Kansas State’s outlook in the Big 12 has been pegged squarely in the middle by CBS Sports, and the projection puts a lot of weight on one familiar question: how far can Avery Johnson carry the Wildcats?
CBS Sports forecast Kansas State to go 7-5 overall and 4-5 in conference play, slotting the Wildcats as a middle-tier team in the league. The prediction centered on Johnson’s adjustment to first-year coach Collin Klein, the former K-State quarterback who was the offensive coordinator at Texas A & M before taking over in Manhattan.
Johnson is back for his senior season and his third year as the full-time starter, with hopes of pushing Kansas State toward a Big 12 title and a College Football Playoff berth. That kind of leap, though, is not the expectation from most media and college football observers.
CBS Sports still left the door open for Kansas State to make noise if the quarterback-coach pairing clicks. The outlet wrote: "Kansas State has all the ingredients to emerge as the Big 12's surprise contender if the marriage between Avery Johnson and Collin Klein goes as expected on offense.
The quarterback returns with another year of experience, and his dual-threat ability gives Klein's offense a ceiling few teams in the conference can match. Klein knows how to maximize Johnson's strengths, creating explosive plays while leaning on a physical rushing attack that travels well."
Klein’s arrival came after Chris Klieman surprisingly resigned at the end of last season.
On the recruiting front, Kansas State is also looking well beyond the current cycle. The Wildcats offered 2029 wide receiver Colton Laisure from Sullivan East High School in Bluff City, TN. Laisure is unranked, which fits for a rising high school sophomore, but he already has offers from Arizona, Florida State, and Kentucky, among others.
Even with the program in a dead period right now, Kansas State still owns one of the best 2027 recruiting classes in the country. And while 2029 is a long way off, the Wildcats are clearly starting to build their foundation early.
In Other News...
Joe Jackson Embraces New Backfield Competition At Kansas State
Joe Jackson is back in the role Kansas State wants him to own, coming off a breakout junior season that put him on the All-Big 12 radar and made him the Wildcats featured runner again. After rushing for 911 yards and eight touchdowns a year ago, Jackson has every reason to view the backfield as his, but he is approaching the next step with the kind of confidence that usually comes from knowing what he can do.
Kansas States additions of Rodney Fields and Jay Harris only seem to have sharpened that mindset. Jackson has talked up the way their skill sets fit together and the relationship the three have already built, a sign that the Wildcats are trying to create more than a simple depth chart battle. For Jackson, the competition is part of the appeal, and how that rotation settles in could shape one of the more important position groups on the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Collin Klein Just Set A New Tone For Kansas State Football
Collin Kleins first Big 12 media days as Kansas States head coach offered a clear glimpse of the standard he wants to set. The former Wildcats quarterback leaned hard into toughness, energy and grit, framing his program around a more physical, more demanding identity while also leaning on the same steady presence that made him such a natural fit for the job in the first place. It was the kind of appearance that reminded everyone why Kansas State hired him, because he sounded like someone intent on carrying the programs edge forward rather than simply preserving it.
Avery Johnson is right at the center of that vision, and Klein made it clear the quarterbacks next step is about playing with more freedom and aggression in 2026. Kansas State also has some early momentum behind the scenes, with Kleins first recruiting class drawing strong national respect and giving the staff a foundation to build on. The bigger question now is how quickly that tone turns into results once the Wildcats get back on the field. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State Is Already Pushing Hard To Build Its Next Wave
Kansas State is not waiting around to see how the next few recruiting cycles unfold. The Wildcats have already been active with offers across future classes, including 2027 cornerback Riley Lewis, 2027 quarterback Ty Snell, 2029 wide receiver Colton Laisure and 2029 tight end Caiden Snow, a sign the staff is trying to get in early on players who are already drawing attention from Division I programs.
Lewis and Snell are both deep into crowded recruiting battles, while Snow is also hearing from some of the biggest names in the sport. Even the younger names in the mix show how wide Kansas State is casting its net as it tries to stack talent well ahead of time, and the real question now is how many of these early relationships the Wildcats can turn into something more down the road. [Read more 🡒]