Kansas State’s captains were chosen the old-fashioned way this year: by the players. And when the votes were counted, Garrett Oakley’s name was right there with the rest.
That didn’t surprise Collin Klein once he saw the final list. Kansas State’s coach doesn’t pick captains himself, so he learned the six-man group the same way everybody else did. Along with Jordan Allen, Travis Bates, Joe Jackson, Avery Johnson and Gabe Powers, Oakley earned the honor.
Klein said he would have voted for the senior tight end, too.
“He’s very quiet and reserved on the surface, but he’s got a lot of personality and influence and pull in that locker room,” Klein said earlier this week. “The guys look to his steadiness and to his consistency.
When he speaks, those guys listen. They really respect him.
He’s done it in real time with live bullets, and he’s he’s earned that. I was very, very proud to see that take place.”
Oakley’s rise into that role makes sense when you look at where he stands in Kansas State’s tight end room. The Wildcats have plenty of options there, with Linkon Cure, the former five-star recruit from Goodland, and Will Anciaux, the Wichita native who has 13 catches for 107 yards and four touchdowns.
Both are important pieces. Oakley, though, is the one setting the tone.
At 6-foot-5 and 249 pounds, the senior from Columbus, Nebraska, is coming off a productive season in which he caught 38 passes for 389 yards and six touchdowns. He’s trying to build on that, and he spent the offseason adding eight pounds of muscle to his frame. That extra size has already helped him as a blocker in camp, and it could also draw attention from NFL scouts later on.
Still, Oakley says the weight-room work wasn’t about that.
“I really want to get back to the Big 12 championship game like I did my freshman year,” Oakley said. “Whatever we need to do to get back there, I’m going to do it.”
His teammates may have seen that commitment before they ever filled out their ballots.
“It’s just the hard work that I put in,” Oakley said, “and kind of holding everybody accountable and bringing guys with me. I’ve been here for five years, and I know what the standard is. I’m just trying to set that standard every day, and I’m pushing people to be their best.”
That kind of presence has shown up in the day-to-day work, especially in position drills. Kansas State’s tight end competition is crowded enough that the coaches haven’t officially named a starter or backup.
Anciaux, Cure and Oakley are all listed with “or” on the two-deep. Oakley is expected by many to start the season-opener against Nicholls on Saturday, but the depth chart leaves room for any of them to get the nod.
For now, the battle inside the room may feel tighter than anything K-State sees on game day.
Oakley is looking forward to the opener anyway. It will be his first game as a captain, and he already knows the message he wants to deliver before kickoff.
“I just want us to be playing hard and playing to the whistle,” Oakley said. “No missed assignments and no pre-snap penalties.
I want us to be playing a clean football game, playing together, having fun. I want to see guys celebrating together, flying around.
If we do that, the game will take care of itself.”
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