Observations from K-State football practice as training camp begins for Wildcats
Training camp is underway for the Kansas State football team.
The Wildcats will open their season in less than a month against Iowa State in Dublin, Ireland, which means it is time for Chris Klieman and his coaching staff to get back to the grind of preseason practices.
Media were allowed to watch the team practice for about 30 minutes on Thursday.
Here are some notable observations that took place during that time:
Identifying new starters on the offensive line
Ohio State transfer George Fitzpatrick was not in attendance, as the talented offensive lineman continues to recover from a “medical situation” that has forced him off the field for the past week.
It is unclear when, or if, he will be able to return this season. That means the Wildcats need to identify replacement options at his position. Klieman said earlier this month that Fitzpatrick was the team’s projected starter at left tackle.
Who is next in line to protect Avery Johnson’s blind side?
For now, there is no definitive answer to that question. K-State, perhaps intentionally, didn’t allow media to view any team drills on offense in which a starting front five would have been on the field together.
But the Wildcats did release a highlight video from their first preseason practice on Wednesday, and it appeared as though John Pastore and Terrence Enos both saw action at left tackle when other starters, like Avery Johnson and Dylan Edwards, were in action.
Pastore and Enos both seem like logical replacement options at an important position.
Enos is a 6-foot-5 and 310-pound transfer from Pitt. The senior has seen plenty of action on the offensive line over the years, including a pair of starts at left tackle last season.
Pastore is 6-foot-6 and 300-pound blocker who recently drew praise from Klieman.
“John missed the entire 2024 season,” Klieman said. “He was penciled in to be in the rotation, if not a starter, at tackle. He’s back now, healthy this year and over 300 pounds at 6-foot-5. He’ll be a big player for us. So I like where we’re at on the offensive line.”
Blake Barnett could take over as backup QB behind Avery Johnson
K-State coaches had good things to say about Blake Barnett at the end of fall practice.
It seems like the redshirt freshman has also hit the ground running at training camp.
Even though he is younger than fellow reserve quarterback Jacob Knuth, he appears to be in the mix to serve as backup QB behind Avery Johnson this season.
Barnett was second in line at every quarterback drill, and he threw the ball with both accuracy and confidence.
The plan is for Johnson to handle all of the important snaps at quarterback this season. But K-State may have found a dependable option behind him in Barnett, a 6-foot-1 and 220-pound playmaker from Erie, Colorado.
Knuth saw action in two games last season.
Barnett has been playing catchup after he arrived in Manhattan with an injury and then sat out his first season with a redshirt. But he now appears ready to push for meaningful playing time.
New strength coach, same routine
It was reasonable to expect K-State football players to warm up and/or stretch in new ways this preseason.
After all, Ray Thomas was promoted to the role of strength and conditioning coach in May after Trumain Carroll left for the same job at USC. Maybe he wanted to put his own fingerprints on that part of training camp.
But there were no discernible changes in that area.
K-State players warmed up in exactly the same way they always have under Klieman. The Wildcats jogged, clapped and stretched their way across the field and then gathered at the 50-yard line for a team huddle. Then practice got underway.
The only difference was Thomas was at the center of the action.
That is probably a good thing for the Wildcats. Klieman hired Thomas, in part, because he liked the progress that K-State was making in the weight room. He wanted continuity.
K-State is bigger at wide receiver
If the Wildcats struggle to get the ball to their wide receivers this season, no one will be able to blame a lack of size as the reason why.
Even when K-State receivers are simply running drills it’s easy to tell that they are bigger than they were last year.
Jerand Bradley, a senior transfer from Boston College, checks in at 6-foot-5 and 223 pounds.
Jaron Tibbs, a talented transfer from Purdue, is 6-foot-2.
Add them to returning pass-catchers like Jayce Brown (6-foot) and Sterling Lockett (5-foot-10), and the Wildcats should have a size advantage that could help in the red zone.
First look at five-star recruit Linkon Cure
Unlike many freshmen on the K-State football team, Goodland tight end Linkon Cure waited until the summer to arrive in Manhattan.
He skipped spring football to compete in spring sports at his high school. But that decision doesn’t appear to have slowed him down.
The five-star recruit looked just as athletic as every other tight end at practice on Thursday. At one point, he rain a perfect out route and caught a pass from Johnson.
Cure will wear the No. 0 at K-State. Fans may see him make plenty of highlights over the years in that jersey.
This story was originally published July 24, 2025 at 11:21 AM with the headline "Observations from K-State football practice as training camp begins for Wildcats."