K-State Q&A: Skylar Thompson, Dean Wade, holidays and Bill Snyder's future

It’s time for another K-State Q&A.

As usual, we have tons of great questions. So let’s get right to them. Thanks, as always, for your participation.

No one knows.

I don’t even think Bill Snyder knows.

There’s certainly a chance this could be his last year. The first time he retired, he did so when the Wildcats were struggling midway through their second consecutive losing season. If they don’t turn things around in their final four games this year, I suppose there’s reason to suspect another losing record could serve as motivation for him to call it quits. But a disappointing year could have the opposite impact, too. Maybe a down year pushes him even harder to come back and win next season. A lot of young talent will return.

We know he wants his son, Sean, to take over after he steps down. Odds of that happening are better if the team is winning. But he’s also said he will continue coaching as long as he thinks he is a positive for the program. So maybe odds of him stepping down are better if the team is losing.

It’s impossible to guess. Personally, I tend to think he continues coaching. Retirement didn’t work out so well for him the first time. He regretted the move and tried to get his job back almost immediately and eventually did get it back when Ron Prince flopped. He loves his job.

I have spoken with former coaches, such as Barry Switzer and Gary Barnett, over the years about Snyder and they both told me they wish they were still coaching and think he could keep going. He’s under no pressure, and his contract renews automatically at the end of each season. It’s his choice. I don’t think any of us can make a prediction on his future.

You know the usual suspects:

Sean Snyder is the internal option, Jim Leavitt considers it his dream job, and Brent Venables is the fan favorite.

Athletic director Gene Taylor has a history with Wyoming’s Craig Bohl, so his name has also been floated by more than a few talking heads.

There are plenty of other good options out there, without any ties to K-State. This is all completely speculative, as K-State has a Hall of Fame coach that has given no indication he plans to stop being the coach, but here are a few other names.

Scott Frost and Lane Kiffin are two of the hottest names on the coaching market, but it seems unlikely K-State could beat out all the competition for them. Mike Norvell is having a good run at Memphis. So is Chad Morris at SMU. His Texas recruiting ties could be useful. Frank Wilson has been good at Texas-San Antonio. And if you’re a fan of what Matt Campbell has done at Iowa State, his former offensive coordinator, Jason Candle, has Toledo off to an 8-1 start.

Also, for the real dreamers out there: Bob Stoops!

I am expecting Alex Delton to start against Texas Tech, but it won’t surprise me if we see Skylar Thompson in some sort of complementary role. Obviously, he will play if Delton suffers another injury.

I see value in playing each of them as the season continues. One of them is going to be the future at quarterback, and you could certainly make a case for Thompson as the starter next year.

K-State players continue to rave about his passing ability, and he appears to have the best arm on the team. Coaches have more trust in Delton at the moment, so they will probably stick with him as the starter as long as he is healthy and the team is fighting for a bowl. But if they really wanted to think long term, they could go Thompson. Next year’s team should benefit from both of them getting snaps now.

The 2012 team had way more talent.

Arthur Brown, for my money, is the best football player Snyder has coached since returning to the sideline in 2009. Randall Evans and Justin Tuggle were both pros. Ty Zimmerman was rock solid. Nigel Malone was a great corner. That group also had pass-rushers.

This group probably has an edge at defensive tackle, and D.J. Reed is obviously awesome. But it doesn’t have a game-changer like Brown at linebacker.

It’s a lot easier to be the defensive coordinator when you have an elite linebacker.

I’m with you on Dalvin Warmack. K-State is running so many plays to the outside this season that I think his speed and elusiveness would help the offense. Not on an every-down basis, but I would like to see him get 5-7 touches a game. But the Wildcats haven’t used him or Justin Silmon much lately. Without Jesse Ertz, they clearly prefer Winston Dimel and Alex Barnes.

Not sure what to tell you about Carlos Strickland, other than to take your preseason hype with a grain of salt. Byron Pringle and Strickland, a former top 150 recruit, were supposed to be dynamite this season. One drops more balls than he catches. The other can’t get on the field.

I’m gonna say no.

In 2004, K-State started the year ranked No. 12. Many considered the Wildcats to be the Big 12 favorites, as they won the league a year before and had Darren Sproles coming back.

They went 4-7.

When they retire?

Some credit Bill Snyder for coming up with the wildcat offense when he ran Michael Bishop out of the shotgun formation. K-State quarterbacks have always done that, and probably always will as long as Snyder has a say in the offense.

Can I say both?

K-State got pressure on Carter Stanley last week, but he found a way to avoid sacks and get the ball down field. In other games, the coverage has been there, but a bad pass rush has let the QB eventually find an open man or take off on a scramble.

Texas Tech QB Nic Shimonek isn’t much of a scrambler, so K-State might be able to send Tanner Wood and Reggie Walker at him more than in some games. We will see if that helps the secondary

1. Thanksgiving -- You get to eat all you want. Family is around. No one cares if you crack open a beer before lunch. Football is on TV. You can start shopping crazy deals. It’s like Christmas, with none of the pressure.

2. Independence Day -- Fireworks! Warm weather! Swimming!

3. Christmas -- As a parent, it is fun to watch your kids light up at the sight of presents.

4. New Year’s Day -- Always fun, when I’m not traveling for work.

5. Halloween -- Costumes and candy!

6. Memorial Day -- I usually get this day off work.

7. The rest -- No offense to George Washington or Christopher Columbus, but I don’t think I have ever celebrated one of their days

Iced tea (unsweet) for life!

I am drinking some at this exact moment as I type these words. So refreshing!

There hasn’t been a good Mike Myers movie in a while, but ..

Austin Powers, followed by Shrek and Wayne’s World.

Ceiling: 25 wins and a favored seed in the NCAA Tournament. It sounds crazy, but if you go game-by-game down the schedule you could make a case for K-State winning its first 16 games. That’s incredibly unlikely to happen, but it fell one point short of starting 13-0 last year. The nonconference schedule is once again on the weak side, and the Big 12 doesn’t have the same depth as it has in the past. I expect the Wildcats to be better than most expect. If they beat the mediocre teams on their schedule, they can really pile up wins this year.

Floor: 16 wins and no postseason. If the Wildcats slip up a few times in November and December, and teams like Iowa State and Oklahoma State are better than expected, this could happen. There are also injuries and other negatives that could pop up.

My actual prediction is right at about 20 victories.

It really depends on whether we get good Dean Wade, bad Dean Wade or a mixture of both.

Last year, we saw more bad Dean Wade than good. And when he was bad, he disappeared from games. But when he was good, like when he dropped 20 points (twice) on Kansas, he was really good.

Here’s guessing he finds some consistency and delivers at a higher level this season. He has looked more aggressive in exhibition games, and Bruce Weber is now complaining about him only taking 10 shots a game instead of 12. He should be one of the best stretch fours in the Big 12.

Impossible to say, or even guess, at which players might transfer away from the Kansas State basketball at the end of the season. Really depends on how things go, who gets playing time and who doesn’t.

One of the juniors could turn pro. Kamau Stokes flirted with the idea last year, remember?

All I can say is, transfers have become the norm in college basketball. Signing an extra player seems like a decent strategy. I don’t get the vibe anyone is stressed about there not being an open spot for him on the roster.

K-State last won 10 football games in 2012, and last made the round of 32 that same year. So, logically, both should happen again in the same year. Or maybe not.

Here’s guessing it happens in basketball sooner.

The football team can do no better than nine wins, but winning a game in the NCAA Tournament remains a possibility for the basketball team come March.

Generally speaking, it’s easier to get to the round of 32 than it is to win 10 football games. You have to be a top 25 team, maybe even top 20, to win 10 games in football. Many more teams make the NCAA Tournament. From there, all you need is one good game.

This story was originally published November 3, 2017 at 10:08 AM with the headline "K-State Q&A: Skylar Thompson, Dean Wade, holidays and Bill Snyder's future."