Kansas State Wildcats 2018 Football Preview

Kansas State Wildcats 2018 Football Preview

Opening Statement: Bill Snyder returns for what will probably be his final season at the helm of this program, but of course, many of us believed last season would be that farewell tour as well. This time it feels real, however, and it would shock me to see a return beyond this fall. Snyder has done more for Kansas State than any coach well before him. In many ways, he has had a relationship with the school that you may not see again in a coach at K State. In my near 40 years of following and writing on college football, I have seen both sides of the school. I have seen the laughing stalk that Kansas State football was, as the epitome of the cellar dweller in the old Big 8, to suddenly being a national player on a massive stage. The future may be uncertain, but the ride until now has been well worth watching.

Breakdown Offense: The QB battle continues on into the fall after Alex Delton and Skylar Thompson remained tied in their competition through spring ball. Both had huge spring sessions, and we may not know who wins the job until fall camp ends and we head into week one of actual game play. Neither QB had a great season as the reserves behind Jessie Ertz last fall, but it would seem that they are both upping their games to win this job. Hunter Hall, a junior, is the 3rd QB behind the two competing for the starting job.If the winner of the job comes down to how much value they have as a runner, that would clearly be Delton, who rushed for 500 yards and 8 scores last fall.

Alex Barnes has battled injuries during his career, but appeared completely healthy throughout the spring, and he returns to action as the starter at RB. He rushed for 819 yards last fall, and scored 7 times, while averaging 5.61 yards per carry. Dalvin Warmack is back as one of the key backups after announcing that he would initially be leaving the school. He rushed for 3 scores as a backup last season. Justin Silmon, Mike McCoy, and Cornelius Ruff are the other backups.

Adam Harter is the FB, and had a huge spring. Luke Sowa and Terrence Richards provide excellent depth.

Byron Pringle has moved on, leaving a large production hole in the lineup at WR. Isaiah Zuber, Zach Reuter, and Dalton Schoen are the projected starters heading into fall camp. Zuber ledd the Cats with 51 total receptions last season, but is a short to intermediate range target. Schoen caught 23 passes, and averaged 20.43 yards per catch. Reuter caught just 4 passes last fall, but had a big spring. Chabastin Taylor, Landry Weber, and Isaiah Harris project as the backups.

The TE job is open heading into the fall. Blaise Gammon and Nick Lenners are both in the mix, with Matt Jones being involved as well. The TE is mostly a blocking position, like a 3rd tackle, in the Kansas State system, but the position could see more action with a new OC in place this fall.

The entire line remains intact for Kansas State, with Scott Frantz, Tyler Mitchell, Dalton Risner, Abdul Beecham, and Adam Holtorf all returning to start. The backup set is all dealt with as well, with Bill Kuduk, Nick Kaltmayer, Josh Rivas, Ben Adler, and Dylan Couch in set roles. Rivas and Kaltmayer started games last year, so the Wildcats have one of the top 5 deepest lines in the nation coming back.

Breakdown Defense: The Wildcats lose three seniors from the defensive line, so there is no wonder that it was a shaky spring for this unit. Reggie Walker finished with 6 TFLs as a sophomore last season, and played in every game. He will start at one DE spot, but the other spot is wide open as we head into the summer. Kyle Ball appears to have a beat on the job right now, but things could change in fall camp. He finished with 3.5 TFLs last season. Trey Dishon has a spot likely locked up at DT, as he finished with 4 TFLs as a sophomore last fall. Drew Wiley appears to be the other starter, but again, that could change. The line, as a whole, did not perform well towards the end of spring practice. Bronson Massie looks to get some solid reps at DE, but is a reserve for now. Wyatt Huber and Chase Johnson are also looking for reps at DE. Jordan Roberston and Eli Huggins will try to fill in some depth at DT.

The Wildcats lost their two top tacklers and their two best LBs as well after last season, so this is yet another position in transition. Da'Quan Patton and Elijah Sullivan appear locked in on jobs, while Eric Gallon, a Virginia transfer, could be the 3rd backer. Depth is a severe issue here, and it showed in the spring. Sam Sizelove, Ian Rudzik, Blake Richmeier, and Daniel Green are all looking for reps here.

The Cats had some serious loss  in the secondary as well after last season, and again, it showed in the spring session. Duke Shelley and Neil Walter appear to have won the CB jobs out of spring. Shelley is rock solid, and led the team with 11 PBUs last fall, and had 2 INTs. Walter is just breaking in and is raw at this point. Kendall Adams and Denzel Goolsby are the Safeties. Both were banged up in the spring, but should be fine by August. They combined for 5 INTs last season, and totaled 7 PBUs between them. Goolsby had 78 tackles, while Adams finished the year with 63. AJ Parker and Jonathon AJ Parker appear locked in battle at the Nickel Back spot. Kevion McGee, Jahron McPherson, Brock Monty, Colby Moore, and Wayne Jones are all reserves looking for work.

Breakdown Special Teams: Blake Lynch and Nick McClellan look locked in battle at the PK position heading into fall camp. Neither has attempted a collegiate FG yet for their career.

Devin Anctil is penciled in at Punter right now, but Jeremy Collier and Bernardo Rodriguez could be pushing him in fall camp.

Zuber appears ready to step in as the primary KR man, while Warmack could be returning punts.

Final Analysis: When you look at what the Wildcats have on offense, a talented, if not mixed up QB position, a deep and solid line, and an offense that rewards dual threat QB play and RB depth, you would think that Kansas State could compete as a dark horse for the Big 12 title.
When you look at the defense, a line without depth, a LB corps that only goes 2 deep, and a secondary that got torched for over 400 yards in their spring game, you see a team that would do well to just get to a lower tier bowl game. Snyder has had these issues before, and has found ways to win, moderately, when up against the ropes. If this is going to be his swan song season, he is going to leave it all on the field, and coach his heart out to make something special out of what could be a big mess on defense. I put nothing past him.