Chris Klieman explains why he isn’t concerned about Kansas State football transfers
In any other year, Kansas State football coach Chris Klieman would almost certainly be alarmed by the growing number of players who have chosen to sit out this season or bail on the Wildcats altogether and transfer to a new school.
But these are unprecedented times.
“I think it’s just 2020,” Klieman said during his weekly news conference on Tuesday.
A total of 10 K-State football players that were listed on the team’s summer roster have entered the NCAA transfer portal over the past few months, leaving the Wildcats short on depth at certain positions. Those departures have also forced coaches to reevaluate their recruiting needs, as replacing all of those players during the 2021 cycle could be a challenge.
Four of the departing players originally chose to “opt out” of the current season because of COVID-19 concerns and then decided to transfer. They are Walter Neil, Thomas Grayson, Matthew Pola-Mao and Jonathan Alexander. The other six transfers were Will Jones, Ronald Triplette, Tyrone Lewis, Joshua Youngblood, DeMarrquese Hayes and the late Derick Newton.
Klieman hasn’t said much publicly about any those exiting players. Only Alexander, Jones, Neil and Youngblood have played meaningful snaps for the Wildcats. But he did address the situation on Tuesday.
“I don’t really have a reaction to it,” Klieman said, “in the sense that everybody has a different situation and everybody has a different circumstance. I am excited about the guys that have stuck with each other and have stuck together for their teammates, but it’s not easy.
“I’m not condemning anybody that has left or opted out. Everybody has their own reasons and I respect all those reasons. Everybody is going through some of this stuff, whether it is a kid who is opting out or a kid who is deciding to leave the program.”
This is certainly an unusual time for college football players, as well as coaches.
Because this season won’t count against a player’s NCAA eligibility clock, there is more uncertainty than ever on some rosters. Keeping players happy is also more difficult than usual. Players are attending virtual classes, they are getting tested for the coronavirus three times per week and social gatherings outside of football are frowned upon. The normal college experience doesn’t exist right now.
“There is not one thing throughout this fall that is normal from any other fall,” Klieman said. “Sometimes that is really hard to handle and really hard to deal with.”
K-State receiver Phillip Brooks says he doesn’t do anything exciting on the weekends.
“Most of my time is spent watching movies and stuff in the house,” Brooks said, “because COVID is still happening.”
For that reason, Klieman tries to make K-State practices as fun as possible.
“One of the times they are pumped up and happy is going out to practice,” Klieman said, “because they are cooped up all the time ... to come over here and just run around and play the sport they love to play with their brothers is sort of an outlet. It has been fun to see. I know our practices have been good throughout this time, even though the time has been so hard for everyone.”
That approach has helped the Wildcats get off to a 4-3 start, which puts them in contention for a spot in the Big 12 championship game. But it hasn’t worked for everyone on the roster
Replacing an unusually high number of transfers will be a priority at the end of an unusual season.
This story was originally published November 18, 2020 at 5:00 AM.