K-State Q&A: Skylar Thompson’s expectations, hype trains, hot seats and Red Wolves
It’s time for another K-State Q&A.
Football is nearly upon us, which means we’ve got lots of fun topics in store for this week’s mailbag. Let’s dive right in. Thanks, as always, for providing them.
The difficult thing about Skylar Thompson is that you can’t truly evaluate him based on stats. K-State’s offense is neither fast-paced nor high-powered, so he’s not going to compete with Sam Ehlinger or Spencer Rattler when it comes to passing yards.
But Thompson knows how to captain Chris Klieman’s system and he has a history of making winning plays. When Pro Football Focus took a look at Thompson early last season, they briefly labeled him as the top-graded quarterback in the nation.
He wasn’t able to sustain that, but it showed what he is capable of.
Thompson’s challenge this season will be learning how to make more big plays without also making errors. He had plenty of opportunities to throw for more than 2,315 yards and 12 touchdowns last season, but he occasionally seemed terrified of throwing an interception and relied too much on his legs.
While that kept his turnover count (five interceptions) low, it prevented him from reaching his full potential. He needs to find his inner Jameis Winston and take a few more chances with his arm.
If he can throw for 18 touchdowns and five interceptions (remember, fewer games) that would be a nice improvement.
Ultimately though, K-State needs him to be a leader. The pandemic has created so many unknowns that he needs to be a rock for the offense. He will be judged on wins. If he can lead the Wildcats to six or more, I think that will make for a successful season. Five or less, will probably make for a disappointing one.
Preseason hype trains should really be judged the way Bill Snyder used to evaluate recruiting classes ... four years down the road after those players have proven what they are capable of.
But there is absolutely no fun in that. There is a reason we have top 25 polls in July and hand out recruiting stars and say this player or that player is going to be dynamite next season.
Khalid Duke is currently driving the train.
There have certainly been some epic flops and success stories from K-State players during my time on the beat. I probably can’t remember every single one worth mentioning, but here are some highlights.
Biggest disappointments
Bryce Brown, John Holcombe, D’vonta Derricott, Ian Seau, Terrell Clinkscales, Dalvin Warmack, Alex Delton and (through absolutely no fault of his own) Mike McCoy.
Even though he didn’t play football, I also feel compelled to mention Freddy Asprilla. Frank Martin and his players talked that guy up like the next Michael Beasley.
Biggest success stories
Dalton Schoen, Tyler Lockett, Chris Harper, D.J. Reed, Cody Whitehair, Arthur Brown, Wyatt Hubert, Alex Barnes, Trey Dishon, Collin Klein, Ty Zimmerman, Byron Pringle.
For some reason Lockett sticks out as the biggest success from that group. When I spoke to him in the preseason for a story he was adamant he was going to redshirt because he didn’t think his body was ready to play Division I football, but coaches threw him on the preseason hype train and more or less forced him to play as a freshman. He turned out to be really good.
Much like how the NCAA granted every student-athlete an extra year of eligibility this season, college football coaches across the country have been removed from the hot seat.
It’s very unlikely any head coaches get fired after the conclusion of this season.
By no means does that mean it absolutely can’t happen. A scandal could always bring down a seemingly safe coach or a truly disastrous season could cost someone his job, but it will probably take something extreme for that to happen.
I will be shocked if there is any coaching turnover in the Big 12.
This season will be more about survival than success. No one wants to go 1-9, but few are going to be up in arms when a team goes 4-6 instead of 6-4.
College athletic departments are strapped for cash at the moment. Most of them have asked their coaches to take cuts and forgo incentives this until the coronavirus pandemic comes to an end. There isn’t enough money out there for schools to pay someone millions not to work and then pay even more to bring in a new a coach.
There was very little movement on the basketball coaching carousel earlier this year for that exact reason. I believe Wake Forest was the only power-conference team that made a change, and that only happened very late in the process reportedly after John Currie discovered a way to get out of paying Danny Manning’s full buyout.
Personally, I hope the pandemic brings a permanent slower pace to the hiring and firing of coaches. It had gotten out of control.
Kansas State has hyped him as a Heisman Trophy candidate all summer, so I’m going to say yes.
But the Wildcats love to rotate players at every position. No matter how good he is, you are still going to see Bronson Massie, Felix Anudike and others there, too. It was the same way last year when Wyatt Hubert needed a rest.
Yes and no.
Let’s say Skylar Thompson is experiencing cramps and needs to come out of a game for one series while he chugs Gatorade and gets a quick message. In that scenario, I think the coaching staff would send Nick Ast onto the field. He’s the short-term solution for this team because he works hard, has experience and everyone on the offense respects him.
But if a situation arises where K-State needs a backup quarterback to play for an entire game or multiple weeks the way Thompson did as a redshirt freshman, I think Klieman would turn to Howard. He is the long-term solution at quarterback because he has as much arm talent as anyone on the roster, including Thompson.
I have quietly heard lots of low-key hype on Howard all summer. Given how good Klieman’s quarterbacks turned out at North Dakota State, it’s fun to think about what he might be capable of as he matures.
The position seems to be in good hands moving forward with Howard and Jake Rubley vying for the starting spot next season.
College football isn’t happening on the West Coast, so I think it would be cool for K-State to play in a postseason game in California. Maybe the Holiday Bowl?
Let’s have the Wildcats play Notre Dame after the Fighting Irish finish fourth in the ACC.
Or K-State could just line up an exhibition game with Nebraska at Arrowhead.
Is playing a home football game at 9 p.m. idiotic or brilliant? - Andrew B. via e-mail.
It depends on your football team.
For Kansas, it’s not the worst idea of all time. When the Big 12’s television partners asked if any teams were interested in opening with a late game next week, I’m told the Jayhawks jumped at the opportunity. There are a few reasons why. KU won’t have fans at its game with Coastal Carolina, so there’s no urgency to play at a traditional time. And the team will get more national exposure than it would playing at 11 a.m.
Maybe forcing a team from the East Coast to play that late is also an advantage?
But for most teams it’s better to stick with the normal times. Exposure in California and Hawaii doesn’t mean anything if your own fans can’t stay up late enough to watch the game.
I usually rotate between Snickers and Twix whenever I visit the freezer filled with ice cream in Kansas State’s press box. Sometimes, if we’re stuck in a lighting delay and I’m feeling the urge to indulge my sweet tooth twice during one game, I will mix it up with a Choco Taco or a drumstick. The only things I’ve never touched are the orange pop things and the Klondike bars.
Believe it or not, there are games when I don’t eat any ice cream at all. The postgame sandwiches are my true weakness.
This will be my 11th season on the K-State beat, so I don’t really want to think about how many ice cream bars I have eaten during that time.
Give me a toasted bun, ketchup, mustard, bacon, bell peppers and shredded cheese.
Pair it with some Octoberfest and you’ve got yourself a nice meal for the end of summer.
I actually have a pretty wide selection of masks, so I could definitely make that happen.
What song should play in the background as I choose between black, blue, video-game controller, Chiefs, Teenage Ninja Mutant Ninja Turtles, company issued and a 5K race I ran in this summer?
This seems appropriate ...
That was definitely an encouraging sign. This week’s Thursday games also seemed to go off without much of a hitch, though it looked like Southern Miss could have done a better job social distancing some of its fans.
Thing is: I don’t think the actual games are going to be a problem for COVID-19 outbreaks. Everyone on the field will have been tested thoroughly beforehand. It will be a safe environment on the field. The tricky part will be convincing players not to celebrate like normal college students after a big victory.
One trip to the wrong house party, bar or restaurant could ruin things for everyone. I’m not really worried about the virus spreading while players are at practice or on the field for games. But I am very worried about it spreading while players are away from those environments and around other students around town.
I regrettably had to “opt out” of the GPC Insiders Podcast with Tim Fitzgerald, Matt Walters and Ryan Black this year because they record on Monday and that is by far the busiest day of the week for Professor Kellis.
Hybrid Learning isn’t easy, people.
But I’m still doing my Friday segment on KMAN radio and you can listen to me talk about K-State football most weeks with Blair Kerkhoff on our in-house podcast.
Game days will also look a little different for us in the media this season. The only communication we will have with players and coaches afterward will be through Zoom. So all the interviews will be much more formal than in previous years. Unfortunately, that will probably lead to less interesting quotes.
But at least we will be able to watch the games. That has been the biggest challenge during the preseason. I haven’t watched one second of practice. Even when Snyder was around, we got watch players line up and run a few plays on Fan Appreciation Day.
I have no idea.
Layne Hatcher had a nice season for the Red Wolves after transferring in from Alabama last year. He started their last nine games and threw for 2,946 yards, which is impressive. But from what I have read online and in preseason magazines, it seems like junior Logan Bonner will take the first snap at quarterback.
Bonner began 2019 as the team’s QB1 and threw 10 touchdowns in four games before going down with an injury. Now Athlon projects him (and not Hatcher) as a candidate for all-Sun Belt honors.
Most likely, the Red Wolves will have a two-quarterback system against Memphis this weekend.
It seems like they have two good options there, but neither one is a budding superstar. Yes, Hatcher began his college football career at Alabama but he was only a three-star recruit. He’s not Jalen Hurts, who K-State coincidentally beat last season.
Whatever the case, it will be an advantage for K-State to scout that game.
This story was originally published September 4, 2020 at 12:01 PM.