Five story lines to watch as spring practice begins for Kansas State football
Kansas State football players are about to learn how important spring practice can be for a team.
At 7:40 a.m. on Wednesday, the Wildcats will hold their first spring practice since before the coronavirus pandemic began last March. That’s good news for K-State coach Chris Klieman. After a year without spring football, he is thankful for its return.
College football tends to be an afterthought at this time of year, but it will take on heightened importance this month for teams like K-State that finally have time to work on themselves outside the hustle and bustle of the regular season.
Here are the five biggest story lines to track as K-State returns to the practice field:
No Skylar Thompson. No Problem?
Just because Skylar Thompson decided to stay in college and play for the Wildcats as a “super senior” next season doesn’t mean fans should expect him to command K-State’s offense over the next month.
Thompson is still recovering from the season-ending injury he suffered on his throwing arm last October and is not expected to participate this spring, beyond taking mental reps as he watches each play.
That is not expected to be a significant issue for the sixth-year quarterback, as Thompson is projected to be 100% healthy in time for summer workouts. But it would be a big opportunity for both Will Howard and Jake Rubley to develop and stake their claim for the backup quarterback job next season.
Howard, who is technically still a freshman, started seven games in relief of Thompson last season. His play was up and down. He threw for 1,178 yards and eight touchdowns, but also tossed 10 interceptions. He rushed for 364 yards and three touchdowns, but he needed 78 attempts to get them.
Will those experiences, combined with his introduction to spring football, give him a leg up on the QB2 competition?
Or will Jake Rubley be ready to shine fresh out of high school? Some think that Rubley, a four-star recruit from Highlands Ranch, Colorado, is K-State’s quarterback of the future because of the eye-popping talent he flashed in high school.
Under normal circumstances, Howard and Rubley would already be competing for the starting job. Thompson’s return pushed that timetable back a year, but for the next month K-State coaches will be able to evaluate both as they share work with the Wildcats’ first-team offense.
That should help both of them develop as college quarterbacks.
New coach, mentality at receiver
You only need two words to describe the way K-State’s receivers played last season: Train wreck.
Chabastin Taylor led the unit with 19 catches for 293 yards and one touchdown. Those numbers were so low that running back Deuce Vaughn and tight end Briley Moore topped him in all three statistical categories.
Can the position make a few improvements this spring?
That is one of the biggest questions currently looming over the time, especially with Taylor sidelined as he recovers from a knee injury he suffered during the season finale against Texas.
Perhaps a new voice will help. Offensive coordinator Courtney Messingham will take over for Jason Ray and coach K-State’s receivers for the first time this season while Ray will switch to fullbacks and tight ends. Klieman said he made the swap in order to get K-State’s play-caller more involved with the team’s receivers.
Now is the time to start making progress. Malik Knowles offers some hope after coming on strong late last season. It will be interesting to see if Messingham can get more production out of him and players like Phillip Brooks, Keenan Garber, Landry Weber, Seth Porter and a few others.
First look at transfers
Klieman tapped into the transfer market more than usual this winter to plug some holes on K-State’s roster.
Was that a good strategy? We will get our first answers over the next month.
K-State added five veteran transfers at positions of need. They are: Illinois tight end Daniel Imatorbhebhe, Iowa defensive back Julius Brents, Louisville defensive back Russ Yeast, Charlotte defensive tackle Timmy Horne and linebacker Eric Munoz.
Four of those players have something in common. They all play on the defensive side of the ball. All seem well positioned to compete for starting jobs immediately next season. They can make a good first impression during spring practice.
Imatorbhebhe is probably the biggest question mark of the group, because he has struggled to stay healthy throughout his college career. But he does offer a potential replacement option for Moore.
Welcome back
College football fans will need to get used to the term “super seniors” next season.
The Wildcats have five of them on their roster. Cody Fletcher, Noah Johnson, Bronson Massie, Jahron McPherson and Thompson all decided to take advantage of temporary NCAA eligibility rules and return to K-State for an extra season.
All five should be impact players.
Fans already have a good feel for what to expect from Johnson at center, McPherson at safety and Thompson at quarterback. Perhaps Fletcher can prove he is ready to start at linebacker this spring. Massie will work to show he is ready to replace Wyatt Hubert at defensive end.
New leader in the weight room
One of the biggest changes K-State players will encounter this spring will happen in the weight room.
Klieman hired Trumain Carroll from South Florida as the team’s new director of strength and conditioning last week, and he has brought new ideas and new energy to Manhattan.
When K-State finished the 2020 season with a humbling blowout loss against Texas, Klieman challenged players to get stronger during the offseason so they would no longer be at a physical disadvantage against teams like the Longhorns. Following the departure of longtime strength coach Chris Dawson, Carroll will challenge K-State players in new ways this spring.
This story was originally published March 2, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Five story lines to watch as spring practice begins for Kansas State football."