The 2026 Kansas State season has turned into a long list of what-ifs, and Avery Johnson’s injury is only the biggest one. The transfer portal adds another layer to the frustration. After Chris Klieman retired and Collin Klein took over, the Wildcats lost a batch of players who have gone on to matter elsewhere - and in a few cases, matter a lot.
Some departures have stung more than others. A few would have helped in obvious spots. Others are the kind of losses that only really show up when you compare what Kansas State has now to what those players are doing somewhere else.
Malcolm Alcorn-Crowder is one of the clearest examples. The defensive tackle landed at SMU and has started every game, piling up 22 tackles, three for loss and 2.5 sacks. For a Kansas State defense that had to replace his production in the middle, that’s a real miss.
Jayce Brown might be the one that hurts most on paper. He would have been Kansas State’s top receiver this season, but instead he chose LSU.
The strange part is how little LSU has used him. Brown played 157 snaps over the first five games, then disappeared from the offense.
He caught eight passes on 13 targets for 89 yards and no touchdowns. Last season in Manhattan, he had 41 catches for 712 yards and seven scores, all while playing through injuries.
There are also the linebackers, where Kansas State has had more than its share of issues. Jake Clifton left after contributing in 2022 and 2023, then served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints before joining BYU.
He’s now a rotational piece for the Cougars, averaging about 24 snaps a game with 20 tackles and 1.5 sacks. Austin Romaine, meanwhile, has been a bigger loss.
He’s starting in the middle for Texas Tech and has become a playmaker, with 55 tackles, 31 assisted, 11 missed tackles and two pick-sixes. His missed-tackle rate has been cut in half from a year ago, and Kansas State has felt the absence at linebacker all season.
The secondary has its own list of regrets. Daniel Cobbs followed former Kansas State defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman to Baylor and has started every game at cornerback.
Pro Football Focus says his coverage grades and numbers are better than what Zashon Rich and Kaleb Patterson have produced for Kansas State this year. Colby McCalister also followed Klanderman to Baylor, where he has started every game at free safety, allowing seven catches on 17 targets for 107 yards and no touchdowns while making 23 tackles.
But the most painful defensive back loss might be Qua Moss. He’s been a standout at Tennessee, playing plenty of nickel and allowing 16 catches on 26 targets for 145 yards and no touchdowns.
He also came up big against Kentucky with a sack and two forced fumbles. That’s the kind of impact Kansas State could use.
Up front, the Wildcats have mixed feelings about what they lost. Ryan Davis went to Baylor and has started every game, but Kansas State has held up well at defensive end. Davis has 14 pressures, eight quarterback hurries, four QB hits and two sacks, while the Wildcats have gotten strong production from Wendell Gregory, Darien Whitaker, Jordan Allen and Jayden Bryant.
The bigger miss on the edge is Tobi Osunsanmi. He’s exploded at Indiana, where he was recently named a semifinalist for the Lombardi Award.
He leads the Big Ten with 10 sacks, which ranks fourth nationally and second among Power 4 players. Kansas State knew what it was losing there.
Chiddi Obiazor has not made much of an impact at Indiana this season either, with 97 snaps after playing 497 for Kansas State last year and only nine pressures so far. That’s a quieter departure, but one that still left a hole in the rotation.
At tight end, Brayden Loftin has become a contributor at UCLA, which remains undefeated and has a shot at the College Football Playoff. He’s started a handful of games and has eight catches for 96 yards. Kansas State had depth at the position entering the season, so this one was easier to live with, even if injuries there have made the loss more noticeable.
Dylan Edwards is another transfer whose numbers look better elsewhere than they would have in Manhattan. He’d lead Kansas State in rushing if his production from Kansas were brought back, but the Wildcats don’t seem to miss him in the same way they miss some of the others. The offense has had bigger problems behind its line.
And then there’s Devin Vass, who left after showing promise at guard. He’s only played 25 snaps at right tackle for West Virginia, all of them in a blowout win over UT Martin. Still, with Kansas State dealing with questions at right guard, it’s fair to wonder what he could have become if he had stayed.
The portal losses weren’t all equal, but the pattern is hard to ignore. Kansas State didn’t just lose bodies. It lost players who are starting, producing and, in some cases, thriving somewhere else.
In Other News...
Collin Klein Just Made A Pressure-Filled K-State Offensive Adjustment
Collin Klein has made a notable in-season shift on the Kansas State sideline, turning over play-calling duties after the first eight games and asking offensive coordinator Sean Gleeson to handle that job beginning with the Oklahoma State game. For a coach who was already juggling the demands of running a program, the move reflects a desire to step back from the weekly grind and keep his attention on the broader responsibilities that come with being a head coach.
Klein framed the change as a way to reduce stress and sharpen his focus on the bigger picture, but it does not sound like a permanent handoff. He left open the possibility of resuming play-calling later, which makes this less like a full reset and more like a calculated adjustment as the Wildcats try to navigate the rest of the season. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State Heads To TCU With A Major Quarterback Problem
Kansas State heads into its trip to TCU dealing with a quarterback situation that leaves the offense in a difficult spot. Avery Johnson is out, and backup Jacob Knuth is also unavailable, adding to a list of absences that includes DeArieun Hicks, Sawyer Schilke and Eli Jackson. Max Lovett is listed as questionable, so the Wildcats are still waiting on one more possible answer before kickoff.
The injury report is a challenge on both sides of the matchup, with TCU also set to be without seven players and two safeties listed as questionable. Even so, the Wildcats concerns are the more immediate storyline because of what the quarterback losses mean for how they can function on offense. With depth already being tested, Kansas State will have to sort through its options quickly before facing a conference opponent that has its own availability issues to manage. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State Has A Rising Weapon Fans Need To Watch Closely
Linkon Cures role has been growing for Kansas State, and his showing against Oklahoma State was another sign that the tight end is becoming a more important part of the offense. Cure finished with a career-best five catches for 33 yards, continuing a stretch in which he has earned more snaps and more trust after a teammates injury opened the door for him.
Collin Klein has taken notice of the progress and said Cures development has put him in position to be used more moving forward. For a Kansas State offense looking for reliable options, Cures season line of 18 catches for 185 yards and a touchdown suggests there is still room for his role to expand if the Wildcats keep leaning into what he can do. [Read more 🡒]