SE: How a Position Change Put Samuel Wheeler in an Impact Role Going into Sunflower Showdown
Nov 01, 2019 | Football, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
A year ago, Samuel Wheeler never expected to be an offensive asset for No. 22/25 K-State football going into a rivalry game he grew up in. A recruited quarterback, he definitely did not see himself learning to block and run routes.
"No," laughed Wheeler, whose father and uncle played receiver at K-State in 1989. "Not at all."
But here he is, a tight end in K-State's new offense. He has at least one catch three of his last four games, including a pair of grabs in last weekend's upset win against No. 5 Oklahoma, one of which was between a trio of Sooner defenders and set up a key touchdown.
"Things change for the better," Wheeler, rated the 39th-best dual-threat quarterback in the Class of 2017 by ESPN, said as K-State (5-2, 2-2) plays at Kansas (3-5, 1-4) on Saturday at 2:30 p.m., on FS1. "I'm just happy to contribute as much as I can for the team."
Last season, the 6-foot-4 product of St. James Academy was running K-State's scout team offense. He shared the Red Raider Award, given to the top contributor on scout team, with wide receiver Seth Porter.
But, as K-State's coaching staff changed, so did Wheeler's thoughts of where he might in within its new system.
His mind churned about what his options were. A redshirt freshman, he likely would have to wait years to compete for a starting spot at quarterback. His team, in offensive coordinator Courtney Messingham's system, needed immediate depth at tight end, especially those with plus speed and athleticism.
Wheeler, who played a little wide receiver his sophomore year in high school, thought maybe that could be him. But he stayed quiet. Until early in spring ball, when K-State's coaching staff brought it up to him.
"I kind of expected it. I was on board from the beginning. I was interested in playing tight end," he said. "They just thought I could help at tight end a little bit better, and they brought me in and I completely agreed. I was, like, 'Yeah, let's do it.'"
Wheeler went after it with a make-mistakes-playing-hard mentality.
"I decided, I was, like, 'I'm going to mess up. I don't really know what I'm doing, so I'm just going to play fast and aggressive,' and I make mistakes but at least I'll do it at 100 percent," he said. "So, that's what I came in doing. It wasn't too bad. I picked up the basics pretty quickly."
He also picked up on a new level of soreness after practices. A former unhittable in a green jersey, Wheeler quickly learned what life in the trenches was like. His teammates did not let him forget it, either.
"Every day, they'd be, like, 'Oh, so now you know what it feels like to be sore?' I'd be, like, 'Yeah, OK. I get it now,'" Wheeler said, laughing. "The first couple of practices in spring ball when we were full pads, I was telling guys, 'I'm not used to this. This is a different type of soreness, with your hand in dirt.' I've definitely gotten a lot more used to it now."
That, among other things.
Wheeler's progression at his new position has been steadily increasing. He said his experience as a quarterback has helped some, in terms of understanding coverages and how to get open against different looks.
It's the "little things," Wheeler said, that have taken the longest to pick up on. Things like the intricacies of route running and getting off press coverage quickly. He said he leaned on the experience of tight ends like Nick Lenners and Blaise Gammon, as well as K-State's receivers, to learn the ins and outs of these details.
"It's crazy," he said. "I think it was an awesome learning experience, just for later in life and just for learning skills, being able to learn information and apply it."
The result? More playing time and more targets. Last weekend, he was thrown at four times.
"He's made great leaps from August 1 to where we're at now. I think everybody saw some glimpses in the spring that we were excited about," K-State head coach Chris Klieman said two weeks ago. "I've been really impressed with Sammy, a young player that's going to have an exceptional career at that position."
Wheeler's first public performance, K-State's spring game in April, included an impressive one-handed grab that, while ruled out of bounds, garnered plenty of attention. Still, he said it took a long time to create consistent confidence in catching tough passes.
Really, Wheeler said his fall camp was not what he hoped. However, he felt like he turned a corner after the Mississippi State win. His first catch followed that, a 39-yard grab down the sidelines at Oklahoma State on the first play following an hour-long weather delay.
"That was probably my biggest jump," he said. "It's just the confidence in catching the ball. When that ball's coming at you, just relaxing and trusting it. That's the big thing I had to get. I think that was huge for me when I figured that out."
Now, he enters his first Sunflower Showdown on the field. He's lost track of how many he's been to in person.
"I was a big (K-State) fan. I came to as many Sunflower Showdowns as I could," he said. "It would make my weekend. I'd be crushed if we lost and I'd be upset all weekend. If we won, I'd be ecstatic. It meant so much as a kid."
And now?
"It's huge," he said. "We want this one bad, for sure."
A year ago, Samuel Wheeler never expected to be an offensive asset for No. 22/25 K-State football going into a rivalry game he grew up in. A recruited quarterback, he definitely did not see himself learning to block and run routes.
"No," laughed Wheeler, whose father and uncle played receiver at K-State in 1989. "Not at all."
But here he is, a tight end in K-State's new offense. He has at least one catch three of his last four games, including a pair of grabs in last weekend's upset win against No. 5 Oklahoma, one of which was between a trio of Sooner defenders and set up a key touchdown.
"Things change for the better," Wheeler, rated the 39th-best dual-threat quarterback in the Class of 2017 by ESPN, said as K-State (5-2, 2-2) plays at Kansas (3-5, 1-4) on Saturday at 2:30 p.m., on FS1. "I'm just happy to contribute as much as I can for the team."
Last season, the 6-foot-4 product of St. James Academy was running K-State's scout team offense. He shared the Red Raider Award, given to the top contributor on scout team, with wide receiver Seth Porter.
But, as K-State's coaching staff changed, so did Wheeler's thoughts of where he might in within its new system.
His mind churned about what his options were. A redshirt freshman, he likely would have to wait years to compete for a starting spot at quarterback. His team, in offensive coordinator Courtney Messingham's system, needed immediate depth at tight end, especially those with plus speed and athleticism.
Wheeler, who played a little wide receiver his sophomore year in high school, thought maybe that could be him. But he stayed quiet. Until early in spring ball, when K-State's coaching staff brought it up to him.
"I kind of expected it. I was on board from the beginning. I was interested in playing tight end," he said. "They just thought I could help at tight end a little bit better, and they brought me in and I completely agreed. I was, like, 'Yeah, let's do it.'"
Wheeler went after it with a make-mistakes-playing-hard mentality.
"I decided, I was, like, 'I'm going to mess up. I don't really know what I'm doing, so I'm just going to play fast and aggressive,' and I make mistakes but at least I'll do it at 100 percent," he said. "So, that's what I came in doing. It wasn't too bad. I picked up the basics pretty quickly."
He also picked up on a new level of soreness after practices. A former unhittable in a green jersey, Wheeler quickly learned what life in the trenches was like. His teammates did not let him forget it, either.
"Every day, they'd be, like, 'Oh, so now you know what it feels like to be sore?' I'd be, like, 'Yeah, OK. I get it now,'" Wheeler said, laughing. "The first couple of practices in spring ball when we were full pads, I was telling guys, 'I'm not used to this. This is a different type of soreness, with your hand in dirt.' I've definitely gotten a lot more used to it now."
That, among other things.
Wheeler's progression at his new position has been steadily increasing. He said his experience as a quarterback has helped some, in terms of understanding coverages and how to get open against different looks.
It's the "little things," Wheeler said, that have taken the longest to pick up on. Things like the intricacies of route running and getting off press coverage quickly. He said he leaned on the experience of tight ends like Nick Lenners and Blaise Gammon, as well as K-State's receivers, to learn the ins and outs of these details.
"It's crazy," he said. "I think it was an awesome learning experience, just for later in life and just for learning skills, being able to learn information and apply it."
The result? More playing time and more targets. Last weekend, he was thrown at four times.
"He's made great leaps from August 1 to where we're at now. I think everybody saw some glimpses in the spring that we were excited about," K-State head coach Chris Klieman said two weeks ago. "I've been really impressed with Sammy, a young player that's going to have an exceptional career at that position."
Wheeler's first public performance, K-State's spring game in April, included an impressive one-handed grab that, while ruled out of bounds, garnered plenty of attention. Still, he said it took a long time to create consistent confidence in catching tough passes.
Really, Wheeler said his fall camp was not what he hoped. However, he felt like he turned a corner after the Mississippi State win. His first catch followed that, a 39-yard grab down the sidelines at Oklahoma State on the first play following an hour-long weather delay.
"That was probably my biggest jump," he said. "It's just the confidence in catching the ball. When that ball's coming at you, just relaxing and trusting it. That's the big thing I had to get. I think that was huge for me when I figured that out."
Now, he enters his first Sunflower Showdown on the field. He's lost track of how many he's been to in person.
"I was a big (K-State) fan. I came to as many Sunflower Showdowns as I could," he said. "It would make my weekend. I'd be crushed if we lost and I'd be upset all weekend. If we won, I'd be ecstatic. It meant so much as a kid."
And now?
"It's huge," he said. "We want this one bad, for sure."
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