K-State Q&A: Bob Bowlsby, Jerome Tang and Chris Klieman’s spring football plans
Bob Bowlsby is stepping down as Big 12 commissioner later this year, which means the conference is looking for a new boss.
Now seems like a good time to make such a transition. Oklahoma and Texas are on the way out. BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF are on the way in. The Big 12 is on solid footing in the short term, but it could use more stability in the long term. Bowlsby did a mostly nice job calming the waters (as Bill Snyder would say) while he is in charge. A new captain could elevate (as Jerome Tang would say) the league moving forward.
Oliver Luck seems like the most obvious choice to replace Bowlsby. But there are plenty of solid options out there. I wonder if the Big 12 decides to go against the grain and hires someone unexpected like the Pac-12 recently did with George Kliavkoff.
For the record: I would take the job.
It might be worth thinking outside the box on this hire. Why? Because the conference is facing some unique challenges. The next commissioner needs to know how to play hard ball with Oklahoma and Texas as they depart for the SEC. The next commissioner also needs to know how to negotiate the most lucrative contract possible with its media partners. I don’t care if the Big 12 moves its games away from ESPN/FOX to Netflix, Amazon or the Hallmark Channel ... but the league needs to get a big payday out of it to stay within shouting distance of the Big Ten and the SEC.
My guess is Oklahoma and Texas will try to leave for the SEC in 2023, before the Big 12 welcomes its four newest members. If that is, indeed, their plan then the next commissioner needs to make the Sooners and Longhorns pay huge exit fees on their way out. Otherwise, they should have to stay in the Big 12 until the league’s Grant of Rights expires in 2025.
The other stuff is small potatoes.
The Big 12 has done pretty well for itself lately without the help of its most valuable members. Baylor and Oklahoma State gave us a thrilling football championship game last season. Texas Tech, Baylor and Kansas have advanced to the past three NCAA championship games in men’s basketball. Oh, and Baylor/Kansas have given the league back-to-back national champions.
In terms of on-field success, the Big 12 is rolling right now. But it would benefit from a brighter financial future. That should be the focus of the next commissioner, whoever he or she turns out to be.
And with that, it’s time for another K-State Q&A. Thanks, as always, for providing questions!
I don’t think so, actually.
Kansas State previously announced that it would hold an open spring practice on April 16, but no details such as time or format were shared with fans. The plan was to figure out those details and release a few weeks in advance. Well, we are now eight days away from that date and the Wildcats still haven’t said anything more about an open practice next weekend. That tells you all you need to know right there.
My guess is the Kansas State football team will finish the spring portion of its practice schedule next week without holding a showcase event that is open to fans.
No spring game. No spring showcase. No spring skills challenge. Nothing.
The plan was for the Wildcats to hold an open practice with some scrimmage action between their healthy players, but that is now unlikely to happen, because they are running out of healthy players to scrimmage with.
K-State asked Trevor Stange (offensive lineman) and Nelson Pipes (long snapper) to temporarily move to defensive tackle this spring just so the team had enough bodies to get through practice on that side of the ball.
The number of K-State players who are out or limited is staggering. Felix Anudike-Uzomah, Nate Matlack, Jaylen Pickle, Damian Ilalio, Robert Hentz and Cartez Crook-Jones are not currently practicing ... and those are just the injured defensive linemen. The Wildcats are also running out of healthy bodies at fullback and tight end. Some linebackers are out. Some offensive linemen are out. Adrian Martinez isn’t throwing. Daniel Green and Deuce Vaughn aren’t doing all the much to help ensure that they remain healthy.
There wouldn’t be much for fans to watch at an open practice.
Media were allowed to view the opening 30 minutes of practice twice over the past month, and there was little going on that it was hard for me to return to the office with many meaningful observations to share with readers.
Chris Klieman has never been big on spring games. I expect him to announce next week at his final news conference of the spring that the Wildcats won’t be holding a spring event for fans.
If they really wanted to hold an event, they could still do an autograph session with fans or a skills challenge like they do before the Pro Bowl. Or they could let us take the field in a media game and have players interview us afterward. But I doubt fans have much interest in watching me throw the football.
Oh well. I’m sure we can all find something else entertaining to do next Saturday afternoon.
Air Force transfer La’James White has been practicing this spring.
I don’t think he is currently pushing for carries behind Deuce Vaughn, but he is a new arrival and that could change as the 2022 season approaches.
Granted, I haven’t been able to watch much of spring practice, but it looks like D.J. Giddens and Jordan Scheppers have taken over the roles previously filled by Joe Ervin and Jacardia Wright. Giddens is a bruising inside runner with long-term upside. Scheppers has some skill catching the ball out of the backfield, in addition to his talents as a runner.
Jax Dineen would probably be next in the pecking order.
White might have a bright future ahead of him in Manhattan. But I wouldn’t expect him to handle many carries immediately next season.
It won’t be much longer.
The Nebraska transfer quarterback, who is recovering from shoulder surgery, has been in full uniform for most of spring practice, getting work in on handoffs and pitches. I’m told he has even attempted a few passes with his left hand. Remember that if he tries to channel his inner Patrick Mahomes at some point next season.
He is close to throwing again.
The expectation is for him to get started in May and then begin throwing to receivers in June. He will have been throwing for a few months by the time preseason practice begins in the summer.
I bet we see a transfer announce that he plans to enroll at K-State within the next week or two.
Tang and his staff have reached out to several transfers. It’s only a matter of time before they land some of them.
I’m keeping an eye on LSU transfer Brandon Murray and Bradley transfer Terry Roberts, who has K-State in his top 10 schools.
But it’s worth remembering that Tang isn’t going to rush to sign someone just because the Wildcats have eight roster spots to fill.
He wants to add four or five guards to pair with Markquis Nowell and three or four big men who can run the flour to complement Ismael Massoud and Logan Landers. But they won’t all be transfers. He is looking for recruits who can help K-State next year, and beyond. Not just during the 2022-23 season.
In the words of new assistant coach Jareem Dowling: “We’re not worried about building it quickly. We don’t want a microwave situation. We want to put it in the oven at 350 and have it bake correctly. You know, we will take it out and look at it, put it back in and make sure it’s ready to eat when it’s time to eat.”
There are more than 1,200 players currently in the NCAA transfer portal.
Here’s guessing a few of them will want to play for K-State, even if Jerome Tang misses out on a few of his preferred options.
It’s never been easier for coaches to recruit good players in the spring than it is right now. I had no idea who Markquis Nowell or Ismael Massoud were at this time last year. Now they are the best two returning players on the roster.
Stay patient. Tang will reload with new players. It just won’t happen overnight.
That looks like something that College Kellis would have enjoyed mixing with some cheap vodka.
I think Jerome said “win the Tang day” at the same time that Chris said “win the dang day” and then they both yelled “jinx” even though they said different things.
Or maybe he just said “it’s about Tang time I got to meet you.”
It’s hard to know which pun they used, because there are so many to choose from.
My three main pieces of advice:
1. Have fun!
2. Purchase a book that contains the advice of an expert. I own a copy of Aaron Franklin’s BBQ book and affectionately refer to it as “The Bible.”
3. Don’t be afraid to try some new techniques or fail. There will always be more meat to smoke.
I have used two different smokers over the past few years. The first was a Weber model that was heated by charcoal and wood. It required a lot of work to get going and consistent monitoring to keep the temperature where I wanted it. But I loved all the hands-on stuff that came with it. I was looking for an excuse to stand outside, sip on a beer and smoke meat for hours. That bad boy helped me do all three.
But my first few attempts at smoking meat weren’t all that great. I burned the sausage and trimmed too much fat off the brisket.
Fortunately, my family was still happy to eat it. Barbecue is kind of like pizza. Even when it’s bad, it’s still pretty good.
The pulled pork turned out great, though. I would recommend starting with that. A pork shoulder doesn’t cost much at the grocery store and it’s almost impossible to screw up. Once you know how long to cook sausage and chicken (about one hour at around 300 degrees) those are also super easy.
Work your way up to ribs and brisket.
I traded in my Weber for a Kamado Joe a few years ago. I also started buying premium rubs and splurged on a high tech meat thermometer and fire starter. My BBQ skills improved considerably after that. Pulled pork is still the best thing I make, but I would put my brisket and ribs up against anything else you can get around here.
I’m sure you will get there, too.
Enjoy yourself. I would try to treat your time around a smoker like your time on a golf course. If you go in expecting to shoot a 65, you’re probably going to be disappointed. But if you go in expecting to have fun on a nice day you will do exactly that.
I was tired of the Big Game Grays and liked it when Bruce Weber sent those off to retirement a few years back. But it’s been long enough that I now think they should bring them back. Some players told me last season they would like to wear them again. Wearing gray occasionally would be a fun way to honor the team’s recent history.
I also wouldn’t mind bringing back the Cat Stratch Fever uniforms of the Michael Beasley days, just with less baggier shorts.
Otherwise, I like K-State’s current color combinations. Black on the road is a great look. Rotating between lavender, purple and white seems smart. I’m not against adding in gray. But yellow or red or green would be unwise.
One thing I would like to see is a uniform that only has a logo and a number on the front of the jersey. No “Kansas State” anywhere. Arkansas wears a version of those and they look phenomenal. The logo could be the current Powercat or an old school Willie. I’m not picky. I think those would look fantastic.
Interesting question. Nice job on your part.
It’s a tough call between men’s basketball and football. The Wildcats have much more long-term success on the hardwood, as they have played in multiple Final Fours and have been in the national championship game. But much of that success happened 50-plus years ago.
K-State hasn’t been to a Final Four since 1964 and had a long stretch of irrelevancy between the coaching tenures of Dana Altman and Bob Huggins.
Football, on the other hand, was ranked No. 1 in the country twice under Bill Snyder, first in 1998 and then again in 2012. Chris Klieman has guided the Wildcats into the top 25 rankings in all three of his three seasons.
That is more impressive to me than what the basketball team has recently accomplished, even though Frank Martin and Bruce Weber took the Cats to an Elite Eight and Weber shared a pair of Big 12 championships.
The men’s basketball team has the burden of dealing with Kansas as its main rival, while the football team gets to pound on the Jayhawks every year for a free win. That makes a huge difference.
The Big 12 is also the nation’s strongest conference in basketball. Finding wins in that league is hard, and it’s not going to get any easier when BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF come aboard.
Things might get easier on the football front without Oklahoma and Texas owning the conference, though. If the playoff expands beyond four teams, the Wildcats could be well positioned to make the field every year it contends for a league championship.
When the K-State football team has a good coach and a good quarterback, it’s ceiling is higher than any other sport on campus.
This story was originally published April 8, 2022 at 1:35 PM with the headline "K-State Q&A: Bob Bowlsby, Jerome Tang and Chris Klieman’s spring football plans."