K-State Wildcats Q&A: Preseason football odds and Jerome Tang’s recruiting strategy
We are less than 100 days away from Kansas State’s much-anticipated football game against Iowa State in Dublin, Ireland.
That means it is time to start thinking about what might happen during the 2025 season.
How many games will the Wildcats win? Will Chris Klieman’s team contend for a Big 12 championship? Could someone like Avery Johnson or Dylan Edwards contend for the Heisman Trophy?
Enough people are beginning to wonder about those topics that the Gambling Gods have already blessed us with future odds and lookahead lines for darn near everything associated with K-State’s upcoming football campaign. Sadly, I am still waiting to see the over/under for how many flight delays I experience following the team from Ireland to Utah.
Here are the important K-State numbers to know, via FanDuel ...
Over/under win total: 8.5.
National championship: 120 to 1.
Big 12 championship: 6 to 1.
Avery Johnson to win the Heisman: 65 to 1.
Dylan Edwards to win the Heisman: 300 to 1.
K-State vs. Iowa State: Wildcats -3.5
I have some takeaways. For starters, K-State is considered to be one of the favorites to win the Big 12. It matches Arizona State and Texas Tech with the highest over/under win total and the shortest odds to win the conference. Baylor and Utah are lurking just behind them.
My gut is telling me that K-State will beat its over/under win total. But it’s worth remembering that the Wildcats have an unusual schedule and Klieman has only gone over this number once during his six years in Manhattan. Maybe this is the year K-State pushes for double-digit wins. But no one should be surprised if the Wildcats finish 8-4 for the third consecutive season.
College football teams are so hard to project during the age of the transfer portal that it’s hard to have tons of confidence in any preseason wager like this one. Remember last summer when everyone thought Oklahoma State and Utah were going to be good? Remember when we all assumed Arizona State and BYU were going to be bad?
Edwards and Johnson for Heisman could both be fun couch-change bets, but the true odds of them winning are much longer than currently listed.
Still, these numbers bode well for K-State. They suggest the Wildcats will once again be one of the best teams in the Big 12.
Now, let’s dive into your questions. Thanks, as always, for providing them.
School is out, or close to it. What is allowed for the K-State football players and coaches to do? I don’t believe the coaches can coach at all. But how do they continue to get their message through to the players for the summer? -@ChadFullington via X.
Chris Klieman and his staff won’t do any on-field coaching until preseason camp begins in July.
I’m not sure why college football teams are only allowed to practice 15 times in the spring as they prepare for training camp. But those are the rules. Until then, K-State coaches will focus on other things, like studying film with players and advising them.
But that doesn’t mean K-State players will be sitting around working on their tans.
They can still work out whenever they want with the strength and conditioning staff. Players also run their own practices this time of year. There aren’t pads, referees or coaches involved. But you better believe Avery Johnson will lead countless 7-on-7 sessions during the summer and report back to Klieman on how things are going.
Nothing stops. K-State players will be as busy as they always are. Klieman just won’t be running practices for a few months.
What is your opinion on Star Wars Battlefront 3 not being in development at this current time? -@coachjeromecf via X.
We have to wait for all the best video games.
The EA Sports College Football game is fun and all. But I was only interested in the newest version because we went decades without it. I won’t be rushing to the store to buy the next iteration of the game.
Assassin’s Creed, Madden and Street Fighter are all fun games. But I have no desire to own every single version they put out.
If you’re a fan of Star Wars Battlefront, the sequel will seem even better when you finally get to play it.
Who are your top five K State individuals? All achievements must be made while attending K State -@bfullingt1 via X.
In no particular order ...
Ernie Barrett: He led the Wildcats to a national championship game and earned the nickname Mr. K-State. You know you’ve accomplished a lot at your school when that happens.
Jacob Pullen: I doubt anyone will ever pass him on the K-State scoring charts.
Bill Snyder: Where would the Wildcats be without him?
Collin Klein: He led K-State to two unforgettable seasons as a quarterback and also helped the Wildcats win a Big 12 championship as an offensive coordinator. Who knows? Maybe one day he will return as a head coach.
Darren Sproles: If you’re ever in a bad mood, go watch his highlight tape from the 2003 Big 12 championship game.
Should I be worried that it’s the middle of May and Jerome Tang still has so many scholarship spots to fill? - Rod B. via e-mail.
Worried? No. Jerome Tang has waited until June and beyond to finalize his roster every year since he arrived in Manhattan. So it is not out of the ordinary for the Wildcats to do late recruiting.
Concerned might be a better word to use. The problem with waiting to add more players is that the transfer portal is running out of dudes. Case in point: Florida Atlantic recently showed interest in Macaleab Rich, while USC and Virginia Tech are both chasing CJ Jones. Those are a pair of bench players who didn’t do all that much for K-State last season, but they are suddenly in demand because coaches are running out of options.
Depending on what happens with waivers for Max Jones and Tyreek Smith, K-State has between three and five open scholarships to use.
As of now, Bart Torvik has K-State’s incomplete roster projected No. 72 nationally. The Wildcats need reinforcements to boost that number.
Some expect German baller Elias Rapieque to fill one of those spots. Bowling Green forward Marcus Johnson, a massive human being at 6-foot-7 and 265 pounds, took a recruiting visit to K-State this week. He could fill another.
If K-State adds both of those players, then Tang will only have between one and three spots to fill. That would be a different story.
Tang has liked to wait until players withdraw from the NBA Draft to finish recruiting new players. That is where he got both Coleman Hawkins (a good add) and Ugonna Onyenso (a bad add) last spring. Keyontae Johnson might be the best player that Tang has coached in Manhattan, and Tang waited all the way until August to land him.
If K-State adds another player like that, then waiting is the best strategy. If not, perhaps the Wildcats should have acted more quickly.
In other words, time will tell.
My recommendations of the week
Streaming: BoJack Horseman on Netflix. There isn’t a better show in existence about a cartoon horse.
Food: Pepperoni pizza sandwich. It’s the best thing you can make on a Panini Press.
Vintage K-State highlight: The aforementioned dream game from Sproles.
This story was originally published May 16, 2025 at 5:30 AM with the headline "K-State Wildcats Q&A: Preseason football odds and Jerome Tang’s recruiting strategy."