Where should Collin Klein rank among Big 12 football coaches? K-State Wildcats Q&A
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Collin Klein is the only Big 12 head coach who has never been a head coach before.
- The writer expects Klein to lead K-State to eight or more wins in his rookie season.
- LED lights are being installed this summer and could enable night light shows.
It’s time for another K-State Q&A.
We have some fun topics to cover this week about the Wildcats. So let’s dive right in. Thanks, as always, for your participation.
What’s your take on college football “experts” listing Collin Klein in last place of their Big 12 coach rankings? -@garrettb_1983 via X.
My take is that Collin Klein is the only head coach in the Big 12 who has never been a head coach before.
He may have tons of potential in his new role with the Wildcats, but he has never led a team to victory in the lead chair. Not a single one.
That makes it hard, or at least understandable, for college football insiders like Brett McMurphy to rank Klein at No. 16.
Should he be higher? Probably. For the record, I would not rank him last. Even though other coaches like Dave Aranda and Rich Rodriguez, to name two, have accomplished more during their careers, I would rather have Klein than either of them heading into next season.
But this isn’t something that K-State fans should feel upset about. It’s not a slight. He’s just never been a head coach before.
If Klein leads K-State to eight or more wins in his rookie season as a head coach, which I think he will, then he will be rated much higher next summer.
Do you see Larry Porter as a top 3 WR target this year based on what we saw from him in spring ball? -@wheelerJ_luke via X.
Larry Porter will have a chance to contribute next season.
I expect the top two receivers on the team to be Jaron Tibbs and Josh Manning. It’s more of a mystery after that. I heard good things about Izaiah Williams, Brandon White and Sterling Lockett during spring practices.
White, in particular, seems like a potential surprise player after transferring in from Hawaii.
Williams has a history with Klein at Texas A&M. Lockett has been on the verge of contributing for a while.
But Porter could also be a factor. He redshirted last season and appears ready to make his college debut this year.
Who among K-State athletes that you covered do you think could have been a World Cup star if they went all in on soccer at a young age? -@scottwildcat via X.
Something tells me Deuce Vaughn could have been an incredible soccer player.
I have never seen any K-State football player more in control of his body than Vaughn. He was smart, fast and athletic. Not only could he juke his way past just about any defender in the Big 12, he did his homework and knew exactly how to make tacklers miss.
If he could continue to move like that while keeping control of a soccer ball, watch out.
The other former K-State football player who comes to mind is Anthony Cantele. He played soccer at Missouri State before he transferred to K-State and started to kick field goals for the Wildcats.
Current K-State kicker Luis Rodriguez also has a soccer background. So much so, that I once wore a Club America hat to the football stadium for a midweek media availability, and he grilled me about Liga MX for a few minutes.
Sadly, it wasn’t much of a conversation. All I really know about Club America is that I like their colors, and I purchased that hat because it was dirt-cheap at Marshall’s.
Alternate uniforms? -@AP_Dubya via X.
That’s it? That’s the question?
I respect your style. Straight and to the point. Honestly, we could use more of that in some of the K-State press conferences.
I expect K-State to wear alternate football uniforms at some point under Collin Klein. Since he took over, we have seen recruits post pictures in all white EMAW gear and share videos from campus that makes it look like they are attending a rave. One recent pledge even asked his mom to put on pads and tackle him.
Klein wants his player to have fun. What is more fun than alternate uniforms?
I don’t know what they will look like or when they will be revealed, but I do think the Wildcats will wear something different with Klein calling the shots.
Who is the bigger burr under the Big 12 saddle today’s Texas Tech or vintage Texas Longhorns? Not sure if it’s recency bias, but TT is beginning to feel like a more entitled troublemaker! -@LarryVW57 via X.
The fact that you are asking this question goes to show just how annoying Texas Tech has become for the rest of the conference this offseason for the way it handled the Brendan Sorsby saga.
Still, Texas remains king of Big 12 troublemakers.
The Longhorns wanted their own network, extra revenue, eligibility rules that benefited their football team and a conference office in Texas instead of Kansas City. And after they got just about everything they wanted they left the league for the SEC ... and took Oklahoma with them.
By the way, I think we can also label Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska and Texas A&M as troublesome schools for the conference. They all left, too! At least the Buffaloes came back.
Texas Tech fans, especially Cody Campbell, have been insufferable since they had one good season of football. But they haven’t come close to torpedoing the Big 12 like Texas did for all those years. And they reluctantly gave in to everyone else’s wishes and parted ways with Sorsby. He won’t be playing for them next season.
The main beef I have with Texas Tech is that it hasn’t earned the right to act like a bully. One good season isn’t enough to proclaim flagship status.
At least Texas raised the tides for all boats by winning national championships and boosting TV ratings. Texas Tech isn’t there yet.
It’s easy to look at the last few weeks and declare Texas Tech the biggest troublemaker in conference history, but the Red Raiders still have a long way to go before they catch the Longhorns.
What is your favorite “offseason” debate among K-State fans? Ring of honor/rafter debates, uniform talk, artificial turf vs grass, stadium beer sales/re-entry, or a new one: LED Light shows? -@scottwildcat via X.
The problem with a lot of K-State’s offseason debates is that we already know the answers to most of them.
Should the Wildcats retire Jacob Pullen’s jersey? Duh.
Should K-State sell beer everywhere at the football stadium? Of course.
Should Collin Klein embrace alternate uniforms? Yes. There’s no such thing as a uniform curse!
The LED nights is a fresh one. So let’s go with that. I understand why some fans love the idea of a purple light show after touchdowns. I have seen light shows at many other stadiums in the Big 12, and they are fun when they are done right. But they can also feel like a bit much for some fans. So I can see why some think new lights is an unnecessary expense.
The best argument against LED lights is the sun. K-State rarely has control over the kickoff times of its home games. When the Wildcats end up playing at 11 a.m. or 2:30 p.m. on a fall Saturday, fans aren’t going to get much of a light show.
Like it or not, though, the LED lights are being installed this summer. So let’s hope the Wildcats get to play a few night games inside Bill Snyder Family Stadium next season.