K-State Q&A: Expectations for Skylar Thompson, Deuce Vaughn, more transfers and hoops
I’m not a big collector. There is a wall in my basement that is completely covered with shelving, and I only have enough knickknacks to fill about half of the available space. I should probably buy some more books and sports memorabilia to make that area look good enough to use as my new background for Zoom calls, but that’s never been my thing.
The only two items I purchase with any regularity, other than food, are baseball hats (essential because of the lack of hair on top of my head) and soft T-Shirts (essential because they’re comfortable and often feature clever words or graphics). I buy more than my wife would prefer of both. She thinks I’m always shopping for the next shirt or hat.
Some Kansas State football fans are probably feeling the same way about Chris Klieman and transfers right now. The Wildcats have been much more active than ever before on the transfer market, losing 13 scholarship players to the NCAA transfer portal and then adding seven incoming players from the same place. That’s not going to change anytime soon. Consider this the new normal, even if those numbers are too high for your liking.
The latest incoming transfer is Reggie Stubblefield, a Swiss army-knife defender from Prairie View A&M who lined up at corner, nickel and safety at his previous school. His addition doesn’t move the needle a ton for K-State’s defense next season, but he should bring some valuable experience and versatility. K-State coaches love to keep players fresh by rotating in reserves throughout every game, so bringing him to campus means the defense should be a little stronger when the second string is on the field.
K-State’s best secondary lineup is probably Julius Brents and Ekow Boye-Doe/Justin Gardner at corner, Jahron McPherson and Russ Yeast at safety plus T.J. Smith at nickelback.
There isn’t much quality depth behind those players in the secondary, and that’s why adding Stubblefield could be helpful next season.
Thing is, K-State might not be done shopping.
I think Klieman would still like to add one (and maybe even two) more defensive backs from the transfer portal before summer workouts begin in June.
The Wildcats remain involved with at least four defensive back transfers at the moment — Bydarrius Knighten (Southeast Missouri State), Chris Thompson (Auburn), Akayleb Evans (Tulsa) and Brandon Turnage (Alabama).
Here’s guessing Knighten and Thompson end up signing elsewhere.
Washington State, Utah, Mississippi State, Auburn, Oregon State, Louisville and Purdue are all pursuing Knighten. And he keeps announcing new scholarship offers every few days. That type of player rarely chooses K-State. Thompson also seems like a more logical fit elsewhere.
Evans seems like a realistic fit, though Oregon State, Louisville, West Virginia and Texas Tech offered him late this week. Maybe K-State can work its magic and bring in Turnage, too.
I joke with my wife that there’s no such thing as too many baseball hats or soft T-shirts. Klieman would probably the same thing right now about DB transfers. And he wouldn’t be wrong. K-State can still use a little more immediate help in the secondary.
Now, let’s dive into your questions. Thanks, as always, for providing them.
The only thing that might reasonably prevent Skylar Thompson from putting up his best numbers in a K-State football uniform is rust.
He’s coming off a season-ending injury shoulder/arm injury that limited him to three games last year. Otherwise, he’s got experience and talent on his side. I suppose K-State’s dearth of star receivers could also hold him back. Then again, maybe they will take a step forward with Thompson back under center.
Will Howard could eat into his work load a little bit, but his time on the field could also lead to a healthier and fresher Thompson.
For now, I’m going to optimistically project 2,500 yards, 16 touchdowns and 6 interceptions as a passer. Plus 300 yards and 12 touchdowns as a runner.
That will be good enough for his best season with the Wildcats, but not quite good enough for all-conference honors other than honorable mention with Spencer Rattler and Brock Purdy hogging spots on the first and second teams.
The folks at Pro Football Focus College take their jobs very seriously, so it is a major sign of respect that they named Deuce Vaughn as the second best returning running back in the nation ahead of the 2021 season.
He was sensational last season for the Wildcats, totaling 1,076 total yards and scoring nine touchdowns. He figures to only get better with age. He deserves preseason recognition.
That being said, that list has some GLARING omissions.
No offense to Vaughn, but he’s not even the second best returning running back in the Big 12.
Iowa State’s Breece Hall led the nation in rushing yards last season with 1,572. He scored 23 touchdowns, including at least one in every game he played. He was a unanimous All-American and the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year.
What kind of list doesn’t include that guy?
I also wonder why they left off Bijan Robinson. The Texas running back looked like the second coming of Earl Campbell during the final two games of his freshman year, as he rushed for 355 yards and four touchdowns ... on 19 carries.
He left cleat marks on the Wildcats that are still visible when Texas beat them 69-31 last season.
What kind of list doesn’t include that guy?
Vaughn can do a lot of things that those players can’t, like catching the ball out of the backfield and making defenders look silly in space, but there are plenty of other quality running backs out there who just as easily could have made that list.
Running back: Jacardia Wright. He seemed to fall off the face of the earth last season after flashing some promise as a freshman. But I think he has what it takes for a bounce-back year as a junior. K-State needs a bigger runner to gain yards between the tackles, and that is something he can do much better than Joe Ervin and Vaughn.
K-State coaches were much more complimentary of Wright during the spring than they were at any point last season. I expect him to be much more involved. I’m not trying to say he will lead the team in rushing yards or anything like that, but he could be a valuable change-of pace option behind Vaughn.
View him as a potential upgrade from Harry Trotter.
Wide receiver: Malik Knowles. If he can stay healthy, there’s no reason why he can’t have more yards next season than he had in first three seasons combined. Knowles has caught 50 passes for 701 yards and eight touchdowns.
He started to come on late last season. If he can build off that and become the team’s top receiver, he could be an all-conference type player.
When he’s healthy, there is no one on the roster Skylar Thompson likes throwing to more.
But he will need stay healthy. That, sadly, is something he has never previously done.
EMAIL QUESTION: Football season will be here in four months!!! What are the odds K-State will allow full attendance at BSFS for football games? - Jeff M.
I have been hesitant to predict no limits on football attendance and 50,000 fans at K-State games next season, but it certainly looks like we heading in that direction.
Sporting Kansas City is going back to full capacity at the end of the month. Mask mandates are ending in several areas. The CDC announced Thursday that fully vaccinated people can go back to doing anything they want without worrying about masks or social distancing.
I have also been told that the Big 12 is tentatively planning to hold a football Media Days event for July 14-15 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, where (get this!) in-person interviews are expected to resume between coaches, players and media.
It feels like we’re starting to get back to normal. Full attendance, or something close to it, should follow.
Supporting a team that goes through some hard times makes the good times that much sweeter.
If rooting for a perennial winner was the only way to enjoy being a sports fan, everyone’s favorite team would be the Harlem Globetrotters.
Hang in there. Try not to pull out your hair. Definitely don’t give yourself an ulcer. Enjoy the ride and remember that even during the worst losing streaks you will eventually be drinking a beer after your team’s next victory.
I don’t see NIL, short for Name Image and Likeness, becoming a recruiting advantage or disadvantage for any schools until athletes start cashing in on sponsorship deals and everyone notices.
How long will that take? I have no idea. Are that many college athletes going to becomes sponsors for local businesses? I kind of doubt it.
Will the biggest earners be star players or student-athletes with big social media followings?
I really have no idea. But I don’t think it’s going to be such a big deal in the early going that recruits are flocking to certain states and avoiding others.
Here’s guessing the NCAA will have some sort of uniform policy on NIL that eventually makes this question moot.
EMAIL QUESTION: Hey Kellis, been a minute since I asked a question for your Q&A. Did you see Chester Frazier’s quote about Illinois being a “sexier” recruiting option than Kansas State and Virginia Tech? If so, do you agree or disagree? - Andrew B.
I’m going to give Chester Frazier, who was recently hired by Brad Underwood as an assistant coach at Illinois, the benefit of the doubt here when he says that isn’t exactly what he was trying to say.
Frazier went on Twitter after that quote got some traction on social media and explained that Illinois is a “sexier” recruiting sell for him than K-State and Virginia Tech because he can sell prospects on the dream of playing for the Illini because it’s his alma mater and he knows all about winning there.
That makes sense. Shane Southwell explained his recent run of recruiting wins the exact same way when he went to his old New York stomping grounds and convinced Markquis Nowell, Ismael Massoud and Maximus Edwards to sign with the school he once played for.
So if that’s really all he meant by it, then it makes total sense and shouldn’t be viewed as an insult by his former employers.
But that answer kind of avoids your question.
You probably want to know if I think Illinois is genuinely a “sexier” basketball option than K-State. I doubt you care what I think about Virginia Tech.
Overall, I think Illinois is an easier recruiting sell. Mostly because it is right down the road from Chicago, and if you can recruit Chicago you can win a whole bunch of games.
K-State has Kansas City and Wichita nearby, but those aren’t at the same level as Chicago in terms of regularly pumping out elite basketball prospects. And when a great player does come out of those areas, well, K-State still has to compete with KU and Missouri and Oklahoma for them.
It is worth pointing out, however, that the Wildcats have been a better basketball program than the Illini since Bob Huggins got things going again in 2006. Did you know Illinois has only been to the NCAA Tournament twice since it dumped Bruce Weber?
I am interested to see how Frazier does as a recruiter at Illinois, though.
He brought in some good players early during his time at K-State (Kamau Stokes and Cartier Diarra come to mind) but his last few recruits weren’t exactly good news (pun intended) for the Wildcats ... if you catch my drift.
A former K-State player from the Tex Winter era asked me a similar question a few weeks ago. Back when he played for the Wildcats, it was rare for anyone to get hurt. Now it’s happening all the time, despite all our advancements in technology and physical health.
What gives?
Let me start by saying, I don’t think K-State’s bad luck with injuries over the past decade can be attributed to a strength coach. Ben O’Donnell is leaving at the end of this semester. If the Wildcats don’t have a single injury under his replacement, perhaps I can be swayed. But I really don’t think the strength coach is to blame. All he’s doing is instructing players how and when to exercise away from the basketball court. And none of his drills involve dropping boulders on your feet.
I’ve heard many theories about K-State’s injury woes, everything from bad facilities to bad training staff to a Manhattan witch placing curses on certain players.
But I don’t think any of that is to blame, either. Other than maybe the witch. That makes some sense.
You need a wide variety of things working in your favor to avoid injuries -- good diet, lots of sleep, spending extra time in the trainer’s room and good fortune.
Wolverine/Deadpool type healing powers are also a plus.
This story was originally published May 14, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "K-State Q&A: Expectations for Skylar Thompson, Deuce Vaughn, more transfers and hoops."