Kansas State tight end Will Anciaux is making a surprise early impact for Wildcats
.jpg "Kansas State Wildcats tight end Will Anciaux (80) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the third quarter at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium.")
Will Anciaux used to be an afterthought when it came to Kansas State tight ends.
The 6-foot-6 redshirt freshman from Wichita was once buried on the depth chart behind three older and more talented players who have all proven themselves as valuable contributors for the Wildcats. His path to playing time appeared long.
This was his outlook at the beginning of the 2024 college football season ... a few short months ago.
So it has come as a pleasant surprise for K-State fans to watch Anciaux make physical blocks and catch touchdown passes in recent Big 12 games after it looked like he might not play much at all.
“If Will isn’t the most improved player within our offense,” K-State offensive coordinator Conor Riley said, “since Week 1 up to this point then, quite honestly, I don’t know who is.”
Talk about a rapid rise.
Anciaux has become a playmaker for the Wildcats by developing his body and improving as a blocker. The skinny kid who used to star at Kapaun Mt. Carmel has bulked up to around 250 pounds and he is putting his bigger frame to good work.
The Wildcats trust him to make blocks in formations that feature multiple tight ends. And quarterback Avery Johnson, who grew up playing alongside Anciaux on youth basketball and football teams, has not been shy about throwing to him when he’s in the end zone.
Anciaux has four catches four catches for 30 yards and two scores this year.
“He got his opportunity and he made the most of it,” Johnson said. “You can really see a lot of his natural athleticism. Some of that comes from how good of a basketball player he was. You can see that natural athleticism when the ball is thrown his way. He has some of the best hands on the team and he’s a big target. You can put the ball in places that only he can go up and go get it.”
K-State turned to Anciaux after fellow tight end Brayden Loftin suffered an injury against BYU.
He has played well enough to stay on the field after Loftin returns to full health. No matter what happens, though, Anciaux is glad to play a position that the Wildcats have decided to feature prominently on offense this season. K-State tight ends have combined for 249 yards and eight touchdowns on 26 catches.
“It’s a lot of fun,” Anciaux said. “I think we’ve seen a lot this year. We’re being used a lot and it’s a good time. We’ve got a lot of great athletes in the room, a lot of good football players and I’m blessed to be a part of it and be able to learn from the from the older guys who’ve really taught me a lot and helped me along the way so far.”
Anciaux thinks his biggest improvement has come as a blocker. Looking back, he didn’t have good technique when he first arrived on campus and it took him a while to learn how to move defenders at the Big 12 level.
But he has made strides in every area.
“I am very fortunate to be getting some more playing time,” Anciaux said. “For me, when I get out on the field my goal is just to do better on the second play than I did on the first play. It’s the same on the third and fourth play.”
The Wildcats hope he has only just begun improving.