Kansas State went into the transfer portal looking for help at linebacker after Austin Romaine left for Texas Tech, and the Wildcats believe they found it in Mekhi Mason.
The senior from Louisiana Tech made enough noise in spring ball and training camp to win a starting job, giving first-year coach Collin Klein a player he clearly trusts. Klein said, "His twitch and snap to the football and instinct is special. To be at his size, have his level of physicality, while still having the ability to run in an inside backer position is like somebody I played with."
That comparison points straight to Arthur Brown, one of the most decorated linebackers in program history. Brown was an All-American and the 2012 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year.
Mason’s résumé helps explain why Kansas State is so high on him. He started 11 games last season at Louisiana Tech and finished with 68 tackles, including 14.5 for loss, along with 3.5 sacks and four passes defended. That production earned him second-team All-League honors in Conference USA.
He is one of two transfer additions expected to make a major impact on the Wildcats’ defense, alongside defensive end Wendell Gregory. Gregory came over from Oklahoma State after winning Big 12 Newcomer of the Year last season.
Kansas State is hoping those additions help cover the loss of Romaine, who is regarded as one of the nation’s top linebackers. Saturday’s opener against Nicholls won’t tell the whole story about how the defense will hold up in Big 12 play, but it will at least give fans their first look.
Nicholls visits Kansas State on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Bill Snyder Family Stadium in Manhattan. The game will air on ESPN+.
In Other News...
Kansas State Already Has A Troubling O-Line Problem Before Week 1
Kansas States offensive line is already under strain before the season opener, and the depth chart keeps getting thinner by the day. The Wildcats announced that left tackle John Pastore and George Fitzpatrick are done for the year, while freshman Oliver Miller will miss the first few weeks and left guard Tanner Morley is listed day-to-day. It is not the kind of news any staff wants to absorb in late August, especially when the front five is supposed to be the foundation for settling an offense early.
The ripple effect goes beyond the left side, too, with Donovan McIntosh, Dillon Duff and Max Lovett all carrying injury statuses heading into the game against Nicholls. For Kansas State, the concern is no longer just about who starts in Week 1, but whether the Wildcats can keep enough bodies available to protect their quarterback and get through the early part of the schedule without improvising too much up front. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State Is Betting Big On A Risky Blindside Plan
With both John Pastore and George Fitzpatrick sidelined by injury, Kansas State is turning to sophomore Ryan Howard to hold down the left tackle spot heading into the upcoming season. It is a significant ask for a player still early in his college career, but the move also shows how much trust Collin Klein and the staff are placing in Howards development.
Howard arrives with the kind of pedigree that makes the gamble easier to understand, since he was once regarded as one of the top offensive tackle prospects. Now the challenge is far less about projection and much more about protection, because he will be responsible for guarding Avery Johnsons blind side and helping steady an offensive line that has already taken a hit before the season even begins. [Read more 🡒]
Collin Kleins Return Opens A Huge New Chapter For Kansas State
Collin Kleins first game as Kansas States head coach brings a familiar face back to Bill Snyder Family Stadium, this time with the headset instead of the quarterback playbook. The former Wildcats star, hired last December after a stint as offensive coordinator at Texas A&M, is stepping into the lead role against Nicholls in the opener, beginning a new era for a program that has leaned on continuity and identity for years.
Kansas State enters the season with modest outside expectations, picked to finish eighth in the Big 12, which only adds to the significance of Kleins return. For a fan base that remembers what he meant as a player, this is more than a debut - it is the start of a chapter built around whether one of the programs own can translate that history into results on the sideline. [Read more 🡒]