Kansas State will walk into its Sept. 5 opener against Nicholls with a lot of familiar names on the field - and a long list of firsts.
Eighteen players are set to make their first starts in a Wildcats uniform when the game kicks off at 6 p.m. at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, a mix of offseason additions, long-expected breakouts and a few spots filled because injuries forced the issue. After an offseason spent sorting out the depth chart, K-State is finally ready to show how all of those pieces fit together.
The offense will feature a revamped receiving corps, starting with Josh Manning and Brandon White. Manning, who spent the past three seasons at Missouri, arrives with 29 catches for 318 yards and two touchdowns from last year and is expected to bring some pop to the room.
White, a 5-foot-8 slot receiver transferred from Hawaii, has drawn plenty of preseason buzz and will not only start on offense but also handle punt returns. His quickness in space should make him a dangerous piece.
At running back, Kansas State took an unusual route by naming three starters: Joe Jackson, Jay Harris and Rodney Fields. Harris, who came over from Oregon, brings the most physical presence at 6-foot-1 and 225 pounds and is also in line for kick-return duties. Fields, last year’s rushing leader at Oklahoma State, adds a runner who can work between the tackles and still provide some burst.
Up front, the Wildcats are still sorting through injury-related shuffling, but the first five should include several new faces. Ryan Howard won the left tackle job after John Pastore’s season-ending injury and then after freshman Oliver Miller also went down and will be out for a few weeks.
Charlie Adams, a Cal Poly transfer, could start at left guard if Tanner Morley is unable to go after getting banged up in camp; the two are listed with an “or” designation. Morley, a Colorado State transfer, is expected to be the full-time starter there when healthy.
Dylan Villarouel claimed the center spot in fall camp and now takes over for Sam Hecht, who didn’t allow a sack in his two seasons as a starter before heading to the Carolina Panthers. Keiton Jones, a sophomore transfer from Missouri, was trending toward the right guard job before being moved to the left side, and Gus Hawkins is the favorite at right tackle after making one start last season against Army before an injury ended his year early.
The secondary has its own new-look feel. Kaleb Patterson, a fifth-year transfer from Illinois, won one of the cornerback jobs and will line up opposite Zashon Rich while Donovan McIntosh appears out for now.
JoJo Scott grabbed the nickelback role after much of camp had pointed to Michael Graham. Klein said Scott’s rise came fast, calling his development curve “really steep” and saying that he earned the job and “took” it.
At safety, Koy Beasley and Wes Fair are both in the mix at free safety, with Beasley - a 5-foot-10 transfer from Miami (Ohio) - pushing hard through camp. Logan Bartley, who played 154 snaps last season as a true freshman, is set at strong safety.
Linebacker brings another pair of established newcomers. Gabe Powers, who started against Army last season before settling back into a reserve role, is now a full-time starter and has talked about his chemistry with Mekhi Mason. Mason, a Louisiana Tech transfer, has been projected for the middle linebacker job since he committed, and Klein praised both his instincts and his ability to run to the ball, comparing that trait to Arthur Brown, who played alongside Klein at K-State and was the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year in 2011.
The defensive line features a blend of proven production and fresh starts. Jordan Allen held onto the end spot he claimed during spring ball and camp, with his versatility likely to earn him snaps inside as well.
Wendell Gregory, the reigning Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year, is Kansas State’s biggest offseason addition outside of quarterback Avery Johnson. Kamari Burns, a Cincinnati transfer, has been locked in as a defensive tackle starter all offseason and is set for his first extended run as a primary interior lineman.
Travis Bates, meanwhile, finally gets a start after two seasons as a regular contributor and 390 snaps last year; he can also slide out to defensive end.
All told, Kansas State enters Week 1 with a roster full of players stepping into bigger roles at once. Some won jobs.
Some inherited them. Some were pushed there by circumstance.
Either way, Saturday gives the Wildcats their first real look at a lineup that has been taking shape all offseason.
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Season-ending injuries to starters John Pastore and George Fitzpatrick have forced Kansas State to keep shuffling the edges of its offensive line, and the timing is hardly ideal with the season opener against Nicholls approaching. Collin Klein has been working through the fallout by rotating Ryan Howard, Tyler Johnson, Charlie Adams and Chase Duarte at tackle, trying to find the right mix while the group absorbs a major reset in the final stretch before kickoff.
Klein said he is proud of how those players have developed through the work, but the bigger issue is obvious: Avery Johnson has to be kept upright if the Wildcats want their offense to function the way it needs to. The tackle situation now becomes one of the most important pieces of the preseason puzzle, because Kansas State can feel good about the growth up front and still know the unit has to hold together when the games start counting. [Read more 🡒]
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For Kansas State, the appeal is obvious: Mason brings experience, momentum from his time at Louisiana Tech and the kind of late-career urgency that can help settle a defense. For Mason, the final college season is about more than simply fitting in. He is aiming high, with the Butkus Award and All-Big 12 recognition in his sights, and he now gets the platform to chase both in purple. [Read more 🡒]
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The bigger picture is that Kansas State appears to have a path to improve without having to navigate every major threat on the league schedule, which matters in a Big 12 that still feels open enough for movement. With uncertainty hanging over some of the conferences other contenders, the Wildcats are being framed as one of the teams positioned to take advantage if things break right, even if the exact ceiling remains a work in progress. [Read more 🡒]