One of the sharper questions at Big 12 Football Media Days this week in Frisco, Texas centered on a player who used to wear purple and now won’t.
Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson and running back Joe Jackson were asked about former Wildcats back Dylan Edwards, the Derby, Kansas, native who transferred to Kansas this offseason after a rough finish to his second year in Manhattan. Edwards hurt his ankle early in the Dublin, Ireland, game against Iowa State and never really recovered, then showed up just four more times last season before entering the transfer portal again.
The Wildcats’ QB-RB pair didn’t spend long on the topic Wednesday, but the matchup itself is already on the calendar: Kansas State hosts Kansas on Saturday, Oct. 17, at Bill Snyder Family Stadium in Manhattan.
Edwards’ path has been anything but straightforward. Coming out of Derby High School, he was a four-star recruit and the No. 12 running back in the country, and he flipped his commitment three times - from Kansas State to Notre Dame and then to Colorado - before eventually landing with the Wildcats in 2024. After that second season fell short of expectations, he chose to stay in-state and join Lance Leipold and the Jayhawks.
Kansas is now counting on him in a backfield that looks very different from the one he left behind. Edwards brings clear speed to a group that also includes 225-pound Syracuse transfer Yasin Willis and Jalen Dupree, who led Colorado State with 508 yards on 102 touches last season in the program’s final year in the Mountain West.
At the very least, Edwards gives Kansas another explosive option in an offense that still needs answers, and needs them quickly, with a quarterback battle still unfolding as Week 1 approaches.
And when he heads back to Manhattan in Week 7, he’ll do it in a Kansas uniform in a setting that figures to be loud. The Jayhawks enter the season having lost 17 straight contests since 2009.
In Other News...
Avery Johnson Finally Addressed Kansas States Controversial Bowl Snub
Avery Johnson finally put a little more detail around one of the stranger episodes of Kansas States offseason, explaining why the Wildcats passed on last years bowl invitation. The quarterback said the decision came in a messy stretch for the program, with coaching changes swirling and players trying to sort out their futures, leaving the roster in a place where not everyone was fully on the same page.
Johnsons comments also help frame why the move drew so much attention beyond Manhattan. Kansas State was hit with a hefty fine for declining the bowl bid before the penalty was later cut in half, and the explanation now points back to the uncertainty around the roster and the transfer portal during that transition period. [Read more 🡒]
Joe Jackson Just Sent A Strong Message About K-State's Backfield
The backfield picture at Kansas State got a little more crowded this offseason, and Joe Jackson does not sound bothered by it. The Wildcats added transfers Rodney Fields from Oklahoma State and Jay Harris from Oregon, giving the running backs room more depth and more competition, but Jackson welcomed the move as something that can help the team rather than complicate his own role.
Collin Klein has already identified Jackson as the leader in the room, while also making it clear the plan is to rotate backs and keep everyone fresh over the course of the season. For Jackson, that means the job is less about protecting touches and more about setting the tone in a group that could be asked to share the load in a bigger way than before. [Read more 🡒]