‘He’s a very good leader:’ Skylar Thompson quick to impress K-State coaching staff
It’s too early for any of Kansas State’s new football coaches to provide in-depth analysis on most of the players they will begin tutoring next month during spring practices, but they can already tell they like what they have at quarterback in Skylar Thompson.
“Skylar is a very good leader,” K-State offensive coordinator Courtney Messingham said. “In the short time I have been around him I think he understands transition can be good. I think he has embraced it and is ready to go and have a great spring. He will do a great job for us.”
Thompson returns as the Wildcats’ presumptive starter coming off a sophomore season in which he completed 122 of 208 passes for 1,391 yards and nine touchdowns. He split time with Alex Delton early on, but established himself as the obvious QB1 as the year came to an end.
With Delton now at TCU and no other proven passers on the roster, Thompson appears ready to pick up where he left off under a new regime.
Thompson seems excited about the prospect of playing for new coach Chris Klieman. Thompson was one of Klieman’s most vocal supporters following his introductory news conference, and Thompson was waiting to greet Messingham when he arrived on campus for his first day of work.
Change is coming to K-State’s offense. The Wildcats are going to emphasize the run even more than they used to and use lots of misdirection on passing plays. Messingham says they will even throw to tight ends, a rarity under Bill Snyder.
“It’s huge,” Messingham said of having a familiar face at quarterback to guide the transition. “His ability to sit in that huddle and look those guys in the eye and say, ‘Hey, we got this. We will be all right.’ From what I have seen, he will spend the time to truly get into the details and will have a great understanding of why we are trying to do what we are doing.”
K-State quarterbacks coach Collin Klein is already having trouble keeping up with all of Thompson’s questions.
“We have got to become masters of this offense,” Klein said. “That’s the first thing, before we move on we have to master this offense and all the intricacies. There is a lot on quarterbacks. That is how we have been historically, as well, but it is different. That is the first step for Skylar and myself. We need to master that.”
Thompson isn’t the only player K-State coaches are looking forward to working with. All five of the Wildcats’ offensive assistants met with media on Monday, and they agreed the team brings back talent at several spots.
Receivers coach Jason Ray was impressed by the speed and depth the Wildcats return at that position. He thinks Isaiah Zuber, in particular, could become a “dominant” player if he can learn how to be a leader in the locker room.
K-State also returns the bulk of its offensive line. Dalton Risner is off to the NFL, but Scott Frantz, Adam Holtorf, Tyler Mitchell and Josh Rivas are back.
“The offensive line has a bunch of dudes that have good size,” Messingham said, “guys that have shown they can play.”
On the other end of the spectrum, the Wildcats have question marks at running back and tight end.
With Alex Barnes, Justin Silmon and Dalvin Warmack no longer on the roster, the Wildcats must replace their top three running backs. And Messingham says he wants to get tight ends much more involved in the passing game.
Odds are good the Wildcats will ask an incoming freshman or graduate transfer to carry the load out of the backfield.
“That is fine,” running backs coach Brian Anderson said. “It’s a challenge, and it’s a good challenge. I will find out how good of a coach I am. How fast can I get them to learn and how fast can they push the learning curve and get better?”
Those are questions K-State coaches will begin trying to answer in the spring. The process won’t be easy, but at least they will have a veteran quarterback to lean on along the way.