No. 16 Kansas State comes off a 10-4 season, the 2022 Big 12 Championship and an appearance in the Sugar Bowl, and while those are great memories, heck, sometimes it's just time to move forward.
Which brings us to this 2023 season, which again, is so full of promise. K-State was picked second in the Big 12 Preseason Poll, trailing only Texas, and the clash between the Wildcats and Longhorns in Austin, Texas, on November 4 already is projected by some to be the game of the year in the league.
However, there's an eight-game build-up to that showdown. That includes tough games against SEMO and Troy (September 9), a date at Missouri (September 16), a Big 12 Conference opener against new league member UCF (September 23), and what has the makings of an interesting Friday night meeting at Oklahoma State (October 6). After a date at Texas Tech (October 14), the Wildcats return home to take on No. 17 TCU (October 21) in a Big 12 title game rematch, then they face Houston (October 28) at Bill Snyder Family Stadium before braving what could be a crowd of 100,000 at Texas Memorial Stadium.
Fortunately, K-State returns a 15-game starter in Will Howard, one of the most efficient Power 5 passers toward the end of last season, along with All-American left guard Cooper Beebe and the entire starting offensive line. All-Big 12 tight end Ben Sinnott is back along with sixth-year senior wide receiver Phillip Brooks and sophomore RJ Garcia II. Sophomore Iowa transfer Keagan Johnson might be the best pass-catcher among the trio. DJ Giddens and senior Florida State transfer Treshaun Ward figure to be a load at running back.
The Wildcats return five starters on defense, including top-returning tackler Austin Moore, who'll start alongside sixth-year senior Daniel Green, while sophomore Desmond Purnell is a highlight waiting to happen. The defensive line is fierce with defensive ends like Khalid Duke, Brendan Mott, Nate Matlack and Cody Stufflebean. Senior defensive tackle Uso Seumalo could be sidelined with an injury, giving the call to sophomore Damian Ilalio or junior Mississippi State transfer Jevon Banks. When fully intact, the defensive line could be one of the best in the Big 12.
The back end will need to mature in a hurry. Senior All-Big 12 safety Kobe Savage is back after missing the end of last season due to injury, sophomore VJ Payne has progressed nicely, and indications suggest junior North Dakota State transfer Marques Sigle is a beast. Arguably the biggest question on the team is how to replace long-time starters and NFL players Julius Brents and Ekow Boye-Doe at cornerback. For now, it appears sophomore Jacob Parrish and sophomore junior college transfer Will Lee III will get the nod at those spots.
Here are 10 things to know about K-State football entering the 2023 season:
Chris Klieman is a winner
K-State enters its 128th football season and features a head coach who's among the best in the country. Chris Klieman is 102-33 in his career, including 30-20 at K-State, and his 75.6% career winning percentage ranks fourth among current FBS coaches who've led programs for at least 10 seasons — trailing only Clemson's Dabo Swinney (80.5%), Alabama's Nick Saban (80.1%) and James Madison's Curt Cignetti (76.1%). Klieman is also one of just 17 current Power 5 head coaches with at least 100 victories.
On3 rated Klieman as the No. 1 coach in the Big 12 entering the 2023 season.
What really stands out about Klieman is his team's consistency, including its ability to answer the call against top competition. The Wildcats earned three wins against AP Top-10 opponents in 2022, marking the first time in school history the Wildcats defeated multiple AP Top-10 foes in a single season. Under Klieman, the Wildcats have beaten five AP Top-10 opponents. No other current Big 12 team has more than three such victories since 2019. Baylor, Oklahoma and TCU each have three AP Top-10 wins over that span.
Will Howard emerged as one of the nation's most efficient passers toward the end of 2022
Will Howard is well aware that he isn't the sexy pick nationally when it comes to discussing the best quarterbacks in the Big 12. Think that fuels the 6-foot-5, 242-pounder? Yup. Although Howard has made 15 career starts, he enters this fall as the bonafide QB1 for the first time after finishing last season among the most efficient passers in the nation.
During his seven games of action last season, including five starts, he completed 59.8% of his passes for 1,633 yards and 15 touchdowns to just four interceptions (a 149.58 passer rating). However, it's how Howard finished the final handful of games that really stands out. His passer rating of 159.4 over the final five weeks of the season and the Big 12 Championship game ranked eighth in the FBS and third among Power 5 quarterbacks behind USC's Caleb Williams (173.9) and Oregon's Bo Nix (168.3).
Collin Klein, back as K-State offensive coordinator because of "unfinished business," is a gem
One topic that maybe didn't get enough attention during the offseason was Collin Klein's return as K-State offensive coordinator after overtures by a prominent Power 5 school. He says that there's "unfinished business." Klein's return for a second season as offensive coordinator is by far one of the Wildcats' most important stories of the summer, and by all counts could be among the top stories of the Big 12 by the end of the 2023 campaign.
In year one with Klein manning the controls from the press box, K-State finished No. 2 in school history with 5,843 total yards and No. 5 in school history with 418.8 yards per game, its most since the 2014 offense averaged 421.6. What's truly remarkable is that K-State, for the first time in the Big 12 era (since 1996), totaled at least 375 yards in every league contest.
Here's another thing: K-State's offense grew strong as the season wore on. Consider the Wildcats averaged 40.2 points over the final five weeks of the regular season. That ranked fifth among Power 5 teams and first in the Big 12. The Wildcats topped 45 points in each of their final two regular-season games at West Virginia (48) and against Kansas (47), marking the first time they achieved that feat against two Big 12 opponents since 2012.
Bringing back the beef
This just smells like trouble for opposing defenses. Yes, sir, they're all back — left tackle KT Leveston, left guard Cooper Beebe, center Hayden Gillum, right guard Hadley Panzer and right tackle Christian Duffie — after dominating defensive lines a year ago. From their "BEEF" hats to NIL deals, this is the Wildcats' most heralded offensive line since 1998. They're like rock stars. Athlon ranked K-State among the top 10 offensive lines in the nation entering the season.
Last season, K-State finished No. 4 all-time in program history in rushing yards (2,916), No. 3 in yards per rush (5.1), and No. 10 in rushing touchdowns (32).
Under offensive line coach Conor Riley, K-State has allowed fewer than 2.0 sacks per game each of the last four seasons. It's the Wildcats' first four-year stretch in allowing under 2.0 sacks per game since 1997 to 2000. Additionally, K-State is only one of 10 FBS programs to allow fewer than 2.0 sacks per game over this current four-year span.
Although 6-foot-5, 300-pound Duffie currently leads all K-State players with 35 consecutive starts, he will unfortunately miss the Wildcats' season opener due to injury. That'll give 6-foot-5, 291-pound junior Carver Willis his first-career start on Saturday. Coaches raved about Willis during fall camp.
There's plenty to like among the skill-position players
Let's get this out of the way: All-Big 12 Ben Sinnott is a stud. Although the 6-foot-4, 245-pound Sinnott is listed as a fullback on the season-opening depth chart, don't let it fool you. He'll get his catches. Sinnott, who had at least one catch in 13 games last season, led all Big 12 tight ends and ranked fourth nationally among the position group with a 14.4-yard receiving average, while he ranked sixth in school history in receiving yards by a tight end and tied for eighth in receptions.
Phillip Brooks is back for his sixth year and the 5-foot-8, 171-pounder is tied for seventh all-time in catches at K-State. While he'll provide some solidary, the big news at wide receiver has been the emergence of sophomore Iowa transfer Keagan Johnson, who offers excellent size at 6-foot and 193 pounds, and sophomore RJ Garcia II, who is best known for his 25-yard touchdown catch in the Big 12 Championship game. Coaches love Johnson's playmaking ability and say that Garcia is becoming a leader in the wide receiver meeting room.
With Deuce Vaughn gone to the NFL, K-State went out and secured senior Florida State running back Treshaun Ward, a 5-foot-10, 194-pounder who is the fifth-rated transfer running back this season by 247Sports. Ward was the top option in a three-man rotation last season and led the Seminoles in rushing before suffering a nagging injury. In 2021, he had 515 rushing yards and four touchdowns — his 6.36 yards per rushing attempt led all ACC rushers with at least four carries per game — to go along with 21 catches for 185 yards and one touchdown. K-State coaches love his quick burst in small spaces and his versatility and hands.
Although Ward is on the initial watch list for the Doak Walker Award, which honors the nation's top running back, don't be surprised if sophomore DJ Giddens gets the starting nod in Week 1. The 6-foot-1, 212-pounder ranked third in school history for rushing yards by a freshman — he had 89 carries for 518 and six touchdowns — and showed last season that he can pick up yards in a hurry — he averaged 5.8 yards per rushing attempt — and is a load to bring down.
The defense is shutting them down under Joe Klanderman
How about this for starters? K-State held four opponents out of the end zone, including three times in Big 12 competition, in South Dakota, Iowa State, Oklahoma State and Baylor. The last time K-State didn't surrender a touchdown in four games? 2002. The last time the Wildcats held three Big 12 foes out of the end zone? 2001.
That's good company.
In fact, K-State held all of its Big 12 opponents under their season average coming into the game. None was more jaw-dropping than the Wildcats' 48-0 waxing of No. 9 Oklahoma State, marking the largest ever shutout victory by a lower-ranked team against an AP Top-10 opponent.
There's power up front in the defense
One of the standouts of fall camp, 6-foot-3, 340-pound senior defensive tackle Uso Seumalo, might be a no-go for Week 1 with an injury. While disappointing news, for sure, we could get a better look at sophomore Damian Ilalio and junior Mississippi State transfer Jevon Banks on Saturday. Ilalio is a 6-foot-1, 296-pounder from Manhattan and coaches are high on his potential. Same goes for 6-foot-2, 290-pound Banks, who played in 20 games for the Bulldogs during the 2020, 2021 and 2022 seasons, recording 26 stops, including 4.0 for loss with 0.5 sacks and one pass defended.
As far as storylines go for the defense, the return of senior Khalid Duke to his natural position as an edge rusher ranks near the top. It isn't that Duke had difficulty contributing last season — the 6-foot-4, 246-pounder proved to be solid as a linebacker while recording 44 tackles, including 5.0 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks and one pass breakup — but he just wasn't at home. Now he's certain to be a nightmare for the rest of the Big 12 in the fall.
Senior Brendan Mott gets the nod opposite Duke for the season opener. The 6-foot-5, 244-pounder played in every game with 10 starts last season, the first starts in his career. His six sacks ranked sixth in the Big 12.
Hype continues to surround the return of a healthy Nate Matlack. The 6-foot-5, 249-pounder suffered a high-ankle sprain that prevented him from playing at 100% a majority of last season. While Matlack is listed behind Duke on the depth chart, Cody Stufflebean, a 6-foot-4, 257-pounder who began his career as a tight end, is an interesting story as well. Stufflebean, who is listed as backup to Mott, played in all 14 games at defensive end, and garnered mention by coaches for his improvement in fall camp.
Although we know what weakside linebacker Austin Moore and middle linebacker Daniel Green can do, two other linebackers to keep an eye on early are starting strongside linebacker Desmond Purnell and backup Jake Clifton.
Coaches raved about Purnell, a 5-foot-11, 224-pound sophomore, in fall camp, and it became evident early that he'd occupy the strongside linebacker spot. Purnell had 21 tackles, including one tackle for loss and two passes defended while appearing in all 14 games.
The 6-foot-2, 222-pound Clifton played in 11 games as a true freshman last year, including each of the final nine contests. He saw significant action toward the end of the season as he was in for at least 20 snaps in each of the final seven games. He recorded 12 tackles, including a career-high four tackles against South Dakota and three against Oklahoma State. Clifton is expected to back up Green at middle linebacker. Linebackers coach Steve Stanard says that he doesn't know if he's been around a smarter linebacker than Clifton, who knows all three linebacker positions.
While safety could be in good hands, the defensive backfield is young but shows promise
It wasn't by accident that safety Kobe Savage earned All-Big 12 Second Team honors despite an injury in game 10 that ended his season. He was outstanding. Now Savage is back at strong safety and is one of the top storylines for a defense that needs his playmaking ability again during his senior season. Savage will be joined by junior North Dakota State transfer Marques Sigle at free safety and sophomore VJ Payne at jack safety. The 5-foot-11, 197-pound Sigle impressed coaches almost immediately with his ability to quickly learn the defense and presence on the field. Payne, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound sophomore, made an immediate impact at safety last season. The first true freshman on defense to start a season opener since at least 1988, Payne racked up four total starts while playing in every game. After recording four tackles in the Big 12 title game, he delivered in a big-time fashion against No. 5 Alabama in the Sugar Bowl behind 10 tackles — tied for the 10th most tackles in a K-State bowl game — and his first-career sack.
At cornerback, sophomore Jacob Parrish is a 5-foot-10, 183-pounder who played in all 14 games as a backup cornerback last season, and he spent his time behind NFL-bound Ekow Boye-Doe. When Boye-Doe went down against No. 3 TCU in the Big 12 Championship Game, Parrish sprang into action and proved solid with a career-high four tackles and a pass breakup. A player who commanded attention early in fall camp, 6-foot-3, 185-pound Will Lee III boasts a Julius Brents-type frame. He was a NJCAA First Team All-America honoree and the 15th-best overall community college prospect by On3.
Expect some rotation at cornerback. Keegan Garber is a remarkable story as the wide receiver switched to cornerback and played his first 21 career snaps on defense in the Big 12 Championship game. Justice James (formerly Clemons) redshirted the 2022 season after arriving from Tyler (Texas) Junior College and has earned praise from coaches.
Special teams has a chance to keep being special
When it comes to kickoff- and punt-return touchdowns, it's quite possible that K-State has enjoyed the best 18-year stretch in college football history. Nobody has dominated quite like the Wildcats. K-State has recorded 60 kickoff-return and punt-return touchdowns since 2005 — 21 more than second-place Alabama (39) and 26 more than the next closest Big 12 team — Oklahoma State has 34.
With two punt-return touchdowns in 2022, K-State has now recorded a punt-return score in every season since 2014 — a nine-year stretch that is the longest active streak in the FBS.
With his two punt-return touchdowns in 2020 and one touchdown in 2022, Phillip Brooks has kept the streak alive. Brooks is tied for sixth in Big 12 history in punt-return touchdowns (four). He enters the fall No. 1 among all active players in career punt-return touchdowns and average yards per punt return (14.6).
Brooks will also assume duties as primary kickoff returner this season as well.
Senior Jake Blumer returns as punter and holder, and fellow senior Randen Plattner returns as long-snapper. Junior Chris Tennant, who served as primary place kicker over the first seven games last season, will handle kickoffs and field goals. Tennant is 14-of-22 on field goals and 39-of-41 on extra points in his career. He has regained his confidence in his leg, and that's great news for the Wildcats.
K-State's schedule one of the nation's toughest
K-State will enter the 2023 season with a target on its back. While the Wildcats regularly adopt the underdog mentality, the fact that they're ranked No. 16 (their highest preseason ranking since 2004) and are the defending Big 12 Champions won't be lost on their opponents, who are certain to give the Wildcats their best shot each week. What becomes interesting is that the Wildcats' 12 opponents combined for a .608 winning percentage last season, which is the 10th highest percentage in the nation. Additionally, K-State is one of just four teams in the nation to play 11 games against opponents that made the postseason in 2022. K-State's creed is to win the day. If they combine their talents with that mantra each week, the Wildcats are likely to be in the mix to return to the Big 12 title game on December 2.