Kansas State is heading into the season with a familiar name at tight end and a lot of hope attached to it. Linkon Cure arrived as the first five-star recruit in school history, and the hype followed him straight onto campus.
But his freshman year never really got rolling. He finished with just six catches for 37 yards, and toe and knee injuries played a big role in slowing him down.
Now Cure gets another shot to show why Kansas State beat out several heavyweights, including Oregon, to land him in the first place. The talent was never the question.
The challenge is turning that into production, especially with Garrett Oakley already established at the position. Oakley broke out last season with 38 receptions for 389 yards and six touchdowns, and he gives the Wildcats a proven option at tight end.
Even with Oakley in place, Kansas State still plans to find ways to involve Cure. He’s simply too gifted to leave on the sideline, and in an era when players can move on quickly through the transfer portal, getting him on the field matters. This season should give him a real chance to start living up to the billing that came with being the program’s first five-star.
Elsewhere, Avery Johnson is the name drawing the spotlight for Kansas State. The senior quarterback is widely viewed as the team’s best player, and that showed up in EA Sports College Football this year. Johnson earned an 88 rating in the game as he enters his final season with an eye on a Big 12 championship and a College Football Playoff berth.
Other notable Wildcats on the ratings list include receiver Jaron Tibbs at 84, defensive lineman Wendell Gregory at 85, running back Joe Jackson at 85 and cornerback Ja'son Prevard at 87.
In Other News...
Kansas State Fans Just Got Another Painful Reminder About PJ Haggerty
Kansas State fans have had plenty of time to adjust to life after PJ Haggerty, but the reminder still stings. The former Wildcats scoring leader is gone to Texas A&M, and his next stop looks like the kind of fit that can make a players departure feel even louder in hindsight, especially for a K-State roster that has spent the offseason searching for answers after losing key pieces.
Haggertys value was never really in doubt when he had the ball in his hands, and Texas A&M appears set up to give him a much better supporting cast than he had in Manhattan. There are still questions attached to his game, which is why the move is more intriguing than finished business, but for Wildcats fans the broader concern is simpler: the player they watched carry so much of the offense now has a chance to do it on a better stage, while Kansas State keeps trying to build something comparable around him. [Read more 🡒]
Dean Wade Just Hit A Massive Career Turning Point
Dean Wades rise has been a long one, and the latest stop marks a significant step for the former Kansas State forward. The 6-foot-9 wing built his reputation on defense and shooting, first as an All-Big 12 player in Manhattan and then as an undrafted NBA hopeful in 2019, when he had to carve out his place the hard way.
After seven seasons with the Cavaliers, Wade has now landed a four-year contract that reportedly checks in at $39 million. For a player who began as a two-way bet and steadily earned trust along the way, the deal reflects how far his game has come, and it leaves one more question hanging for Wildcats fans who watched him develop into a pro: how much more is still ahead for him? [Read more 🡒]