Derrick Salley didn’t wait around for his chance to arrive quietly.
When Kansas State lost Jaron Tibbs to injury last week in a 31-26 defeat at Cincinnati, Salley was pushed into a bigger role and immediately looked like more than a reserve. He turned that opening into seven catches for 140 yards and a touchdown, becoming Avery Johnson’s most reliable option on the night.
“Once (Tibbs) went down, it was next man up,” Salley said. “So I just had to go in and produce.
That’s all I was thinking, really. I didn’t have a reaction to anything.
I just had to go play.”
For a player who had barely been on the radar before that game, the performance stood out even more. Salley is a 6-foot-3 receiver from South Carolina who spent the last two seasons at Hutchinson Community College under Drew Dallas.
There, he built a strong résumé, catching 71 passes for 1,168 yards and 18 touchdowns with the Blue Dragons. That production gave Kansas State reason to believe he could eventually help, even if his role had been limited early.
Through the first three games of the season, the Wildcats didn’t lean much on their depth at wide receiver. Salley had just four receptions for 38 yards in non-conference play, which made his breakout against Cincinnati feel sudden from the outside.
Inside the program, though, the trust was already there.
“He looked great,” Johnson said. “Tibbs going down, obviously, you never want to see that.
But injuries are part of the game. I think Salley stepped up and did a great job.
Made some contested catches. He’s hard to stop with one-on-one opportunities, so he did a really good job for us.
He stepped up.”
Sean Gleeson said the staff didn’t know exactly when Salley would get a bigger opportunity, but they believed he was ready when it came.
“Derrick is an example of going in there after having practiced really well,” Gleeson said. “I see him in routes on air and one-on-ones.
He makes contested catches, just going up and tearing the ball out of the sky. We’re excited to see how he (develops) moving forward.”
Salley’s night wasn’t spotless. Early in the third quarter, he lost a costly fumble while going to the ground after a catch. But Kansas State had already seen enough encouraging signs to come away with confidence.
He scored on a short slant route after beating a defender one-on-one, and he also came down with several catches in traffic. Those are the kinds of plays that can change how a passing game looks, especially if he keeps stacking them.
Tibbs did not finish the Cincinnati game after taking a hard hit to the helmet, but he is expected to make a full recovery and return in two weeks against Houston.
That leaves Kansas State with a decision to make in the passing game moving forward. Whatever the role ends up being, Johnson made one thing clear: Salley has earned another look the next time he’s on the field.
In Other News...
Jerome Tang's Kansas State Split Just Got More Interesting For Baylor
Kansas States separation from Jerome Tang is moving toward a resolution, with the school and its former basketball coach nearing a $12 million settlement after his firing for cause in February. Tang had been owed more than $18 million if he had been let go without cause, so the financial gap underscores how messy the split became after a difficult season and a postgame rant helped lead to the dismissal.
For Baylor, the part that matters now is Tangs return to Waco as associate head coach. His presence adds another layer to a rivalry that already has plenty of familiarity, and the settlement chatter only makes the aftermath of Kansas States coaching change feel more consequential. The legal and financial pieces are still falling into place, but the coaching fallout has already shifted the focus to what Tangs next chapter means for the Bears. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas States Costly Jerome Tang Split Is Finally Nearing An End
Kansas States long-running dispute with Jerome Tang appears close to wrapping up, with the school and its former mens basketball coach finalizing a settlement tied to his February firing for cause. Tang, who spent four seasons in Manhattan and is now an associate head coach at Baylor, had about $18.7 million left on his contract when he was dismissed, leaving the sides to sort out a pricey separation that has lingered for months.
The agreement would pay Tang $12 million through the end of 2027, trimming the buyout figure and bringing a measure of closure to one of the more costly off-court issues facing the program. For Kansas State, the resolution should finally clear the way to move past the financial fallout of Tangs exit and keep attention on what comes next for a program still adjusting after the breakup. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State Can Finally Move On From The Jerome Tang Split
Kansas States coaching search is over, but the fallout from the Jerome Tang era is still being sorted out long after the Wildcats decided to move in a different direction. Tang was let go after the 2022-23 season, and the school has spent the months since trying to close the book on a split that carried real financial weight as well as basketball implications.
The latest step is a deal that would pay Tang $12 million by the end of 2027, trimming the remaining money from his contract and allowing both sides to put the separation behind them. Tang has already resurfaced at Baylor as an assistant coach, while Kansas State has turned the program over to Casey Alexander, who now inherits the task of moving the Wildcats forward without the unresolved business hanging over the transition. [Read more 🡒]