New K-State coordinator Conor Riley shares his vision for the Wildcats on offense
Kansas State will look different on offense next season with Conor Riley calling plays for the first time.
How different? That remains to be seen.
Riley has spent most of his professional career coaching the offensive line and he isn’t the type of coordinator who likes to share details on formations and strategies when he’s speaking in a public setting. But he is willing to describe a few other details about what fans and opponents can expect to see from the Wildcats next season.
“When they watch our offense, what I want them to see is a disciplined team,” Riley said this week. “I want them to see a team that really plays their (butt) off and plays their (butt) off for one another. I want them to see a team that executes at an extremely high level. I want them to see a team that’s going to be extremely physical and physical at all points of attack.
“And then, ultimately, we want to be explosive and efficient. Without getting into much of the schematics, if you say those things about our offense, I know that we’re going to win a whole hell of a lot of ballgames.”
It’s hard to argue with that.
Some were skeptical when K-State coach Chris Klieman chose to promote Riley to the role of offensive coordinator after Collin Klein left for Texas A&M during the offseason.
It’s rare for an offensive line coach to make the jump to coordinator, and the common perception is that they rely far too much on the run. Riley heard so much about that while he prepared the K-State offense for the Pop-Tarts Bowl that he jokingly promised fans that he wasn’t going to switch to the triple option.
How K-State played against North Carolina State during a 28-19 victory last December in Orlando gave us some clues about what the Wildcats will look like moving forward. They rushed for 257 yards and passed for 178.
Running back DJ Giddens touched the ball 28 times and finished with 151 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Avery Johnson was named MVP of the game after he did a little bit of everything on his way to 249 total yards and three touchdowns.
So far, it seems like he is aiming for similar results in spring practice.
Giving the ball to Giddens up the middle is still one of his favorite options, but media have also seen Johnson stretch the defense with deep throws that force defenses to cover sideline to sideline.
This week, Riley preached the importance of adding versatility to the offense with tight ends that can both block and catch. He also wants receivers to be physical enough to make plays after the catch. And he is pushing offensive linemen to learn multiple positions so the unit can persevere even if injuries occur.
It also seems like Riley will use more pre-snap motions than his predecessor.
K-State’s offense is far from a finished product, but Riley hopes the Wildcats are building toward the physical and mental traits he mapped out above.
“We have youth at particular positions,” Riley said. “When you have that youth coupled with some new aspects to our offense you’re going to see some real highs and then you’re going to see some, you know, what the heck are we doing? But that’s the purpose of spring ball. That’s the purpose of practice. With those (moments) we can truly find out about ourselves.”
This story was originally published March 28, 2024 at 9:40 AM with the headline "New K-State coordinator Conor Riley shares his vision for the Wildcats on offense."