K-State Q&A: Football expectations, basketball transfers, Will Howard and more
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- K-State incoming transfers include former Duke, Connecticut, LSU and Iowa State players.
- Elias Rapieque remains undecided with the portal closing April 21.
- The writer predicts K-State will win 15 games in Casey Alexander’s first season.
It’s time for another K-State Q&A.
There are plenty of fun topics to cover this week, so I see no need for an elaborate introduction. Let’s dive right into your questions. Thanks, as always, for providing them.
A lot of our basketball transfers were low-minute guys at equal or lesser programs last season. Do you think any of them can break out at the Big 12 level? -@chris_harrison1 via X.
Can any of them have a breakout season at K-State? Absolutely.
K-State’s incoming transfer class includes basketball players who started out at Duke (Jaden Schutt), Connecticut (Isaiah Abraham), LSU (Matt Gilhool) and Iowa State (JT Rock). They were all once touted recruits. They have talent and upside. That hasn’t changed. They simply underachieved at those big-time programs and are now looking for better results with the Wildcats. It’s certainly possible that Casey Alexander can get more out of them next season.
Will any of them have a breakout season at K-State? Beats me.
I like what I have seen from Schutt. He could easily improve on the 7.7 points per game he averaged at Virginia Tech last season. Colorado State transfer Brandon Rechsteiner is probably the best player of the bench. And his father used to be a famous WWE wrestler. You have to like that. Gilhool is still a blank slate. They seem like the most likely candidates to exceed expectations.
Brock Vice looks like nothing more than a deep reserve. Rock also seems like a project.
But any or all of them could thrive within Alexander’s run-and-gun offense.
Doing more with less has always been Alexander’s reputation. Even though this recruiting class doesn’t look fantastic in terms of past production, they may be able to accomplish more in a purple uniform. He has a plan, and he seems to be executing it by adding tall players who can shoot.
I do like that Alexander is loading up on transfers early in the process. That shows he likes this group, even if they lack star power.
It is the opposite approach of the Jerome Tang days, when incoming recruits mostly looked good on paper and signed late in the process. Then they struggled in reality.
Any word on Elias Rapieque? -@AustinPatmon via X.
I am expecting German big man Elias Rapieque to enter the transfer portal before it closes next week, but it is interesting that he hasn’t announced a single thing about his future yet.
He is the only member of K-State’s 2025-26 basketball roster who remains in limbo.
Eight players have announced plans to transfer, with PJ Haggerty (Texas A&M), Taj Manning (Iowa State) and Exavier Wilson (Akron) already finding new teams. Andrej Kostic plans to remain in Manhattan for at least one more season. Rapieque remains a bit of an unknown.
It’s possible he is waiting for one, final NIL check before he departs. It’s also possible that he wants to stay at K-State, and he is using all the time allotted to him to convince new coach Casey Alexander that he is worthy of a roster spot. Or maybe he is simply in no rush to make a decision.
He averaged 3.7 points and 2.6 rebounds while appearing in 20 games last season.
Whatever the case, an insider recently told me that Kostic is expected to be the only returning player on next season’s roster.
Maybe something will change between now and April 21, when the portal closes, but as of now I don’t expect him to return.
Over or under 18 basketball wins for Casey’s Cats? -@GuitarCatsChiefs via X.
With five roster spots unfilled, it is hard to know exactly what to expect from the Wildcats next season.
But, for some reason, I have it in my head that the K-State men’s basketball team will win 15 games in Year 1 of the Casey Alexander era. Very few of his incoming transfers were major contributors at their former schools. Many of them have size and potential. But Alexander will have to get a ton out of them to push for a 20-win season.
The Wildcats have only cleared 18 wins twice over the past seven seasons. It hasn’t been easy for them to do lately.
I reserve the right to change my mind if the Wildcats add some impact transfers. For now, though, give me the under.
Which team will have more wins, football wins multiplied by 2 ... or basketball in total? -@Zack_Hohman via X.
Can the football team win eight or more games in Year 1 of the Collin Klein era?
Seeing as how I already stated that I expect the men’s basketball team to win 15 games, that is really what you are asking.
It’s not a slam dunk, by any means, but I think the Wildcats will find a way to reach eight victories. Home games against Nicholls, Washington State, Tulane and Kansas should all be wins. Games at Arizona State, Cincinnati and TCU won’t be easy. The other five games feel like toss-ups. It’s not hard to envision 8-4 or 9-3 against that schedule.
I like what I have seen from Klein and his new football roster this spring, especially with Avery Johnson returning as a senior quarterback.
For those reasons, the football team seems like the favorite under your parameters.
How bad did Will Howard just taint his legacy at K-State because of that interview with The Athletic? -@optimusklien16 via X.
A little, I guess.
But I wonder what he said that would make K-State football fans so unhappy with him that they can no longer appreciate how well he played in 2022 when he helped the Wildcats win a Big 12 championship and reach the Sugar Bowl.
I found his comments about the money he made during the very first years of NIL interesting, especially compared to the money K-State spent on Avery Johnson when he was coming out of Wichita as a touted recruit.
“I was a naive kid. I didn’t know. The nature of myself, I didn’t want anything or need money. I said I was good,” Howard told The Athletic. “There were a lot of politics the last year. There were games I was splitting time with (Johnson) for no reason that I knew other than there was money going to him that wasn’t going to me.”
He continued.
“Everything I did was on my own. They kind of took advantage of me and got me for cheap, so I decided to go somewhere else and make a little money,” Howard said. “It’s different when you go to a school, and you’re the guy getting money. It’s amazing how different you’re treated. It was the best decision I ever made.”
Now, I disagree with his thinking on splitting time with Johnson in 2023. K-State got off to a 3-2 start with Howard at the helm that season. He wasn’t playing all that well. So the Wildcats used a special package for Johnson in the next game against Texas Tech, and he scored five touchdowns.
It made football sense to continue playing Johnson in a complementary role after that type of performance.
But I’m sure the financial side of things was awkward for Howard.
In hindsight, it was all probably a blessing in disguise for him. K-State pivoting to Johnson at quarterback opened the window for Howard to get paid and to win a national championship at Ohio State.
I understand why K-State fans would rather Howard say only glowing things about his time in Manhattan. But he is a competitor, and I can also understand why he felt like the Wildcats should have done more to keep him happy through playing time or NIL money.
Nevertheless, Howard and K-State will always share fond memories of the 2022 Big 12 championship game.
This story was originally published April 17, 2026 at 5:30 AM with the headline "K-State Q&A: Football expectations, basketball transfers, Will Howard and more."