K-State linebacker to put football on "pause" to serve church mission

MANHATTAN (KSNT) - K-State football will be down a linebacker for the 2024-25 season.

Upcoming junior Jake Clifton announced on social media Friday that he will putting his football career on "pause" to pursue a church missionary.

"After much thought and prayer, I have decided to pause my career and serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints," Clifton said in his social media post.

Clifton did not specify a timeline for his mission or whether or not a return to K-State is on the table.

The linebacker was an up-and-coming key player for the Wildcats, playing in 11 games as a true freshman, mostly on special teams. As a sophomore in 2023, Clifton played in the opening eight games - with three starts at middle linebacker - before an injury cut his season short.

Clifton closes this chapter of his K-State career with 19 solo tackles, two for a loss. He posted a career-high eight tackles in the Wildcats 2023 loss to Texas.