Why K-State coach Chris Klieman is looking to add more transfers after spring practice
Perhaps it shouldn’t have come as a surprise when the Kansas State football team landed a new transfer earlier this week.
Even though the Wildcats wrapped up a month of spring practices on Saturday and coach Chris Klieman thinks the program is on an improving trajectory as the 2021 season approaches, he is still on the lookout for reinforcements. In the past, he likely would have explored junior-college options or hunted for late-blooming high school seniors to fill lingering roster needs. But now, like many others across the country, his eyes are fixated on the NCAA transfer portal.
“We’re always looking to enhance and improve the football team,” Klieman said. “As everybody’s going to learn throughout the spring, different institutions, people are going to come and go with the transfer portal the way it is. There’s just going to always be roster management situations. So, we’re looking for the right kind of guys to fit.”
Klieman was slow to warm up to the idea of relying on transfers to help the Wildcats because he is an old-school coach who has built a successful career on the idea of recruiting high school players and developing them over four years.
But he had little other choice when a dozen scholarship K-State football players decided to transfer last season.
He added five incoming transfers last winter not knowing exactly what to expect. One could call him skeptical. A few months later, he has no regrets about signing Illinois tight end Daniel Imatorbhebe, Louisville safety Russ Yeast, Iowa cornerback Julius Brents, Utah State linebacker Eric Munoz and Charlotte defensive tackle Timmy Horne.
All five made a positive impact during spring practice and are expected to play key roles next season.
“We took five kids that transferred into our place at semester in January and we hit five home runs when it comes to character and integrity,” Klieman said. “Those kids are going to help our football team, and they’re going to play for us, and they make our locker room better. They make our team better, because all five guys that we brought in at semester are really impactful.”
Brents was the talk of spring practice. But Klieman was also blown away by Imatorbhebhe.
“Daniel Imatorbhebhe is one of the most special, talented kids I’ve seen,” Klieman said. ”What a wonderful kid to be around. He’s made our team better because of his work ethic, and always having a smile on his face, and being engaging with the younger tight ends with the younger quarterbacks, as well as the older guys. He’s the guy that’s going to have a huge impact.”
Those transfers made such a strong impression on Klieman that he will look to bring in a few more before the fall arrives.
K-State’s latest new addition is Kade Warner, a 6-foot-1 and 210-pound redshirt junior receiver from Nebraska. He never put up big numbers with the Cornhuskers and is actually a former walk-on, but he was a captain last season and he comes from a terrific football family. His father is former NFL quarterback Kurt Warner.
Receiver is a position of need for K-State, so it’s not out of the question that the Wildcats will look to add another pass-catcher in the coming months.
They are also likely to explore transfer options at defensive back. Injuries left the Wildcats limited at both safety and nickelback during spring practices. They could use experienced depth at both positions and might require someone with starting potential to help cover slot receivers next season.
Klieman won’t say for certain where he will focus his recruiting attention, but fans can expect a few more transfers to arrive on campus before summer workouts begin in June.
This story was originally published April 7, 2021 at 1:07 PM with the headline "Why K-State coach Chris Klieman is looking to add more transfers after spring practice."