Five observations from Kansas State’s updated football roster
This could be a busy week for the Kansas State football team.
The Wildcats began a new round of coronavirus testing for players Monday in hopes of beginning preseason camp later this week — Friday.
K-State is tentatively scheduled to open the 2020 season against at home against Buffalo on Sept. 5, but that could change after the Big 12 presidents decide on a schedule format for the upcoming season. Though schools are allowed to begin playing later this month, every other major conference has delayed things until late September. Will the Big 12 follow suit or march to the beat of its own dream?
In any case, the Wildcats have updated their roster in anticipation of the upcoming season. Here are five observations:
New numbers
For the first time in Kansas State history, a member of the Wildcats football team will wear the No. 0 on his jersey this season.
In fact, two players will rock the new number.
Senior linebacker Elijah Sullivan has traded in his old number (3) for the new number (0) on defense, and Northern Iowa graduate transfer Briley Moore will try to catch passes as a tight end while wearing the new number on offense.
K-State added the No. 0 to its roster a year after coach Chris Klieman allowed players to begin wearing the No. 1 for the first time in nearly a decade. That number was off limits to players during Bill Snyder’s second stint as coach, because he thought it promoted the wrong message.
Two players will once again wear the No. 1 this season. They are receiver Keenan Garber and defensive tackle Robert Hentz.
In all, 14 returning players decided to switch numbers for the 2020 season. Two other notables are running backs Jacardia Wright (switching from 28 to 9) and Joe Ervin (switching from 22 to 7), as both are expected to share carries with Harry Trotter in K-State’s backfield.
New positions
A trio of K-State football players will suit up at new positions when they take the field next season.
Ryan Henington is making the switch from quarterback to defensive back, Derek Bowman is moving from defensive back to linebacker and Brendan Mott is going from tight end to defensive.
None of the position changes qualify as major news, as none of those three players were starters or key backups at their previous positions, but they could make an impact at their new spots on the field.
It will be particularly interesting to see if Henington can see the field as a member of K-State’s defense. Though he never took a snap at quarterback in a live game for the Wildcats, he used his athleticism to help the scout team before a number of games. The Junction City product will try to rise up the depth chart at his new position, along with Bowman and Mott, whose bodies seem better suited for a slight adjustment on defense.
Adding weight
This is the time of year when you see big changes from players, in terms of weight. Given an entire offseason to add muscle, there are always a handful of players who make huge gains from one year to the next.
That was certainly the case for K-State over the past few months. Some of its players added as much as 34 pounds during the spring.
Logan Long appears to have added the most weight, shooting up to 315 pounds. He is attempting to play offensive line for the Wildcats this season after previously working at tight end, where he was listed at 281.
Sophomore defensive end Khalid Duke also made a big jump, as he went from 216 pounds to 244.
Tyrone Lewis also gained 22 pounds, which should help him at defensive back.
One of the most eye-opening transitions, though, might be Malik Knowles. The sophomore receiver is up to 200 pounds, from 186, and that could make him a more durable and more complete receiver as long as he can flash the same speed he showed last season.
Senior quarterback Skylar Thompson also gained 11 pounds and is now listed at 223 pounds. Wyatt Hubert, perhaps the best overall player on the roster, is all the way up to 270.
Newcomers
The Wildcats have added 28 new players to their roster since the conclusion of the 2019 season.
That number includes the team’s 2020 recruiting class and transfers.
One newcomer to keep an eye on might be running back Deuce Vaughn. Though he is only listed at 5-foot-5 and 168 pounds, he is an elusive runner from Round Rock, Texas who could help the Wildcats in several areas.
He is the shortest, but not lightest newcomer. Topeka freshman defensive back Jaylen Carter is 165 pounds.
The tallest newcomer is 6-6 Fort Scott freshman receiver C.J. Horton. The heaviest is Manhattan offensive lineman Sam Shields, who checks in at 311 pounds.
Extremes
Blake Lynch and a pair of offensive linemen will serve as the bookend members of K-State’s roster this season.
Lynch, a senior kicker, checks in at 5-foot-5 and 148 pounds on the low end of the roster measurements. Justin Eichman is the tallest player on the roster at 6-9 and Kaitori Leveston is the heaviest player on the roster at 345 pounds.
This story was originally published August 3, 2020 at 2:53 PM with the headline "Five observations from Kansas State’s updated football roster."