Why Kansas State’s best defensive tackle wanted one more season with Wildcats
When Eli Huggins posed for photos with his family during Kansas State’s senior day festivities ahead of a matchup with Baylor last season, he wasn’t expecting to play another football game at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
“I wasn’t planning on coming back,” Huggins says now. “All the way through the season, even on senior night, I was fully expecting to leave and then hopefully make the leap to the NFL.”
So why is Huggins still in Manhattan preparing for his fifth year of college football as preseason camp gets underway this week at K-State?
Turns out, the allure of playing for the Wildcats as a “super senior” was stronger than he originally expected. Yes, he could have made a run at the NFL after playing four seasons at K-State and piling up 49 tackles along the way. But the more he thought about his options, the 6-foot-5 and 297-pound defensive tackle realized he had unfinished business.
“The more I talked with coaches and family and looked at this year’s team, the group we have coming back, it just seemed like the best opportunity for me was to come back,” Huggins said. “I love Manhattan. It’s such a special place. I guess I just wasn’t ready to leave yet.”
Under normal circumstances, Huggins would not have college eligibility remaining. He has been a student at K-State since 2017. Since then, he has spent one season on the sideline with a redshirt and four more on the field in a purple uniform. But one of those seasons occurred during the coronavirus pandemic, which didn’t count against his five-year clock.
That gave him the opportunity to return to K-State for a rare sixth season as a “super senior.”
“It was a Christmas present, man,” defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman said. “He means the world to us as a player, but also a leader. He is a guy who can come in here and show future generations of Cats how to get it done. We are happy to have him.”
It doesn’t matter why Huggins decided to return for an extra season. The Wildcats are simply glad to have him back.
K-State’s defensive line could be a force in the Big 12 with him anchoring the tackle position. But that will be a new experience for him. In the past, Huggins has typically rotated in and out with other defensive tackles. This season, K-State coach Klieman will be asking for more.
“Man, that guy is hard to block,” Klieman said. “He is such a talented football player. What we need to do with Eli is we need to challenge him to play more plays. Last year, he split time Timmy Horne, a really good player. Now we’ve got to get another 15 to 20 plays out of him a game. He’s excited about the challenge.”
Huggins spent much of his offseason getting in better shape and improving his stamina to the point where he could handle a bigger workload. Playing more now could help his NFL prospects later.
Perhaps that is one of the reasons why he was named to the Big 12’s preseason all-conference team last month.
Experience is another valuable factor. He has spent lots of time playing alongside Felix Anudike-Uzomah, Jaylen Pickle, Khalid Duke and Nate Matlack in K-State’s 3-3-5 defensive formation.
He thinks they are capable of more this season. It’s one of the reasons he decided he wasn’t ready to leave.
“We’ve got a really special group,” Huggins said. “We’ve got good depth there right now with a ton of guys who can play really good football. I’m hoping for a really big season out of of the front seven.”
This story was originally published August 4, 2022 at 12:11 PM with the headline "Why Kansas State’s best defensive tackle wanted one more season with Wildcats."