Week 1 of the 2026 college football season gave the first real snapshot of how a handful of former Kansas State players are fitting in at new stops around the country. Some popped right away.
Some were barely noticeable. A couple never got on the field.
The biggest name on the list was Dylan Edwards, and he opened his Kansas career with six carries for 32 yards in the Jayhawks’ 51-6 win over LIU on Friday night. The Derby native averaged 5.3 yards per carry and broke off a long run of 17 yards.
Edwards’ K-State run was plenty productive before the move. After transferring from Colorado, he became one of the Wildcats’ most explosive offensive pieces in 2024, rushing for 546 yards and five touchdowns while averaging 7.4 yards per carry.
He also added 19 catches for 133 yards and two scores. In 2025, he was limited to four games but still finished with 205 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
Another former Wildcat who made the jump to a new program was linebacker Austin Romaine, now at Texas Tech. He logged three tackles in the Red Raiders’ 33-10 win over Abilene Christian. Romaine was a major presence in the middle of K-State’s defense, leading the team with 96 tackles in 2024 while also posting 7.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and three forced fumbles.
Former K-State receiver Jayce Brown had a quieter debut at LSU. In the Tigers’ 51-10 win over Clemson, he caught one pass for 14 yards.
Brown had been Avery Johnson’s top target and one of the Wildcats’ most productive pass-catchers over three seasons in Manhattan, finishing with 115 receptions for 1,972 yards and 13 touchdowns. His breakout came in 2024, when he led the team with 47 catches for 823 yards and five touchdowns; those 823 yards were the most by a K-State receiver since 2014.
He followed that with 41 catches for 712 yards and five receiving scores in 2025.
Indiana’s season opener featured two former K-State defensive linemen working together again. Chiddi Obiazor had two tackles, and Tobi Osunsanmi added four as the Hoosiers beat North Texas 52-16. Obiazor played in 28 games with eight starts at K-State, while Osunsanmi made the transition from linebacker to productive defensive end before heading to Bloomington.
Three more former Wildcats were in the same Baylor defense against Auburn. Safety Daniel Cobbs, safety Colby McCalister and defensive end Ryan Davis each turned in solid outings, even though the Bears fell 17-16.
Cobbs had four tackles, including three solo stops, plus a sack. McCalister finished with three solo tackles, and Davis added three tackles with one solo and two assisted.
Cobbs spent three seasons in the K-State secondary and finished his Wildcats career with 46 tackles and four interceptions, including a strong 2025 season with 39 tackles, three tackles for loss and three picks. McCalister also spent three seasons in Manhattan as part of the safety rotation, and Davis developed along the defensive line.
All three were on K-State’s 2025 roster before moving on.
Running back DeVon Rice got a heavier workload at Hawaii than he ever saw at K-State. He carried 15 times for 73 yards with a long of 16 and also caught four passes for 27 yards, though he did lose a fumble. Rice spent two seasons with the Wildcats as a reserve behind a crowded backfield, rushing 27 times for 93 yards and three touchdowns while adding three catches for 33 yards.
Tight end Andrew Metzger’s day at Ohio was quieter. He had one reception but didn’t gain any yards in the Bobcats’ 49-21 loss to Nebraska. Metzger spent two seasons at K-State and was part of the Wildcats’ young tight end group.
At USF, Amarion Fortenberry finished with two solo tackles in a 19-9 win over FIU. He arrived at K-State from South Alabama and provided depth and athleticism in the secondary during his time in Manhattan.
Brayden Loftin did not play in UCLA’s 45-24 win over Cal. The tight end spent three seasons at K-State and was part of a deep room that included Garrett Oakley, Will Swanson, Will Anciaux and Linkon Cure. He saw game action in Manhattan but never became a major statistical contributor.
Overall, it was a mixed opening week for former Wildcats. Some made immediate impacts, others were quiet, and a few were nowhere to be found. But with the season just getting started, there’s still plenty of time for these familiar names to carve out bigger roles in their new homes.
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It was also the sort of game that tells a fan base something about the direction of the program, even if one afternoon only says so much. The balance was there, the pace was there and the scoring output reached a level Kansas State had not hit in a long time, with Rodney Fields earning game MVP honors after making his mark in the backfield. [Read more 🡒]