K-State Q&A: Chris Klieman’s first 4-star recruit, Liberty Bowl and Big 12 basketball
I have no idea how good or bad Jake Rubley will turn out to be as a college football player, but I do know this: The 6-foot-3 quarterback from Highlands Ranch, Colo., is the most touted high school recruit Kansas State has gained a commitment from since Josh Freeman.
Fourteen years have passed since Freeman pledged his services to the Wildcats and I don’t remember all the particulars about how his arrival was celebrated in Manhattan, but they look similar on paper.
Both are four-star recruits from neighboring states that had several other offers from big-time programs.
Freeman was more respected by the recruiting sites (247Sports ranked him No. 84 nationally and Rivals had him at No. 92) when he chose K-State over Nebraska, Colorado, Texas A&M and Wisconsin.
But Rubley (No. 126 at 24Sports and No. 228 at Rivals) has the more impressive offer list, as he could have played for the following schools: LSU, Iowa, Colorado, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, Wisconsin, Utah, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Tennessee, Northwestern and South Carolina.
Someone asked me earlier this week when K-State last successfully recruited a player with that many offers from power-5 schools. After doing a little research I think Rubley is unprecedented, at least over the past 18 years while recruiting sites have tracked that kind of stuff.
K-State brought in some top-flight recruits during Bill Snyder’s first stint as coach, but that was before recruiting gained mainstream interest.
Every football program wanted Arthur Brown and Bryce Brown, but K-State landed them as transfers.
Rubley is a big deal. There’s no other way to say it. He’s the first four-star recruit Chris Klieman has landed in Manhattan and the first four-star quarterback to choose the Wildcats since Skylar Thompson in 2016. Thompson, by the way, was the nation’s 241st rated prospect at Rivals.
Rubley is also coming in at an ideal time. Thompson has one year of eligibility remaining as K-State’s quarterback, and there is no clear successor waiting to take his place on the roster. Nick Ast and Jaren Lewis are his current backups, and three-star passer Will Howard will join the team for spring ball. None of them are proven. Neither is Rubley, of course. But it’s not hard to imagine a scenario where he will compete for playing time, and maybe even win the starting job, as a true freshman.
A lot can happen between now and 2021 when Rubley enrolls in college. He hasn’t even begun his senior year of high school, so his national rating could change. Verbal commitments are also non-binding, so he could end up playing somewhere else.
Still, his decision to commit to the Wildcats on New Year’s Day was a big victory for K-State and shows the type of momentum Klieman is building as he enters his second season with the Wildcats.
And with that, it’s time for another K-State Q&A. Let’s get to your questions. Thanks, as always, for providing them.
Regarding the trick play that ultimately decided the game, was this a situation of a gutsy, riverboat gamble by Navy, knowing failure could give K-State a short field and a great chance to win? Or was this partly on our coaching staff or players for not being aware of the potential for a trick play and perhaps using a time out before the play? Either way, I am guessing the staff will learn from it and be prepared for this type scenario in the future. Really solid season and the future is bright! - Bob, via e-mail.
The halfback pass Navy pulled off in the final minute of the Liberty Bowl was mostly a brilliant play call by Navy’s coaching staff but also a learning opportunity for Klieman.
I didn’t see a trick play coming in that situation. Maybe someone, somewhere turned the person sitting next to him and uttered the words “K-State needs to watch out for Navy quarterback Malcolm Perry pitching the ball to running back C.J. Williams and then throwing down field to receiver Chance Warren,” but I doubt it.
Less than 30 seconds remained on the clock when Navy lined up for a fourth-and-3 at the K-State 46. I was expecting the Midshipmen to try and lure the Wildcats offsides and then punt if unsuccessful, or try to run for a first down and then take some shots down field.
A halfback pass with the game on the line was the furthest thing from my mind, even though they used a similar play against Army. The call reminded me a little of Boise State beating Oklahoma at the Fiesta Bowl with a hook-and-lateral followed by the now famous statue-of-liberty play. Very few expected it.
So I mostly tip my cap to Ken Niumatalolo.
But there are some things Klieman could have done differently, with the benefit of hindsight. He probably should have called a timeout when he saw Navy’s formation and talked things over with his defense. A fourth-down stop would have given the Wildcats a terrific shot at winning the game in regulation, so stuffing the run would have been the main emphasis. But they were also unlikely to lose in regulation with Navy gaining 4 yards on that play. Its kicker had just missed from 38 yards. The only way K-State was going to lose in regulation was by giving up a big play, so it definitely would have been worth reminding the secondary not to let anyone get behind them.
At the same time, that is what a defensive back is always thinking.
Would a timeout have changed things? Maybe. But I understand Klieman’s desire to keep all three timeouts in hopes of winning the game in regulation after stopping Navy on fourth down. And I very much doubt anyone on the K-State sideline would have said “watch out for a halfback pass” had he called timeout.
There is a lot K-State could have done differently to beat Navy at the Liberty Bowl, and throwing downfield more often is one of them.
The Wildcats only attempted 14 passes, and receivers were typically open deep on many of those plays. Navy wasn’t particularly strong against the pass during the regular season, so I expected Thompson to have one of his best games against the Midshipmen, not one of his worst.
I am hesitant to criticize Courtney Messingham’s play-calling all that much, though.
Remember, if Phillip Brooks doesn’t drop a deep ball on the opening drive of the game things might have gone much differently. Messingham also called a beautifully designed pass to running back Jordon Brown on a wheel route during that drive, but Thompson didn’t put enough air under the ball and Brown couldn’t make the catch.
That was poor execution, not coaching.
After that, I would have liked to have seen more carries for James Gilbert, who rushed for 31 yards on three carries in the first quarter but then disappeared for the rest of the half. More deep passes would have also been a good idea, but some of that is on Thompson and the offensive line. When they tried to throw, Thompson was sacked three times and often seemed hesitant to put the ball in the air.
There were opportunities down field. K-State simply didn’t take advantage, on the field or in the coaching box.
The streak is in jeopardy.
A K-State football player has been selected in every NFL Draft since 1994, the longest active streak in the Big 12. But it may end this year. There is no obviouis draft pick in this group of departing seniors.
Someone will need an impressive pro day to get drafted. K-State has a handful of potential players (Reggie Walker, Scott Frantz, Nick Kaltmayer, Devin Anctil) that could be late-round selections. But they could just as easily end up as undrafted free agents. Remember, not even Alex Barnes was drafted last year after he led the Big 12 in rushing.
Well, the Wildcats used all three of their timeouts before Navy began its final drive of the second quarter. So that’s why Klieman didn’t use a timeout before halftime at the Liberty Bowl.
There were other games this season when he was content to let opposing teams sit on the ball and chose not to use timeouts before halftime. Why? I don’t have a good answer for you.
It seems like that is just his coaching presence, similar to Bruce Weber benching players in the first half after they pick up two fouls.
My guess: K-State traveled around 15,000 fans to Memphis, Tenn., for the Liberty Bowl.
Maybe that’s a little high. Maybe that’s a little low. I’m bad at estimating crowds. But I can tell you that purple shirts were everywhere on Beale Street leading up to the game.
I thought it was an impressive showing. Arkansas brought more fans in 2016 and practically sold out the stadium by themselves, but they were a lot closer to Memphis and genuinely excited about the postseason destination.
This wasn’t a can’t-miss opportunity for K-State fans, but they still traveled in good numbers.
That should help them with bowls in the future, but bowl executives are unpredictable. So who knows? One thing that should help moving forward is that Iowa State has played in the Camping World Bowl and Alamo Bowl recently. It’s hard to see either of those games passing on the Wildcats for the Cyclones again when their records are similar.
Maybe Bill Snyder would have been more willing to sign up for Twitter and actively have a presence on the social media site.
As a young coach who actively recruited at the time, it’s possible he could have embraced Twitter as a tool that helps the program and shared more fun things than he did near the end of his coaching year when he briefly tweeted out positive thoughts for a few months.
But that’s the only difference I can imagine. Snyder was really good at blocking out the outside world.
You can’t go wrong with the Civil Rights Museum, Beale Street or the world’s largest Bass Pro Shop, which is amazingly shaped like a pyramid.
I don’t have any interest in Elvis or old recording studios, so I avoided those stops.
The barbecue also isn’t much to write home about. Central BBQ is the only decent place I found.
K-State has been to Memphis twice for the Liberty Bowl in the past few years, so I feel like I’ve done all there is to see in that city. Here’s hoping the Big 12 trades it for a new bowl whenever it decides to change the rotation. The Holiday Bowl, Music City Bowl or Las Vegas Bowl would be my choices.
In my younger days, drinking a few huge glasses of water or Gatorade and eating a bag of potato chips helped me stop a hangover dead in its tracks.
The closer I get to 40, the more I realize there is only one true hangover cure: not drinking.
Water, Gatorade and carbs still help, but they don’t do much in the energy department. Taking a nap helps more than anything, but that’s not really possible when you’ve got three kids waking you up at dawn. Sadly, consuming less beer is the best way to go.
I am still a firm believer that the uniforms a team wears has little or no impact on its performance in a game ... But even I am starting to wonder if the Wildcats should just stick to their traditional looks.
The K-State football team wore alternate uniforms in three games this season and lost all three, including the easiest home conference game on the schedule against West Virginia.
The K-State basketball team has also worn alternate uniforms in three games this season and also lost all three, falling to Marquette and Mississippi State in throwback whites and then Saint Louis in lavender.
The Wildcats have won a lot over the past two years in their two-tone basketball uniforms, so it probably doesn’t matter. But all those losses have given ammunition to those who dislike the alternate uniforms.
It looks like the Wildcats will also wear lavender for a home game against Texas on Feb. 22. Maybe that’s when they will end the losing streak.
Attainable? Yes.
Likely? No.
I don’t trust Ken Pomeroy as much as Jesse Newell, but Pomeroy only projects K-State as a favorite in two conference games — at home against Texas and Iowa State. His predictions have the Wildcats finishing with a Big 12 record of 6-12.
K-State’s best win thus far is at home against Tulsa, which ranks 116th nationally on KenPom. The lowest rated conference opponent the Wildcats will face over the next few months is No. 61 Texas. So they are going to have to play much better than they have been to make a run at a .500 record in league play.
This team has some talent and experience. It’s possible. It just won’t be easy. The Big 12 should once again provide a rugged schedule, with Kansas, Baylor, West Virginia and Texas Tech contending for the conference championship. But there is an opportunity for parity below those teams. Iowa State is coming off a loss to woeful Florida A&M, a team K-State beat by 18 earlier this season.
The Cyclones didn’t have Tyrese Haliburton, but still!
Oklahoma, TCU, Oklahoma State, Texas have been up and down so far. They could all make the NCAA Tournament or flame out midway through conference play. K-State should have a chance in most of those games.
It made some clutch plays against Tulsa. Maybe that will help it get over the hump in future close games.
I get the feeling K-State will win between five and seven conference games, depending on how its roster develops. That should be enough to avoid the Big 12 cellar, but not good enough to finish .500.
The Wildcats don’t appear destined for the NCAA Tournament this season, but that could easily change over the next few years.
All three freshmen on this team (Antonio Gordon, Montavious Murphy and DaJuan Gordon) are playing and showing promise. All four incoming recruits (Nijel Pack, Selton Miguel, Davion Bradford and Luke Kasubke) are ranked in the Rivals 150, giving Bruce Weber his first top-25 recruiting class in Manhattan.
It’s not hard to imagine that core of players following the same path as Barry Brown, Kamau Stokes and Dean Wade. That group missed out on the postseason as freshmen and then did big things as juniors and seniors.
This story was originally published January 3, 2020 at 5:00 AM with the headline "K-State Q&A: Chris Klieman’s first 4-star recruit, Liberty Bowl and Big 12 basketball."