SE: K-State Football Ready to Take New Ownership to the Field
Aug 30, 2019 | Football, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
The tone was set on Chris Klieman's first day as K-State football's head coach last December. In a team meeting, players filled with nervousness, curiosity and skepticism all took hold of Klieman's first message.
"He was, like, 'Look, this is your team,'" defensive back Walter Neil Jr. recalled.
In that moment, ownership of the team was handed over to the players.
Since then, Klieman's actively sought input from his team on everything from practice music to meeting times to the team's entrance into Bill Snyder Family Stadium on home games, the first of which will be against Nicholls on Saturday at 6 p.m.
"Something big Coach Klieman's tried to bring to the program has been giving ownership back to the players, a voice back to the players," redshirt senior receiver Dalton Schoen said." It's pretty powerful to see him do that, too."
Schoen recalled being taken back this summer at one particular moment.
Schoen said he and senior center Adam Holtorf needed to talk to Klieman about something "not that important." When the pair got to the fourth floor of the Vanier Family Football Complex, Klieman was in a defensive staff meeting. Still, they were told to go pull him out. He wouldn't mind.
"That was mind blowing for me," Schoen said. "That's just kind of the system they want to run."
With this shift also came stipulations. Players needed to prove they could handle the ownership, through their actions on the field, in the weight room, in the classroom and in the community. They needed to keep each other in check and not let mistakes become habits that only coaches corrected.
"His big thing is it's our program. It's on us. We have to hold our teammates accountable. It's our responsibility to help run the program," Schoen said. "That's been huge because it's given us a little more freedom, but it also inspires players to play a little bit harder because you're, like, 'This is my program. He's just here to guide me.' That's been really big, but along with that comes a lot of responsibility and accountability. It's helped us step up as leaders, helped us grow."
Proof of that? Last week, seven team captains were named: quarterback Skylar Thompson, defensive tackle Trey Dishon, safety Denzel Goolsby, defensive end Reggie Walker, defensive end Wyatt Hubert, Schoen and Holtorf.
"There's so much leadership," Goolsby said. "The freshman class that came in, there are leaders in that group. There are leaders in every single position group, so it's not just the captains. There are seven, and that speaks volumes about the team, but it also shows there are is just a lot leadership throughout the whole team."
One explanation as to why is the ownership factor.
"When it's talked about like it is with this staff," Dishon said, "it actually makes people buy in more."
"It means a lot to everybody," Hubert added. "I think it helps motivate guys because they have a say, they have a stake in what's going on. There are a lot of guys who are more invested than, maybe, in the past just because they have a sense of, 'It's ours.'"
On the field, Dishon said this change has clearly translated already. Players are holding each other more accountable and picking each other up. On Saturdays, he expects it to be a difference maker.
"When you're on the field, you don't have coaches. Everybody's on the sideline," he said. "So, play by play, in between plays, it's coming back after an explosive play and it's bringing those guys back up and saying, 'Hey, let's get this stuff together,' and approach it that way. That's what makes a difference. Guys are more into it and into being successful, holding it upon themselves when they're on the field on Saturdays."
Which is what, despite different offensive and defensive systems, Goolsby said fans should look forward to seeing more than anything this Saturday and throughout the season.
"Being able to have a team that has been very bought in over this offseason…they've taken ownership in the program," Goolsby said. "Coach Klieman always talks about that, so you're going to see a highly-energized team, guys who are playing with a lot more swagger and really ready to go out there and make a statement."
The tone was set on Chris Klieman's first day as K-State football's head coach last December. In a team meeting, players filled with nervousness, curiosity and skepticism all took hold of Klieman's first message.
"He was, like, 'Look, this is your team,'" defensive back Walter Neil Jr. recalled.
In that moment, ownership of the team was handed over to the players.
Since then, Klieman's actively sought input from his team on everything from practice music to meeting times to the team's entrance into Bill Snyder Family Stadium on home games, the first of which will be against Nicholls on Saturday at 6 p.m.
"Something big Coach Klieman's tried to bring to the program has been giving ownership back to the players, a voice back to the players," redshirt senior receiver Dalton Schoen said." It's pretty powerful to see him do that, too."
Schoen recalled being taken back this summer at one particular moment.
Schoen said he and senior center Adam Holtorf needed to talk to Klieman about something "not that important." When the pair got to the fourth floor of the Vanier Family Football Complex, Klieman was in a defensive staff meeting. Still, they were told to go pull him out. He wouldn't mind.
"That was mind blowing for me," Schoen said. "That's just kind of the system they want to run."
With this shift also came stipulations. Players needed to prove they could handle the ownership, through their actions on the field, in the weight room, in the classroom and in the community. They needed to keep each other in check and not let mistakes become habits that only coaches corrected.
"His big thing is it's our program. It's on us. We have to hold our teammates accountable. It's our responsibility to help run the program," Schoen said. "That's been huge because it's given us a little more freedom, but it also inspires players to play a little bit harder because you're, like, 'This is my program. He's just here to guide me.' That's been really big, but along with that comes a lot of responsibility and accountability. It's helped us step up as leaders, helped us grow."
Proof of that? Last week, seven team captains were named: quarterback Skylar Thompson, defensive tackle Trey Dishon, safety Denzel Goolsby, defensive end Reggie Walker, defensive end Wyatt Hubert, Schoen and Holtorf.
"There's so much leadership," Goolsby said. "The freshman class that came in, there are leaders in that group. There are leaders in every single position group, so it's not just the captains. There are seven, and that speaks volumes about the team, but it also shows there are is just a lot leadership throughout the whole team."
One explanation as to why is the ownership factor.
"When it's talked about like it is with this staff," Dishon said, "it actually makes people buy in more."
"It means a lot to everybody," Hubert added. "I think it helps motivate guys because they have a say, they have a stake in what's going on. There are a lot of guys who are more invested than, maybe, in the past just because they have a sense of, 'It's ours.'"
On the field, Dishon said this change has clearly translated already. Players are holding each other more accountable and picking each other up. On Saturdays, he expects it to be a difference maker.
"When you're on the field, you don't have coaches. Everybody's on the sideline," he said. "So, play by play, in between plays, it's coming back after an explosive play and it's bringing those guys back up and saying, 'Hey, let's get this stuff together,' and approach it that way. That's what makes a difference. Guys are more into it and into being successful, holding it upon themselves when they're on the field on Saturdays."
Which is what, despite different offensive and defensive systems, Goolsby said fans should look forward to seeing more than anything this Saturday and throughout the season.
"Being able to have a team that has been very bought in over this offseason…they've taken ownership in the program," Goolsby said. "Coach Klieman always talks about that, so you're going to see a highly-energized team, guys who are playing with a lot more swagger and really ready to go out there and make a statement."
Players Mentioned
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