Why K-State football coaches think the Wildcats are strongest at receiver this spring

We have reached the point of spring football practice where it no longer feels inappropriate for Kansas State’s new coaches to publicly evaluate the players they inherited from Bill Snyder.

Some are better than expected. Some are not. Everyone is starting to get a grade.

Who is getting the highest marks? One thing seems clear: many of the top-performing players of the spring are lining up at receiver. That’s the position that has impressed K-State’s new coaching staff, from head coach Chris Klieman on down, the most as April and the team’s Spring Showcase approaches.

“There are some really, really good wide receivers from a skill standpoint,” K-State offensive coordinator Courtney Messingham said earlier this week. “The wide receiver skill set is much better than what we had at North Dakota State.”

That may come as a surprise considering the Wildcats are currently missing their top returning pass-catcher, Isaiah Zuber, while he recovers from offseason surgery. They also weren’t exactly passing juggernauts last season, ranking last in the Big 12 with 162.1 passing yards per game.

There seemed to be more proven talent coming back on the offensive line. But K-State coaches think they have a solid group of playmakers at receiver.

Even without a healthy Zuber, they have been impressed. Dalton Schoen, Hunter Rison and Malik Knowles all seem capable of big things. Wykeen Gill, Phillip Brooks and Chabastin Taylor don’t seem far behind.

They have all had their moments.

“It’s a very talented unit,” K-State receivers coach Jason Ray said. “It is more depth than what we have had at some other places, but I think the roster was built that way. There are some guys who have got some length and some guys who on paper are primarily at the slot position. We try to put guys in a position where they can play multiple spots between and all receiver positions. I like the depth there. I think there is a lot of talent. Each guy can bring something to the table. That is probably the biggest upside of the receiver unit.”

An improved passing game would certainly help K-State next season.

Klieman and Messingham brings a run-first mentality with them from North Dakota State, but they aren’t afraid to throw the ball. They have repeatedly preached the importance of putting their best players in positions to make plays, regardless of position, so maybe they will lean more on quarterback Skylar Thompson and his receivers than expected.

K-State coaches have lots of good things to say about their receivers.

“Dalton Schoen is just a really good football player,” Klieman said. “He knows how to get open, uses his hands well, physical guy. There is a number of guys like that, that you can just tell when you flip on the video and 20 plays or so go by and you say, ‘OK, that guy has played Big 12 football,’ and there is a number of guys like that. So, we are really pleased.”

Ray said Schoen is picking up a new offense quickly after catching 32 passes for 520 yards and two touchdowns last season, but could be “more of a physical presence” at times.

Another player turning heads is Rison. The Michigan State transfer sat out last season, but seems poised to start for the Wildcats next season.

“Hunter Rison has stood out,” quarterbacks coach Collin Klein said. “You know, Chabastin Yaylor has done some nice things. Phillip Brooks has done some good things. Wykeen Gill, all those guys, at times have shown up and looked good.”

One player that could be doing a little more seems to be Knowles. The redshirt freshman showed promise while catching 10 passes for 100 yards and two touchdowns in four games last season, but he hasn’t wowed anyone this spring.

“When he walks through the door, I think everybody would say, ‘That guy is going to help us,’” Messingham said. “There is nothing that has been shown so far that he will not. I think he will help us, and I think he will be a guy that will show up early. He is still young and he is still a long ways from (being) as ready for the Big 12 as some of the other guys are.

“Rison is a new guy here, from the standpoint of being on the field, but he is not young. You can tell he has been in the fire a few times. Malik still has some room to grow as far as just understanding the importance day-in and day-out that each down is an important down.”

That is a good problem to have midway through spring football practice.

Like everyone else at the receiver position, K-State coaches are excited to see what he can accomplish next fall.