Why K-State tight end Linkon Cure expects bigger things in Year 2 with Wildcats
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Cure credits diet changes and weight training for improved health and strength.
- Cure moved from primarily slot decoy to more true tight end reps, adding blocking duties.
- Cure embraces Klein’s system and expects a bigger role in Year 2
If you expected more than six catches for 37 yards from Kansas State tight end Linkon Cure last season, join the club.
The former five-star recruit from Goodland admits he had much loftier goals for himself as a freshman football player with the Wildcats.
But he isn’t discouraged. If anything, he is more confident now than when he first arrived at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Why? Because his lack of immediate success can be explained by a mixture of injuries and inexperience.
“From a body standpoint, this is probably the best I have felt in a really long time,” Cure said. “To be honest, last season, I was someone who was always hurting. But I got a lot of stuff taken care of. I’m feeling great, but I also think my maturity level and my leadership has improved so much. I feel like I’ve just improved on many levels.”
The Wildcats could use a breakout season from Cure, a 6-foot-5 and 245-pound tight end who spurned Oregon and other prominent college football teams to wear purple.
Last year, he was little more than a decoy as he lined up predominantly as a slot receiver and was rarely targeted by quarterback Avery Johnson. But he wasn’t in good enough shape to demand a larger role. Not only did Cure miss spring practice last year as he finished his final semester of high school, but he dealt with a nagging injury throughout summer workouts.
Those ailments motivated Cure to change his diet and spend more time in the weight room after the season ended.
His hard work appears to have paid off, as new head coach Collin Klein has praised him for not only adding muscle to his frame but for shedding fat. No one on the entire roster, Klein said, did a better job with that combination.
That progress has allowed him to spend more time blocking and making athletic plays as a true tight end this spring.
“I’m really comfortable playing any position they put me at,” Cure said. “Obviously, I love to catch touchdowns, but I love to throw guys in the dirt, too. It will be a lot of fun to work at both.”
It will be interesting to see how Cure performs in Klein’s offense.
Some K-State football players had to weigh their options when Chris Klieman surprisingly retired and Klein was hired as his replacement. But Cure was among the first to throw his proverbial arms around the new coaching staff.
It helped that Cure grew up watching K-State games as a fan and that Klein “was one of my favorite players” when he played quarterback under Snyder.
Cure even has old photos that show him catching passes from Klein at a youth football camp more than a decade ago.
“I love everything Coach Klein and what he brings to the team,” Cure said. “Watching him in the stands was an awesome experience. But now that I have gotten to know him a lot in the recruiting process, I know the character he brings. I know the coaching level he brings. It just excites me to think about what he can do here.”
Cure wants to be a part of that journey.
He is confident he can make a bigger impact in Year 2.