Kansas State’s 2025 season left a simple lesson behind: the Wildcats were closer than the record showed, but too often they beat themselves.
That’s the angle CBS Sports took when sizing up what needs to change in Manhattan next season. Kansas State had only one true blowout loss, a defeat against No.
4 Texas Tech, and the rest of the damage came in tight games. The Wildcats dropped their games by a combined 17 points, the kind of margin that can disappear with one clean play, one turnover, or one mistake avoided.
CBS Sports pointed to the turnover battle as a big reason the season went sideways, arguing that Kansas State did enough to stay in games but couldn’t finish them off.
"They had a 14-6 win over Oklahoma State and four losses of six points or fewer," the article wrote. "I see those results, and I don't think Kansas State was unlucky. I think Kansas State shot itself in the foot and didn't execute."
That’s the backdrop for a 2025 season that many around the program expect to look very different, especially with Avery Johnson back in the picture and Collin Klein returning to Manhattan to take over as head coach.
CBS Sports framed Klein’s arrival as the kind of reset that could help Kansas State turn those narrow losses into something better.
"Maybe that's where things turn around," the article wrote. "Collin Klein has returned to Manhattan to take over the team, and it looks as though he's inheriting a team that was pretty good last year but was its own worst enemy too often.
The Wildcats finished 6-6 overall and 5-4 in the Big 12, so all four of their conference losses were close. The same cannot be said of their wins, as the 'Cats beat UCF, TCU, Kansas, Oklahoma State and Colorado by an average of 14 points."
Klein, for his part, said the winter message has been about tightening every part of the operation and finishing stronger.
"The mindset and mantra throughout the whole winter was 'strain and finish,'" Klein said in his interview with KCSN Sports Network. "Just learning how to give more every single rep and with everything you do, while finishing every single rep of everything that we do.
They've embraced that. Excited to get on the grass.
I think we've got a lot of positions that are gonna be very competitive, which we're excited about."
In Other News...
Kansas State Fans May Need To Rethink Avery Johnson Expectations
Avery Johnson arrived at Kansas State with the kind of hype that usually comes attached to a program-changing quarterback, and for a while it was easy to see why. He got on the field right away after the departures of previous starters and a coaching shakeup, then followed that with a productive sophomore season that showed both his arm talent and his ability to make plays with his legs, even if the Wildcats still came up short in the biggest games.
Now the conversation around Johnson has shifted from what he could become to what Kansas State should reasonably expect from him next. Another coaching change before his junior season added a fresh layer of uncertainty, and after a year that did not go as planned, the gap between early promise and finished product is hard to ignore. For a fan base that has spent years waiting for the right quarterback to settle things, the next step may be less about chasing the ceiling and more about figuring out where the floor really is. [Read more 🡒]
Former K-State Star DJ Giddens Faces A Big Colts Year
DJ Giddens is heading into a pivotal second season with the Indianapolis Colts, and the former Kansas State running back still has plenty to prove after arriving as a fifth-round pick a year ago. The Colts had hoped he could grow into a useful backup behind Jonathan Taylor, but his rookie year mostly kept him on the margins as he tried to adjust to the speed and demands of the league.
Indianapolis coach Shane Steichen remains upbeat about where Giddens is headed, pointing to the possibility of more growth as camp gets into full gear. For K-State fans, it is the familiar next-step question for a player who flashed enough in college to get drafted, then spent his first NFL season learning how hard it can be to carve out a role when the depth chart is already crowded. [Read more 🡒]
Purple Reign Just Landed A Summer Showdown K-State Fans Will Feel
The Sunflower Showdown is headed back to Bramlage Coliseum next summer, only this time it will be played in The Basketball Tournament. Purple Reign, Kansas States alumni team, and Kansas JHX Hoops are set for a three-game series beginning July 21, giving Wildcats fans a familiar rivalry with a different kind of stakes attached to it.
The matchup adds another layer of intrigue because both sides are bringing recognizable college-era names into a tournament built around alumni pride and a $2 million prize. For K-State, the draw is obvious: a chance to watch Purple Reign on its home floor in a setting that should feel part reunion, part high-pressure summer basketball, with the series stretching across the week and the winner still to be decided. [Read more 🡒]