K-State Q&A: Skylar Thompson, Big 12 predictions and the Cats’ latest football pledge
The most popular question from Kansas State fans this week isn’t really a question.
It’s more of a joke about what it means when a football recruit commits to play for a school with a public announcement on social media that contains the words “my recruitment will stay open to any and all programs until further notice.”
That’s like giving your girlfriend an engagement ring on the same day you sign up for a dating app.
That’s like standing in a check-out lane at the grocery store while you turn your head back and forth looking for a quicker check-out lane.
That’s like putting your name on the waiting list at Taco Lucha and then walking across the street to Coco Bolo’s.
For anyone who is unaware, those remarks are in reference to K-State’s newest football pledge, DeShawn Page. Though he is a talented linebacker from the original home of “Last Chance U” that the Wildcats would love to sign to their 2021 recruiting class, he didn’t exactly give anyone confidence that his commitment was rock solid.
What does it mean?
Though difficult for some to accept, I’m here to tell you that Page’s commitment wasn’t much different than any other that the Wildcats have received during this, or any other, recruiting cycle.
More honest? Yes, without a doubt. But different? Not really.
Oral commitments aren’t binding in college sports. A player can withdraw his pledge to a football team at any time and for any reason. A football team can also rescind its scholarship offer to a recruit at any time and for any reason.
Commitments are kind of like shopping online. It’s neat to put something in your shopping cart, but you don’t actually make your purchase until later on when you input your credit card information. Sometimes, you don’t follow through with the purchase.
Recruiting isn’t over until a player officially signs a scholarship agreement with a university. Do I need to remind anyone of Donovan Williams? And even after a player signs there is occasionally some wiggle room for him to enroll elsewhere.
I’m not sure what to make of any commitment right now. Most recruits haven’t visited the schools they are pledging their services to, and not all coaches have seen them play. Once things return to normal, we may see more “committed” players flipping to other schools than usual.
While some recruits really mean it when they say they are “100% committed” to a university, they are all technically free agents. Page’s commitment may appear softer than some. But it’s technically just as strong as any other.
The fact of the matter is all commitments come with some degree of uncertainty, now more than ever.
And with that, let’s dive into your questions. Thanks, as always, for providing them.
That really depends on how his final season in a Kansas State uniform goes, whenever football is played in 2020.
No matter what happens, he will go down as one of the most recognizable quarterbacks in K-State football history. He is one of the very few passers that has started games in four straight seasons for the Wildcats. That’s something.
He’s the the type of player that opposing fans wonder about. How is he still in college? I guess that means he has something in common with former KU basketball player Perry Ellis.
He rose up from third string as a redshirt freshman to help K-State reach the Cactus Bowl. That was cool. His sophomore season wasn’t great, but that year was a mess. And he still had his moments. Then Chris Klieman took over, infused Thompson with some new swagger and Thompson led the Wildcats to an 8-5 record as a junior.
Thompson has been an ideal leader for K-State’s offense as it transitioned to a new coach after years of Bill Snyder. But he hasn’t yet lived up to the standard previous returning starters experienced in Manhattan.
Jake Waters (9), Jesse Ertz (9), Collin Klein (11), Ell Roberson (11), Jonathan Beasley (11), Michael Bishop (11) and Chad May (9) all guided the Wildcats to impressive win totals once they had at least one year of starting experience under their belts.
K-State has averaged seven victories since Thompson began throwing college passes, which is solid. But it’s a step below what the quarterbacks listed above achieved as they matured.
Thompson is a stand-up guy who has helped K-State win with both his arms and his legs. He is an above-average quarterback that still has room to improve.
A big senior campaign, which is possible given K-State’s favorable schedule, would greatly improve his legacy.
Here we go, as long as I can place extra emphasis on the words way too early ...
1. Oklahoma: The Sooners are the team to beat until someone proves otherwise.
2. Oklahoma State: Have you seen the talent Mike Gundy has coming back on offense?
3. Texas: Sam Ehlinger is back at quarterback, and the Longhorns have lots of talent on defense. But the Longhorns just had a lot of coaching changes.
4. Iowa State: A bit of a dropoff from three to four, but I have faith in Brock Purdy and the Cyclones.
5. Baylor: New coach, but some returning talent.
6. Kansas State: The schedule sets up nicely for a sneaky good season, but the Wildcats must replace their entire offensive line and most of their defensive line.
7. West Virginia: Mountaineers came on strong near the end of 2019.
8. TCU: Gary Patterson’s teams usually bounce back after losing seasons, but the Frogs were big underachievers last year.
9. Texas Tech: Maybe the Red Raiders will beat KU in Lubbock next season.
10. Kansas: The Jayhawks have to finish not last before I predict them to do so.
Offensive Player of the Year: Chuba Hubbard, Oklahoma State.
Defensive Player of the Year: Joseph Ossai, Texas.
Special Teams Player of the Year: Joshua Youngblood, K-State.
When Kansas State finishes up its latest renovation project at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, fans will probably appreciate the face lift for different reasons.
The only thing that should be finished in time for the 2020 season are a pair of brand new video boards that will replace the old one that was starting to feel small on the south end of the stadium.
Anyone who views a replay on them will benefit.
The rest of the project remains on schedule and should be completed in time for the start of the 2021 season. And those will be enjoyed in many different ways.
Any fan that has seats on the south end of the stadium will appreciate closer bathrooms and more convenient restrooms.
The media will continue to enjoy watching replays on extra screens.
The fans with deep pockets will like watching games from inside their new suites.
I’m not exactly sure what the players will enjoy about it, but it will probably make the stadium look newer and make for better background art in graphics.
Unfortunately, I haven’t heard anything about the possible introduction of new fast food options (boy, it would be cool to have In-N-Out or Whataburger) to the football stadium. But Chick-fil-A remains a great option.
I have a question for Professor Kellis. Do you ever teach your students about classic sports teams or games? If so, which highlights have you shown them? - Andrew B. via e-mail.
Funny thing about my kids, or students during the work week, is that they hate watching old games. Hate might not even be a strong enough word. I mean, they really despise it.
A few weeks ago, they caught me watching an old clip of K-State’s epic 35-7 victory over Oklahoma in the 2003 Big 12 championship game and once they realized what it was they ripped my phone out of my hands and turned it off. I tried explaining the significance of the game, and they didn’t care ... at all.
I also tried showing them some of the classic March Madness games that CBS replayed two months ago, and they complained through all of them like they were being tortured.
It’s an old game, dad. We already know which team won! Why are you watching this?
They watched the Kansas City Chiefs with great interest last season and loved their Super Bowl run. We got them matching Patrick Mahomes jerseys, and they wear them all the time. They like going to sporting events and have been asking when Sporting KC will start up again. They play sports and like watching sports ... just not old games.
My kids will watch just about anything on TV, including cartoons, movies, game shows, other people playing video games and live sports. They like all that stuff. But when it comes to replays, they would rather do homework.
I’m tempted to say Michael Jordan, because he is the only thing that can dominate the world of sports the same way coronavirus has been dominating the news.
In the past month or so, our sports department has written about the time he visited Lawrence for a Roy Williams basketball camp, about the time he played in the McDonald’s All-America High School in Wichita and about the time he trained in Manhattan for two weeks before the 1983 Pan America Games.
But his talents as a basketball player seemed equally dangerous for all of the opponents he once played against. And he only played for one team.
Someone like Chucky Brown, who played for a whopping 12 different NBA teams and managed to win a championship ring along the way, may be a better example.
It was certainly a tough break for the Bat Cats for the coronavirus pandemic to end their most promising season in years early.
K-State had a legit shot at making the NCAA Tournament behind some strong, young arms. Now we will know never know how things would have turned out.
That’s a bummer.
What does that mean for the baseball team moving forward? That’s hard to say. If some of its best players choose to move on to other things like pro baseball or non-athletic careers, K-State will have to reload a bit when things return to normal next season. But there’s also a chance that the Wildcats return more than expected.
No one knows the status of the MLB amateur draft. Maybe some of K-State’s players that were eyeing pro baseball will stick with college next year. After all, outgoing seniors have been granted permission to return to school for one more year.
I asked coach Pete Hughes what he expected for next season, and he said that was an impossible question to answer because of all the unknowns. For now, it’s a mystery.
This story was originally published May 8, 2020 at 5:00 AM.