Kansas State could be missing 3 injured players for football opener in Ireland
.jpg "Detailed view of a Kansas State Wildcats helmet prior to the Rate Bowl at Chase Field.")
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Kansas State faces Iowa State in Ireland with three key defensive injuries.
- Linebacker Asa Newsom, safeties Gunner Maldonado and Colby McCalister all questionable.
- New starters expected on defense include Rex Van Wyhe and Wesley Fair or Logan Bartley.
The Kansas State football team may not be at full strength when it faces Iowa State in the first college game of the season on Saturday at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland.
K-State did not list three notable players on its depth chart Monday, and head coach Chris Klieman said they could all be considered questionable (at best) to suit up against the Cyclones as they recover from injuries.
All three players line up on defense. They are: sophomore linebacker Asa Newsom, Arizona transfer safety Gunner Maldonado and junior safety Colby McCalister.
“(They) are all in question,” Klieman said during his weekly news conference. “I would say Colby would be the one that would be least likely play. Asa and Gunner, we’re still hopeful, but they haven’t taken as many practice reps. They’ve taken some, don’t get me wrong, but not as many as some of the guys that have taken the lion’s share of game reps.”
The Wildcats are required to provide updates on all three players, and any other injured teammates on the K-State roster, leading up to their season opener with the Cyclones, in accordance with the Big 12’s new player-availability reports.
It will be interesting to see if any of their respective statuses change between now and Saturday. For now, though, there isn’t much optimism.
K-State will have new starters at several positions on defense. Rex Van Wyhe will join Austin Romaine and Desmond Purnell at linebacker. In the secondary, Wesley Fair or Logan Bartley will join Qua Moss and VJ Payne at safety.
This story was originally published August 18, 2025 at 2:14 PM with the headline "Kansas State could be missing 3 injured players for football opener in Ireland."