Four reasons why Kansas State’s offense has shown improvement at spring practice
Much has changed for Courtney Messingham since Kansas State’s football season came to an end last December.
The Wildcats’ offensive coordinator is now coaching wide receivers in spring practice instead of fullbacks and tight ends. He is also now calling plays for a unit that is blessed with an abundance of depth at both quarterback and offensive line, which was certainly not the case last year.
Messingham spoke with reporters for 20 minutes on Tuesday about those changes and many other topics as he works to get K-State’s offense prepared for the 2021 campaign.
Here are the highlights:
Multiple options at quarterback
Assuming his rehab process stays ahead of schedule, it goes without saying that Skylar Thompson will lead the offense as a “super senior” next season. But he may not handle the position all by himself Brett Favre style.
Messingham said Monday that sophomore quarterback Will Howard has been one of the most impressive players on the field during spring practice this month. He has added muscle to his 6-foot-4 frame, which has allowed him to run much harder on keepers, in addition to his improvement as a passer. In particular, Messingham said he has been effective on third downs in scrimmages.
If that continues, Messingham will have to find some creative ways to get Howard on the field in a complementary role. Perhaps Howard will get his own wildcat package, especially between the 20s.
“Will obviously did a nice job running the football last year for us,” Messingham said. “He’s a bigger body dude that throws it well enough. I really don’t want Skylar getting hit that many times ... If we’re out in the regular field and it’s a third-and-two and we all of a sudden want to have that extra ball carrier being a quarterback I think I will feel comfortable putting Will in so that Skylar doesn’t have to take some of those hits.”
Howard threw for 1,178 yards and eight touchdowns and rushed for 364 yards and three touchdowns while starting seven games in place of an injured Thompson last season.
Thompson is a limited participant in spring practice as he recovers from an injury to his throwing shoulder and looks to return to full health over the summer. Howard has taken advantage by exclusively handling first-team reps this month and currently seems on track to play in some capacity next season.
Positive developments at receiver
No position underachieved more than wide receiver at K-State last season.
The Wildcats’ top two options in the passing game were running back Deuce Vaughn and tight end Briley Moore. Their top receiver, Chabastin Taylor, led the unit with 19 catches for 293 yards and one touchdown.
Improving on those numbers is a big reason why Messingham is now in charge of the position. Time will tell if he can boost the unit’s production, but there are reasons for optimism at the moment.
Messingham said Malik Knowles is beginning to emerge as the team’s No. 1 receiver. There is hope he has improved enough physically to avoid injuries next season and play an ever down role for the Wildcats.
Keenan Garber, a sophomore from Lawrence, is also coming on strong.
“I’ve been really happy with Keenan Garber,” Messingham said. “He has come to work every single day and has made plays for us. He has even shown, even though he is a lighter guy, that he’s not afraid to block someone.”
Impact transfer
Early indications are that K-State has found a versatile tight end to replace Moore in the passing game.
Illinois transfer Daniel Imatorbhebhe has wasted little time making an impression at spring practice. The Wildcats are confident they can use his 6-foot-4 and 240-pound frame to good use next season. Messingham said he is also a better blocker than he expected.
“He’s done a really nice job of being a big passing threat for us at the tight end position,” Messingham said. “I’m very happy with him and his knowledge of the game.”
Welcome back
K-State running back Deuce Vaughn said the Wildcats greeted Joe Ervin with the words “welcome back from vacation” when he returned to the team earlier this semester.
Ervin missed all of last year after he decided to “opt out” of the 2020 season. But unlike his other teammates that sat out those 10 games, Ervin came back to campus.
His return could be a big boost for a position that is searching for playmakers behind Vaughn.
He rushed for 95 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries as a freshman in 2019 and was expected to have a big role last season before opting out.
Messingham said it looked like Ervin took a year off during winter conditioning, but he is starting to hit his stride now that practices are underway.
“He’s done a phenomenal job of doing what we saw him do as a true freshman,” Messingham said, “when he got into games and you felt like he had great pad level and was playing fast through the holes. I’m really, really happy with how he’s progressed this spring.”