Kansas State basketball is still feeling the aftershocks of losing major talent to the transfer portal, and the latest national attention only sharpens that pain. One of the program’s former centerpieces, PJ Haggerty, is drawing praise from CBS Sports after landing at Texas A&M, while the Wildcats are left looking at what they no longer have.
CBS Sports included Haggerty among the biggest positives for the Aggies heading into next season, calling him a potential difference-maker in the paint-touch game.
"If it clicks into place, Texas A&M has an elite paint-touch guard in PJ Haggerty under a coaching staff that annually ranks near the top of the charts in paint points," the article wrote.
That kind of language is hard for Kansas State fans to stomach, especially because Haggerty spent last season carrying the offense. He averaged 23.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.8 assists, serving as the Wildcats’ main scoring threat while Abdi Bashir Jr. battled injury and Nate Johnson and David Castillo failed to take a step forward. Too often, Haggerty was left to fight conference opponents with little help around him.
Now, the guard is headed into the 2026-27 campaign with a Texas A&M roster that offers more support.
"The offensive talent on this roster is just better," the article wrote. "Can McMillan get this group to defend at the level he wants?
It's taxing to play Bucky Ball, but the pain of pressing is well worth the reward. Texas A&M is going to be a factor in this daunting league."
Haggerty wasn’t perfect at Kansas State. He often needed time to settle in during the second half, and turnovers and quick foul trouble popped up too frequently. Even so, those issues were easier to live with when he was the country’s third-leading scorer during the regular season.
Looking at Kansas State’s current roster, it’s easy to see why fans would rather still have him - or really, any major piece from last year. There’s more confidence in Casey Alexander, but his first season didn’t produce a star addition, and there’s no built-in familiarity from Belmont or Kansas State.
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Kansas State Just Made An Early Offer Fans Will Read Into
Kansas States roster reset has already pushed the staff to think ahead, and the latest move fits that timeline. The Wildcats have extended an early offer in the 2027 class as they keep adding names to the board while working to replace the production and depth lost to departures and injuries last season. With three players already committed for 2026 in Nash Stark, Jaylen Alexander and Devin Hutcherson, the program is trying to balance immediate roster needs with a longer runway.
The new target adds another layer to that effort, especially because the staff is clearly not waiting around to sort out the future frontcourt. Kansas State is still hunting its first 2027 commitment, and every early offer feels like part of a bigger attempt to stay ahead in a cycle that could shape the next version of the Wildcats. For a team still rebuilding its base, these first moves can say as much about priorities as any commitment eventually will. [Read more 🡒]
K-State's Quarterback Timeline May Have Just Changed Everything
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For Kansas State, the ripple effects are easy to see. A potential extra window for Avery Johnson would give the program more flexibility in how it plans around him, and it could also buy Collin Klein and Sean Gleason more time to keep building the offense around a quarterback they expect to anchor the team. Even with the NFL conversation hovering in the background, the new framework would leave the Wildcats with a much longer runway than they would have had before. [Read more 🡒]
EA Sports Just Gave Avery Johnson And K-State Real Respect
Avery Johnsons profile in EA Sports College Football 27 says plenty about how the industry views Kansas States ceiling this season. The Wildcats quarterback landed at 88 overall, the highest mark on the roster, and hes joined by a group that looks far deeper than a typical one-man headline, with 11 K-State players checked in at 80 or better.
Johnsons place among the games top quarterbacks is a sign that the respect is real, even if he still has room to climb in the national conversation. Kansas State also has multiple skill players and running backs rated in the 80s, which gives the roster a balanced look on paper and hints at why the Wildcats could be a tougher out than casual observers might expect. [Read more 🡒]