schemes. He’s very smart. He’s not just a runner. He knows where he is supposed to go and what to do. He doesn’t react much. He just plays ball.
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KSO: Our last conversation was after the Maize versus Derby game last year when you admitted you hoped that both Dylan and Avery Johnson would pick Kansas State. Do you feel like we’re getting closer to that?
CLARK: Well, it’s halfway there. Yeah, I hope. Avery, wow. He’s an amazing quarterback. And he fits the style there for him, too. He can run the ball. He can throw the ball. He’s very athletic. They can do so much with those two guys in the backfield, especially with the chemistry that those two already have.
KSO: Now that he’s been there for a few seasons, what are your overall thoughts and impressions on Chris Klieman as a high school coach in the state.
CLARK: Oh, he’s an unbelievable coach. He’s one of my all-time favorites. He comes into the office and we talk and he sits back. He makes himself just feel like an equal. You know, some coaches do come in here and you know that they are the big college coach. (Chris Klieman) just comes in here as a normal human being. That’s what I hear about in the way he coaches, too. I know the players. He’s a player’s coach, but he still holds them accountable. Sometimes it’s hard to be a player’s coach and hold kids accountable. But he does it because he’s just a genuine guy.
