Gabe Powers
Gabe Powers was the No. 61 recruit in the country once — a four-star linebacker out of Marysville who picked Ohio State over everyone. Three years later he was still on the bench, so he did the modern thing and bet on himself. Now, at Kansas State, the Will linebacker job is sitting open with his name next to it.
Gabe Powers was the No. 61 recruit in the country once — a four-star linebacker out of Marysville who picked Ohio State over everyone. Three years later he was still on the bench, so he did the modern thing and bet on himself. Now, at Kansas State, the Will linebacker job is sitting open with his name next to it.
The Powers story has always been about the gap between what he was supposed to be and what he'd actually gotten to do. He landed at Ohio State as the No. 61 overall prospect in the 2022 class, a 6-foot-4, 230-pound four-star, and then spent three seasons stuck behind veterans, his career highlight a 29-yard pick-six against Akron in a season opener. In December 2024 he became the first Buckeye to hit the portal, telling anyone who'd listen he just wanted to play.
Kansas State won that recruiting battle over Minnesota, North Carolina and Wisconsin, and 2025 was the first time the bet paid anything back: he appeared in all 12 games, earned his first career start against Army, and finished with 21 tackles and 1.5 for loss across 189 defensive snaps, plus Academic All-Big 12 honors. Useful, not yet decisive. With Austin Romaine and Desmond Purnell locked in at Mike and Sam, the projection now is that Powers slides into the open Will spot.
That's the whole offseason question in Manhattan. The talent was never the doubt — the snaps were. He has two seasons of eligibility and, for the first time in his career, a starting job that isn't blocked by an entrenched veteran. 2026 is where the four-star label either becomes production or stays a recruiting footnote.
How he plays
A long, rangy WILL linebacker built more like a big nickel than a thumper — 6-foot-4 and around 230-237 pounds, with the length and movement skills that made him a four-star and the kind of body that shows up in coverage and in chase. The one play that travels is the pick-six, which fits the profile: instincts and ball skills more than downhill violence. His 2025 K-State tape was a rotation player's tape — 21 tackles, 1.5 for loss over 189 snaps, plus heavy special-teams duty — so the read is a developmental athlete with the frame and the range to start, who still needs to prove he can hold up snap-to-snap as a full-time defender rather than a situational piece.
The story
The Powers story has always been about the gap between what he was supposed to be and what he'd actually gotten to do. He landed at Ohio State as the No. 61 overall prospect in the 2022 class, a 6-foot-4, 230-pound four-star, and then spent three seasons stuck behind veterans, his career highlight a 29-yard pick-six against Akron in a season opener. In December 2024 he became the first Buckeye to hit the portal, telling anyone who'd listen he just wanted to play.
Kansas State won that recruiting battle over Minnesota, North Carolina and Wisconsin, and 2025 was the first time the bet paid anything back: he appeared in all 12 games, earned his first career start against Army, and finished with 21 tackles and 1.5 for loss across 189 defensive snaps, plus Academic All-Big 12 honors. Useful, not yet decisive. With Austin Romaine and Desmond Purnell locked in at Mike and Sam, the projection now is that Powers slides into the open Will spot.
That's the whole offseason question in Manhattan. The talent was never the doubt — the snaps were. He has two seasons of eligibility and, for the first time in his career, a starting job that isn't blocked by an entrenched veteran. 2026 is where the four-star label either becomes production or stays a recruiting footnote.
Career Arc
Coaching Lineage · 2023–2025
1 coachPlayed his entire career under Chris Klieman.
2025 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
Splits & context
Supporting Cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Collin Klein
Awards
Player Standing · 17 rungs
Tier 1 · 2-deepR04 · Rotational
Rotational. Tackle volume for the position in rotation-piece range.
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Kansas State | 21 | 10 | 1.5 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Ohio State | 5 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | -- |
| 2023 | Ohio State | 7 | 6 | 1.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 33 | 20 | 2.5 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2025
W 38–35
vs North Dakota
1 SOLO · 1 TOT
Edged out North Dakota at home in a shootout.
How he plays
Play style
A long, rangy WILL linebacker built more like a big nickel than a thumper — 6-foot-4 and around 230-237 pounds, with the length and movement skills that made him a four-star and the kind of body that shows up in coverage and in chase. The one play that travels is the pick-six, which fits the profile: instincts and ball skills more than downhill violence. His 2025 K-State tape was a rotation player's tape — 21 tackles, 1.5 for loss over 189 snaps, plus heavy special-teams duty — so the read is a developmental athlete with the frame and the range to start, who still needs to prove he can hold up snap-to-snap as a full-time defender rather than a situational piece.
Our classifier reads him the same way: is steady in every phase without a signature trait.
2026 Outlook
Kansas State
2026 Depth chart
Returning starter
Cornerback · Kansas State · editorial
Returning around him
- 2 Kansas State players drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: -7 net (26 in / 33 out)
2026 Award watch
- Jim Thorpe
- Hornung
Kansas State · Last season: 6-6 (AP #17) · Talent rank #47 · 2026 recruiting class #50
Perception vs tape
The Powers story has always been about the gap between what he was supposed to be and what he'd actually gotten to do. He landed at Ohio State as the No.
Read the story →DNA match
Player DNA
Balanced Linebacker
Solid in every phase without a signature dimension.
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Stanquan Clark’s 2025 season.
Matches Stanquan on
Differs from Stanquan on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Stanquan Clark's junior season at Louisville (2025).
Matches Stanquan on
Differs from Stanquan on
Background
CAREER HONORS • 2025 Academic All-Big 12 • 2023 Academic All-Big Ten 2025: Played in all 12 games as a regular member of the playing rotation in addition to earning his first-career start against Army as he posted 21 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss over 189 defensive snaps and 36 special teams p...