This week’s K-State Q&A spotlights Collin Klein, spring football, hoops transfers

It’s time for another K-State Q&A.

Let’s dive right into your questions. Thanks, as always, for providing them.

How is spring practice going for the K-State football team so far? I’m curious if you have noticed any major differences now that Collin Klein is running the show - Chris L. via e-mail.

The most obvious difference is intensity.

Collin Klein is asking his players to wear pads and hit each other at 12 of the 15 practices this spring. Every drill and repetition is important to him. He wants the Wildcats to give their all this time of year.

I noticed that firsthand earlier this week as I watched defensive coordinator Jordan Peterson run with his players during a turnover drill and yell “move” at the slower K-State players the entire way. Furthermore, some K-State staffers used technology to monitor player speeds throughout practice. Anytime their numbers dipped to unacceptable levels, a coach grabbed a megaphone and announced it to everyone on the field.

That is a departure from the Chris Klieman era. Last year, Klieman only held 10 spring football practices. His goal was to develop players without risking injury.

This system feels more like a throwback to the Bill Snyder era.

“We’re all working hard together,” K-State defensive end Jordan Allen said. “We’re bonding, and that really shows out there on the practice field when we’re getting energetic.”

“The juice was very cranked up (on Thursday),” K-State running back Joe Jackson added. “I feel like there is a lot more competition coming within practice. It is just making everybody better. So I love every bit of it.”

Any insight on Andrej Kostic staying? -@Big_Cat_56 via X.

The chances of Andrej Kostic coming back for another year of K-State basketball are rapidly improving.

Earlier this week, Kostic shared a number of photos on Instagram from his freshman season with the Wildcats. And he used a purple heart emoji as his caption. Does that mean he’s a slam dunk to stay? No, but it beats the alternative.

His playing style appears to fit into Casey Alexander’s system, and the new coaching staff is open to keeping Kostic on the roster. As of now, I would say it’s more likely than not that Kostic will remain in purple next season. All three of the Eurocats from last season (Elias Rapieque, Dorin Buca and Kostic) seemed to enjoy living in Manhattan. Not having to adjust to another college town seems to be appealing to Kostic.

But things could change if another school floats a big NIL number at him through back channels after the transfer portal opens on April 7.

Much like with recruiting, transfer deals aren’t over until they’re over. Even then, some players simply choose not to honor their contracts and sign elsewhere.

So we shall see what happens.

But I will say this: I think it’s a good thing if Kostic returns. The Serbian guard has serious potential on offense, and he showed it late last season after Matthew Driscoll took over as interim coach. Kostic averaged 7.1 points in his final seven games, despite barely playing earlier in the year.

He was one of the many players that Jerome Tang couldn’t figure out how to properly use. If he can keep knocking down outside shots, and learn how to play a little defense, he could be a nice player for the new coaching staff.

Is it a good or bad thing that Casey Alexander will be relying on Belmont players next season at Kansas State? -@PowerCatVision via X.

Fans should want K-State to have some Belmont roots on its basketball roster next season.

One of the biggest advantages of hiring a sitting head coach away from a different school is that he can bring his best players with him. They already know how to win in his system, albeit at a mid-major level, and the transition to Manhattan should be relatively easy for them.

If a handful of former Belmont players end up on the K-State basketball roster, I say that’s a good thing.

Now, Alexander can’t just transport his entire Belmont roster here and win. There needs to be a good mixture of talent from all sorts of different places. But I think he realizes that.

Ben McCollum won big at Northwest Missouri State, Drake and then Iowa with one-time Division II recruit Bennett Stirtz following him every step of the way.

So far, only two players with Belmont connections are confirmed for the K-State roster next season. They are both high school recruits. Jaylen Alexander (no relation to his coach) and Devin Hutcherson have both flipped to the Wildcats.

Tyler Lundblade won’t join Alexander at K-State, as he announced that he will play for Tennessee next season. Jack Smiley has also decided to remain at Belmont under the new coaching staff there.

Sam Orme, Brigham Rogers and Drew Scharnowski could all still transfer from Belmont to K-State. The Wildcats should be happy if that happens.

There is supposed to be checks in place on NIL payments to make sure they are legit. Is that happening? -@ksucats32 via X.

The introduction of revenue sharing was supposed to introduce a salary cap of sorts to college athletics.

It seemed like a good idea, if every school was willing to play by the rules.

But “over the cap” spending immediately became the norm. College sports now resemble pro baseball, where the biggest spenders can build the best rosters year after year.

Right now, the NCAA seems helpless to stop that trend. There are checks in place, but they aren’t working.

It’s my yearly question about grilling season. What is Kellis putting on the smoker? And do you consider a griddle something I should add to my smoker and traditional BBQ grill as a positive or just overkill? -@ChadFullington via X.

For my first BBQ session of the spring, I smoked brisket, pulled pork and sausage in my backyard.

They all turned out great.

I would have cooked up spare ribs, as well, but there is only so much room on my Kamado Joe. They are on my to-do list for next time, along with corn on the cob and some other vegetables. I have also successfully cooked cobbler on my smoker before, too. I might have to bring that back for dessert one of these days.

My advice on a griddle: buy one. I added a Blackstone to my backyard set up a few years ago and it completely replaced my propane grill. So much so, that I sold it. Burgers turn out way better on a griddle than a grill. Same with bacon. I have already made burgers, hot dogs, Philly cheesesteaks and more on my griddle this spring. I don’t miss my old grill.

My weekly recommendations

Movie: Project Hail Mary. I took my wife and oldest son to see it this week, and the sci-fi movie entertained all of us. It was a bit of a slow burn. There isn’t all that much action, involved either. But it is somewhat realistic for a space movie and Ryan Gosling delivers a strong performance. I was also surprised to watch it in a full theater. It’s been out for nearly a month. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller made a good one.

Drink: John Daly. The next time the temperature warms up, add a splash of vodka to a traditional Arnold Palmer and enjoy the nice weather.

Clothing: Windbreaker. This time of year, any nice day in Kansas is accompanied by annoyingly strong winds. Be prepared!

Kellis Robinett

The Wichita Eagle

Kellis Robinett covers Kansas State athletics for The Wichita Eagle and The Kansas City Star. A winner of more than a dozen national writing awards, he lives in Manhattan with his wife and four children.