Wesley Fair has already proved he can play. The next step for Kansas State’s junior safety is proving he can lead.
Fair arrived in Manhattan as one of the top defensive backs in Kansas and got on the field quickly. Last season, he played in all 12 games and started the Wildcats’ first six, giving K-State a steady presence in the secondary. Now, as he heads into his junior year, the challenge is less about making stops and more about becoming one of the voices that drives the defense.
That part, Fair says, has not come naturally.
"I think vocal leadership is not something that comes natural," Fair admitted during Big 12 Media Days. "It's something I have to actually be intentional about and work on each and every day. I think that helps the team a lot, so I try my best to lead as vocal as I can."
That’s a different picture from the one many people remember from Wichita Collegiate, where Fair was known for pointing out alignments, getting teammates set and seeing plays before they developed. He doesn’t view leadership as something that simply shows up with talent. For him, it’s a skill that has to be built.
"I think any leadership qualities I can build on top of each other and perfect to actually help my team," Fair said. "I think relationships are really big because once you know the person, you know how to lead them. And I think that's one of the main things I'm trying to focus on."
That idea runs through the way he talks about the game. Fair said he once heard a quote that stuck with him.
"Someone only follows you as long as they know you," Fair said. "Having relationships with people is the biggest thing. That's how you lead them."
That approach fits neatly into Kansas State’s player-led culture, where trust and consistency matter just as much as volume. Fair isn’t trying to be the loudest guy in the room. He’s trying to become someone teammates naturally listen to.
He said former Wichita Collegiate coach Troy Black and K-State defensive backs coach Jeremiah Johnson, known as Coach JJ, have both pushed him in that direction.
"When you make plays and people kind of look up to you a little bit, at first I didn't realize that I was stepping into that role," Fair said.
"Coach Black at Collegiate and then Coach JJ here at K-State have just been really encouraging me to become a better leader. How can I bring the guys along with me?"
For Fair, that means helping raise the standard across the defense, not just improving his own game.
"It just raises the level of competition and the level of play in that whole room."
He also sees that standard being set by others around him. Fair mentioned safety Logan Bartley, linebackers Gabe Powers, Rex Van Wyhe and Mekhi Mason, and defensive end Wendell Gregory as players helping shape the defense’s identity.
"I think each position group has a leader," Fair said. "They've been doing a great job."
Fair also takes pride in what it means to represent Kansas. K-State’s roster includes other homegrown names such as Wichita natives Avery Johnson and Will Anciaux, and Fair said that connection carries weight.
"I think just the pride in Kansas," Fair said. "When you play for your home state, you have a lot of pride in wanting to win and wanting to show the world what Kansas football is actually about."
That pride has been part of his rise from Wichita Collegiate to the Big 12, and now he’s chasing another jump. When asked what a breakout season would look like, Fair didn’t talk about numbers.
He talked about confidence.
"I think just coming into every game with confidence, knowing that I belong on the field and knowing that I can have multiple big splash plays in a game," Fair said.
"I think that's what the team needs - not only me, but multiple people on the defense - to have those big moments because there are going to be moments where someone's going to have to step up."
Kansas State expects plenty of players to make those plays. Fair believes he can be one of them. But this fall, his biggest impact may come from something he has had to work on every day: finding his voice.
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