Five observations from Kansas State’s lone open football practice of the spring
The Kansas State football team held its first and only open practice of the spring on Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
Here are five observations from the event:
New look on defense
It looks like Joe Klanderman’s unit will shake things up at times next season with defensive formations that go beyond the standard 4-2-5 look (a combination of four defensive linemen, two linebackers and five defensive backs) we saw last season.
K-State appears poised to use a 3-3-5 formation (three defensive linemen, three linebackers and five defensive backs) when it takes on Stanford in the season opener.
That might seem like a big change on paper, but it doesn’t look a whole lot different from what K-State fans are used to.
On Saturday, the Wildcats’ defense spent a lot of time during scrimmage action with three traditional defensive linemen in a three-point stance up front and a fourth standing alongside them as a pass-rush specialist who can also drop back into coverage. It appears as though junior defensive end Khalid Duke will start at the hybrid position next season.
Many other Big 12 teams have switched to three defensive linemen to help defend against run-pass option plays, which give quarterbacks the freedom to run or pass based on what they see across the line of scrimmage. It seems as though K-State is ready to follow suit.
The formation appeared to work on Saturday as K-State’s defense appeared ahead of the offense.
But it’s hard to tell exactly how much the Wildcats plan on using the 3-3-5 formation next season. There were still plenty of times when they lined up in the 4-2-5 on Saturday. Perhaps K-State will keep other teams guessing as it switches between those looks in games.
Play of the day
The most impressive play from Saturday’s practice was made by Nate Matlack. The redshirt freshman defensive end dropped back into coverage with K-State’s second-string defense and intercepted a pass from Will Howard in the flats, which he promptly ran up field to the delight of his teammates and the fans in attendance.
On offense, the highlight play of the afternoon was a touchdown pass from Skylar Thompson to Malik Knowles during a seven-on-seven drill in the red zone. Knowles got open in the left corner of the end zone against top K-State corner Julius Brents with safety Russ Yeast also nearby. Thompson made a nice pass that drew applause from the crowd.
As good as advertised
K-State football coaches have praised Brents more than any other player over the past month, and it’s easy to see why.
The 6-foot-3 defensive back appears ready to make an immediate impact after transferring in from Iowa. He looked like the team’s best cover corner on Saturday and played aggressively throughout the practice.
Fans have grown accustomed to K-State defensive backs giving receivers a 10-yard cushion, but that will not be the case with Brents. He likes to line up right at the line of scrimmage and bother receivers from the get-go with press coverage.
Daniel Imatorbhebhe also seems ready to live up to his billing after transferring from Illinois. The senior tight end lined up all over the place on Saturday, and at one point was the lead slot receiver in a trips formation. It’s a good bet that he will be featured prominently in the passing game.
One other transfer who looked good on Saturday: Timmy Horne. The Charlotte transfer appears ready to start at defensive tackle.
Louisville transfer Russ Yeast also appears in line to start at safety and Utah State transfer Eric Munoz looks like he will provide valuable depth at linebacker.
Keep an eye on these up-and-comers
Each spring, there are a handful of unsung players who show big levels of improvement and prove to the coaching staff that they are ready to take on a bigger role.
Keenan Garber appears to be one of those players. The sophomore receiver from Lawrence made several nice catches on Saturday and seemed to be a go-to option for both Will Howard and Thompson during seven-on-seven drills. He has only caught two passes for 10 yards during his young college career, but his production could ramp up as he looks to complement Malik Knowles, Chabastin Taylor and Phillip Brooks next season.
Two running backs are also turning some heads. Joe Ervin, who “opted out” last season, has one explosive run during scrimmage action that showed he is ready to pick up where he left things off as a freshman two years ago. Jacardia Wright also flashed some versatility in front of fans. He didn’t have many impressive runs, but he caught the ball well out of the backfield, which is something he wasn’t previously known for. Perhaps they are both ready to help Deuce Vaughn out of the backfield.
On defense, it will be interesting to see if Ryan Henington and Nate Matlack will see more action next season. Henington, a former quarterback, was used predominantly at nickelback on Saturday and didn’t seem overmatched there. Matlack made the play of the afternoon and could help on the line of scrimmage.
On special teams, fans will need to get to know Ty Zentner. He has handled kickoff duties and punts in the past, but he seems poised to take over for Blake Lynch as the team’s kicker. He made kicks of 43 yards and 49 yards in scrimmage action and showed off 60-yard range during individual work.
Quarterback rotation
K-State coaches have suggested that Will Howard might be one of the most improved players on the entire team this spring, and it was hard to disagree with that assessment the way he played on Saturday.
Outside of one bad throw to Matlack, Howard was sharp and appeared to have much more zip on his throws than he did while playing as a freshman last year.
He seems poised to serve as Skylar Thompson’s backup and possibly see time running his own special package next season. Thompson, by the way, was also throwing a nice ball. Though he hasn’t been cleared to participate in scrimmage action as he recovers from an injury to his throwing arm, he looked sharp during seven-on-seven drills.
Jaren Lewis appears to be the clear No. 3 passer at the moment, and he completed some impressive passes on Saturday.
Freshman Jake Rubley is currently the fourth option at quarterback. That may come as a surprise to some, as he was a four-star recruit coming out of high school and arrived on campus with loads of hype, but he clearly needs time to adjust to the college game before he pushes for a starting role. Rubley’s passes were often off the mark on Saturday. His long-term ceiling remains high, but a redshirt year will likely do him good.
This story was originally published April 3, 2021 at 1:16 PM with the headline "Five observations from Kansas State’s lone open football practice of the spring."