K-State football coach Chris Klieman shares update on George Fitzpatrick and more
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- K-State football began training camp July 24 ahead of Week 0 game in Ireland.
- Coach Klieman said George Fitzpatrick is recovering and remains day-to-day.
- Early practices emphasize heat management and developing routines for newcomers.
The focus is on football in Manhattan.
K-State practices kicked off last week as the team gears up for a rare overseas Week 0 game — scheduled for Aug. 23 — against Iowa State at the Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Dublin, Ireland.
Players reported for camp July 23 and practices began the following day. Early storylines from last week included the offensive line and backup quarterback.
Head coach Chris Klieman fielded questions on injuries, young standouts and the early challenges of camp during a July 28 news conference.
Here’s the rundown:
Fitzpatrick’s ‘medical situation’
A joint statement from K-State and the Fitzpatrick family July 21 shared that Ohio State transfer George Fitzpatrick was recovering from an undisclosed “medical situation.”
Klieman said Monday that Fitzpatrick is back in Manhattan and has “been to the facility a handful of times” during Monday’s press conference.
“It’s just a day-by-day basis with George,” Klieman said. “We don’t really have a timetable, but he’s doing a lot better. So I don’t have a lot of other information that I’m able to share on that.”
Fitzpatrick helped the Buckeyes win a national championship last season before transferring to K-State. The 6-foot-6, 309-pound player has two years of eligibility remaining and played both left and right tackle last season.
Earlier this month, Klieman said that Fitzpatrick had already “elevated himself to the top of the depth chart at left tackle.”
Klieman addressed a question about tackle depth, too. When talking about junior John Pastore, the coach indicated he expects Fitzpatrick to be able to play.
“The health of Pastore is what has us really, really excited about when George gets back,” he said. “And George will be back.”
On other injuries, Klieman said he expects linebacker Ace Newman to be back the first week of August. Defensive back Gunner Maldonado is cleared for seven-on-seven drills and also expects to be fully cleared the first week of August.
Defensive back Colby McAllister’s return is an estimated eight to ten days away.
Handling the heat
Players were welcomed back to Manhattan with warm weather last week. And that continued into this week.
On Monday the high was projected to reach 96 degrees with a feels-like temperature of around 110.
“We’re trying to go as early in the morning as we can, getting our work done and trying to keep our kids hydrated and as safe as we can,” Klieman said.
Temperatures were expected to remain high through Tuesday before dropping down slightly. Klieman indicated that this is a time for the team to learn how to handle adversity.
“It’s not going to be sunny and 70 every day,” Klieman said. “Everyone can handle it then. How are we going to handle it when we get punched in the mouth? Because we’re going to get punched in the mouth. We’re going to get punched in the mouth at practice. Offense beats the defense. Defense beats the offense. The weather beats us.”
The coaching staff is helping players manage the heat with earlier practices and protective measures. But there’s a fire that Klieman wants players to manage themselves.
“I think we have a collective group of guys that can really lead,” he said. “And that’s the challenge we’re going to put on these guys, is who can handle it when it gets really hot out there with the adversity.”
Younger ‘Cats dive into new routines
Camp has offered a crash course for younger players on the roster.
“A lot of guys, especially the new guys, are swimming with what we’re doing schematically,” Klieman said.
There have been some teamwide changes in the morning routine intended to give players more time to prepare and keep them alert on the field.
“It’s the fall-camp grind that all of us know that have been in this profession for a long time, and it’s just getting those young guys and the new guys to develop a routine,” he said. “And that’s how they win the dang day, is they develop a routine.”
Klieman and the staff are looking for consistency during practice, especially with the younger players. Klieman believes expectations become clearer as the veterans and new guys gel.
“There’s some new kids that are making some splash plays and getting noticed that we want to become more consistent,” Klieman said. “There’s the older kids that are consistent all the time because they know what the expectation is.
“They know what the standard is. They know how we practice. And it’s getting those new and young guys up to speed so that they can gain that consistency throughout the day at practice.”
