Kansas State is heading into preseason camp with very little settled outside the obvious. Collin Klein made that clear when he met with the media earlier this week, and his message was simple: nearly every spot on the roster is going to be earned the hard way.
The first-year Wildcats coach said the only real constants entering camp are quarterback Avery Johnson and probably running back Joe Jackson. Beyond that, Klein said the next few weeks will be all about battles for jobs across the board.
"Competition is something we want in this program, and that is never going to stop," Klein said. "Who wins this job, that isn't worth the paper that it is written on.
You have to go out every single day on that practice field, and you have to earn it. You have to do what the team needs you to do for us to be successful on that unit.
That's at every position across the board, every day."
That approach fits a Kansas State program trying to reset after a rough 6-6 season that ended with the team passing on a bowl invitation and led to Chris Klieman stepping down. Klein now takes over a rebuilding job in his third stint with the Wildcats.
He knows the place well. Klein starred at quarterback for Kansas State in the early 2010s, finished as a Heisman Trophy finalist after his senior season and later returned to Manhattan as an assistant before spending two seasons as Texas A & M’s offensive coordinator.
In recent months, he has started putting his own stamp on the program, including making progress in recruiting while leaning into an old-school style that echoes the way Bill Snyder ran things. The open competition in camp only adds to that feel, even if a depth chart will eventually arrive.
For now, though, the message is that nobody gets handed anything.
That uncertainty is part of what makes this one of the most anticipated Kansas State football seasons in years. It is the first year of the Collin Klein era, and the Wildcats are hoping he can push them back toward Big 12 contention.
Fans will get their first chance to meet Klein and the team at the annual “Meet the Cats” event on Aug. 22 at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Gates open at 11 a.m.
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