For new tight end Daniel Imatorbhebhe, K-State football is different ... in a good way
How does Kansas State football compare to some of the nation’s top powerhouse programs?
Few people are more qualified to answer that question than Daniel Imatorbhebhe, a senior tight end who joined the Wildcats as a transfer earlier this semester. He previously pent time at Florida, USC and Illinois.
He remembers Florida for its “freak of nature” talent. He loved his time at USC because of its “insane tradition, insane heritage” and playing home games in an iconic stadium like the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. And he enjoyed playing what was supposed to be his final season of college football with his brother in the Big Ten.
His first impressions on K-State are understandably different.
“Here, there is just this culture of work,” Imatorbhebhe said earlier this week. “Hard work and blue-collar attitude. I can appreciate getting to play for a guy like Coach (Chris) Kleiman, who is a different leader because his methods are different than anything I’ve been around, and I love it. This place is a grinder type of place. I’ve never seen so many guys put in extra work. I’ve never seen so many guys live in the film room. That’s the biggest difference that I see.”
Well, there is one more noticeable difference.
“Coming here to a true pro-style offense, it’s the first time I’ve ever had to be in a huddle before,” Imatorbhebhe said. “It’s cool.”
The Wildcats are glad to have him on campus. After losing Briley Moore to the NFL Draft, they desperately needed a versatile tight end to replace him in the passing game. So far, Imatorbhebhe (pronounced ee-MAT-or-bay-bay) seems like an ideal fit. He is more than capable of complementing Konner Fox, Sammy Wheeler and Nick Lenners at the position, and he is proving it in spring practice.
Though his career has been plagued by leg injuries, Imatorbhebhe put up promising numbers (25 catches for 394 yards and four touchdowns) as an underclassman at USC. K-State quarterbacks say the 6-foot-4 and 240-pound tight end is now healthy and regaining that form in spring practice.
“Daniel is a really good football player,” senior quarterback Skylar Thompson said. “You can tell he’s played a lot of football and has a lot of experience just by how he runs routes and understands defenses. What I really like about Daniel is that he’s really physical with his routes and uses his big frame to get open.”
Added offensive coordinator Courtney Messingham: “He plays a lot bigger than (his size). He’s got long arms, he’s got long legs. When he comes off the ball, his ability to block people is probably better than what I anticipated. But because of that length and those long arms, his catch radius, he’s done a really nice job of being a big passing threat for us.”
The biggest challenge Imatorbhebhe will face during this offseason is learning a new offensive system. But he has done that before.
Imatorbhebhe was only at Florida for a few months before he decided to transfer to USC in 2015. And the Trojans switched offensive coordinators during his five seasons in Los Angeles. He planned to finish his college career there, but he was nervous the Pac-12 might not play football during the coronavirus pandemic last year and left for Illinois to play with his brother as a graduate transfer.
He caught three passes for 54 yards and a touchdown with the Illini, but decided to look for yet another school as a “super senior” after the school parted ways with coach Lovie Smith.
K-State appealed to him for several reasons, including Klieman’s track record for utilizing tight ends as playmakers. This seemed like the best place for him to go out with a bang.
It was also different than any other football program he has known ... in a good way.
“Change has just been constant for me,” Imatorbhebhe said. “I feel like I’m somebody that is persistent. When I figured out our coaching staff got fired, I needed to make sure that I’m finishing my career the way I know I can, and that’s ultimately what led me here.”
This story was originally published March 18, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "For new tight end Daniel Imatorbhebhe, K-State football is different ... in a good way."