Five story lines to watch as Kansas State Wildcats begin spring football practice
The Kansas State football team will hold its first spring practice of the year at 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday.
Here are five story lines to watch as the Wildcats work up to their annual spring showcase under coach Chris Klieman on April 16.
Another spring without a healthy QB1
Who will replace Skylar Thompson as K-State’s starting quarterback next season?
That question hasn’t technically been answered yet, but there is little doubt that Nebraska transfer Adrian Martinez will lead the offense when the Wildcats open the 2022 season against South Dakota on Sept. 3.
Martinez chose to finish his career at K-State after throwing for 8,491 yards and rushing for 2,301 yards as a four-year starter with the Cornhuskers. The plan is for him to take command of the huddle as a graduate senior, which will give young quarterbacks like Will Howard and Jake Rubley more time to develop and potentially start in 2023.
But Martinez is currently recovering from shoulder surgery and is not expected to participate in any contact drills this spring.
Much like Thompson a year ago, he should be healthy enough to throw with his fellow quarterbacks and possibly take part in seven-on-seven work with receivers. But he won’t be barking out plays and running the offense during scrimmages.
That job will fall to Howard, Rubley and Jaren Lewis.
They will most likely compete against each other for the role of backup quarterback, and possibly some change-of-pace work behing Martinez. But you never know what can happen. If Howard or Rubley play at a high enough level, perhaps they can challenge Martinez for the starting job during summer practices.
In any case, the spring workouts will belong to them. This is their time to shine.
Searching for a backup running back
With Deuce Vaughn returning as a junior, the Wildcats know exactly who will lead their backfield and serve as the focal point of their offense next season.
But the situation becomes murky when he isn’t on the field.
It is unclear who will share carries with Vaughn next season or serve as his primary backup. K-State’s top reserve runners (Joe Ervin and Jacardia Wright) both transferred ahead of the Texas Bowl, leaving the Wildcats without a single prove ball-carrier behind Vaughn.
A few running backs will have an opportunity to carve out a role for themselves within the offense this spring. Eyes will be on D.J. Giddens, Jordan Schippers, Devrin Weathers and La’James White.
Giddens showed some promise during summer practices a year ago. Schippers served as the No. 2 running back at the Texas Bowl. For now, they seem like the main running backs to watch.
New coaches bring new style on offense
It will be interesting to see how much different the offense looks over the next month.
Collin Klein has been promoted from quarterbacks coach to coordinator. Thad Ward is now in charge of K-State receivers. Brian Lepak is now tutoring the fullbacks and tight ends.
Klein already proved he plans to be much more aggressive than his predecessor during the Texas Bowl, when the Wildcats piled up 42 points against LSU. Martinez has said he expects Klein to add at least a few spread features to the offense. How much of that will be evident during spring practices?
It’s also fair to expect an attitude change at receiver. That position has changed assistants twice under Klieman. Ward, who came to K-State from Temple, will have a chance to help the unit improve on its pedestrian numbers from previous seasons.
Phillip Brooks led the position with 43 catches for 543 yards and two touchdowns last season.
Secondary spots up for grabs
Don’t expect K-State to look the same on defense next season. The Wildcats lost Russ Yeast, Jahron McPherson, Reggie Stubblefield and Ross Elder at defensive back, which means they have plenty of starting spots to fill in the secondary.
T.J. Smith and Cincere Mason will have a shot at increased playing time as returning contributors.
Kobe Savage, Josh Hayes and Shawn Robinson will all be asked to help immediately as incoming transfers.
Hayes has a history with Klieman and previously played for him at North Dakota State. Robinson spent time at TCU and Missouri before enrolling at K-State this semester. If they can hit the ground running, it would be a big help to the Wildcats on defense.
Who will play alongside Daniel Green at linebacker?
The Wildcats have one of the best linebackers in the Big 12 returning at linebacker in Daniel Green.
But it’s too early to say who will start alongside him now that Cody Fletcher’s college eligibility has expired.
Hopes are high for Branden Jennings. The Maryland transfer picked K-State over a number of schools after making 23 tackles as a freshman for the Terrapins.
But Will Honas also transferred in from Nebraska and could make an immediate impact.
Gaven Haselhorst and Nick Allen could also rise to the occasion as returning linebackers. They will all get an opportunity to impress the coaching staff this spring.
This story was originally published March 7, 2022 at 1:51 PM.