SE: Rise to the Occasion - Klieman Breaks Down Position Battles at Fall Camp
Aug 11, 2021 | Football, Sports Extra
By: Austin Siegel
1. It's been a minute since K-State Football hosted a press conference at the Vanier Family Football Complex.
The last one was back on Signing Day in February 2020 - Deuce Vaughn was still a senior at Cedar Ridge High School in Texas who had just signed with the 'Cats.
Then COVID-19 happened and Zoom calls became currency around college football.
But five practices into fall camp, and the day before K-State will go in full pads for the first time, Chris Klieman spoke to reporters about the start of the preseason in Manhattan.
2. "Kansas State is still going to play football, and we're still going to play Power 5 football."
That might be the most important quote from Klieman on the future of the Big 12. It echoes comments by K-State Director of Athletics Gene Taylor in a radio interview earlier this week.
But the main focus for Klieman on Tuesday was the 2021 season less than a month away.
"Trying to get our guys ready to go in the fall has been more of my main emphasis right now," he said. "But we've got great tradition here, a tradition of excellence, of top-25, top-15, sometimes top-10 teams. I think we've got a great brand."
3. Getting healthy is a priority for every college football team in the offseason, and Skylar Thompson, returning from a season-ending injury in 2020, headlines the Wildcats on the mend.
His ability to bounce back will be huge for K-State under center, but don't look past Chabastin Taylor's impact. The wide receiver had surgery after an injury in the season finale and returned to practice for the Wildcats on Tuesday.
"He's making great progress," Klieman said. "We'll start to add more reps to his plate over the next couple of weeks and see how he responds."
Taylor was the team's leading wide receiver in his first season as a full-time starter and getting him back to 100 percent would be a huge boost for the K-State passing game.
4. With Taylor cleared to practice, the Wildcats have an established trio of returning talent at wide receiver.
Klieman said that Malik Knowles and Phillip Brooks have taken the lion's share of the reps at receiver in fall camp. Look for a healthy Taylor to factor into that group.
"That's to be expected, the returning guys," Klieman said. "There's a lot of good young players that are coming up, Ty Bowman and Jaelon Travis, so we have great competition there. We have more depth there which is a positive. So, we'll see how it plays out over camp."
5. Any conversation about offensive weapons on the Wildcats has to include Vaughn.
He's listed as a running back, but that's already proven to be a formality.
"It could be a kick returner. It could be a punt return. It's going to be some balls out of the backfield. It's going to be some jet sweeps," Klieman said. "We have to find creative ways to move him around."
Vaughn, the 2020 Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year, is K-State's returning leader in rushing and receiving yards, with 145 yards on kickoff returns, third-best on the Wildcats.
6. There was a recurring theme throughout Tuesday's press conference.
Ask about a guy like Vaughn and Klieman was just as likely to name drop three or four other players who have impressed in camp. There's a reason for that.
"The only way we're going to be able to give it to Deuce [15-25] times is by other people making big plays," Klieman said. "Jacardia Wright is much better right now. Joe Ervin is much better right now. Clyde Price is much better right now. That helps Deuce Vaughn."
7. Same story at wide receiver, where players like Keenan Garber, Seth Porter, Kade Warner and Eric Hommel were mentioned alongside the team's returning contributors.
"We're better because we have more bodies. We're better because when you go out there and watch those guys in the last three weeks of July, summer conditioning, we look bigger, we look stronger, we look more athletic," Klieman said. "There's more guys at all those positions."
8. The Wildcats have big shoes to fill along the defensive front after Drew Wiley graduated and Wyatt Hubert was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals. The transfer portal offered some exciting possibilities.
"It's hard to replace what Drew has meant to the program, but Timmy Horne has done a nice job of that," Klieman said. "We have depth there. I don't know if we have the person that's going to make those splash plays like Wyatt did, but we're going to play a lot of guys."
9. The flip side is the offensive line, a position where the Wildcats didn't return a single start from 2020. This season, they bring back everyone, including a fifth-year senior in Noah Johnson.
"We're much, much better and have much more depth and a lot more versatility," Klieman said. "We're putting a little bit more stress on guys like Cooper Beebe and KT Leveston who are good enough to be in the top five that they have to swing and play both guard and tackle."
10. There was definitely a rhythm to Tuesday's press conference, as Klieman broke down the roster as it stands five practices into fall camp, with a focus on some under-the-radar names.
But this isn't an NFL offseason with summer minicamp, OTAs, training camp and a preseason.
The Wildcats have hosted two open practices since the 2020 season ended – the next time they step on the field in front of anyone but the coaching staff will be at AT&T Stadium against Stanford.
That's when the most important questions will start to get asked. And hopefully, answered.
"How are we going to respond when adversity strikes?" Klieman said. "We have really good leaders on this team. So, the leadership has to rise to the occasion to find out what kind of football team we are."
1. It's been a minute since K-State Football hosted a press conference at the Vanier Family Football Complex.
The last one was back on Signing Day in February 2020 - Deuce Vaughn was still a senior at Cedar Ridge High School in Texas who had just signed with the 'Cats.
Then COVID-19 happened and Zoom calls became currency around college football.
But five practices into fall camp, and the day before K-State will go in full pads for the first time, Chris Klieman spoke to reporters about the start of the preseason in Manhattan.
2. "Kansas State is still going to play football, and we're still going to play Power 5 football."
That might be the most important quote from Klieman on the future of the Big 12. It echoes comments by K-State Director of Athletics Gene Taylor in a radio interview earlier this week.
But the main focus for Klieman on Tuesday was the 2021 season less than a month away.
"Trying to get our guys ready to go in the fall has been more of my main emphasis right now," he said. "But we've got great tradition here, a tradition of excellence, of top-25, top-15, sometimes top-10 teams. I think we've got a great brand."
Dominate the details#KStateFB ⚒ Fall Camp '21 pic.twitter.com/GIINAvWppd
— K-State Football (@KStateFB) August 10, 2021
3. Getting healthy is a priority for every college football team in the offseason, and Skylar Thompson, returning from a season-ending injury in 2020, headlines the Wildcats on the mend.
His ability to bounce back will be huge for K-State under center, but don't look past Chabastin Taylor's impact. The wide receiver had surgery after an injury in the season finale and returned to practice for the Wildcats on Tuesday.
"He's making great progress," Klieman said. "We'll start to add more reps to his plate over the next couple of weeks and see how he responds."
Taylor was the team's leading wide receiver in his first season as a full-time starter and getting him back to 100 percent would be a huge boost for the K-State passing game.
4. With Taylor cleared to practice, the Wildcats have an established trio of returning talent at wide receiver.
Klieman said that Malik Knowles and Phillip Brooks have taken the lion's share of the reps at receiver in fall camp. Look for a healthy Taylor to factor into that group.
"That's to be expected, the returning guys," Klieman said. "There's a lot of good young players that are coming up, Ty Bowman and Jaelon Travis, so we have great competition there. We have more depth there which is a positive. So, we'll see how it plays out over camp."
5. Any conversation about offensive weapons on the Wildcats has to include Vaughn.
He's listed as a running back, but that's already proven to be a formality.
"It could be a kick returner. It could be a punt return. It's going to be some balls out of the backfield. It's going to be some jet sweeps," Klieman said. "We have to find creative ways to move him around."
Vaughn, the 2020 Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year, is K-State's returning leader in rushing and receiving yards, with 145 yards on kickoff returns, third-best on the Wildcats.
6. There was a recurring theme throughout Tuesday's press conference.
Ask about a guy like Vaughn and Klieman was just as likely to name drop three or four other players who have impressed in camp. There's a reason for that.
"The only way we're going to be able to give it to Deuce [15-25] times is by other people making big plays," Klieman said. "Jacardia Wright is much better right now. Joe Ervin is much better right now. Clyde Price is much better right now. That helps Deuce Vaughn."
7. Same story at wide receiver, where players like Keenan Garber, Seth Porter, Kade Warner and Eric Hommel were mentioned alongside the team's returning contributors.
"We're better because we have more bodies. We're better because when you go out there and watch those guys in the last three weeks of July, summer conditioning, we look bigger, we look stronger, we look more athletic," Klieman said. "There's more guys at all those positions."
8. The Wildcats have big shoes to fill along the defensive front after Drew Wiley graduated and Wyatt Hubert was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals. The transfer portal offered some exciting possibilities.
"It's hard to replace what Drew has meant to the program, but Timmy Horne has done a nice job of that," Klieman said. "We have depth there. I don't know if we have the person that's going to make those splash plays like Wyatt did, but we're going to play a lot of guys."
How y'all feel?
— K-State Football (@KStateFB) August 9, 2021
Fired up#KStateFB ⚒ Fall Camp '21 pic.twitter.com/4crKs5IPWd
9. The flip side is the offensive line, a position where the Wildcats didn't return a single start from 2020. This season, they bring back everyone, including a fifth-year senior in Noah Johnson.
"We're much, much better and have much more depth and a lot more versatility," Klieman said. "We're putting a little bit more stress on guys like Cooper Beebe and KT Leveston who are good enough to be in the top five that they have to swing and play both guard and tackle."
10. There was definitely a rhythm to Tuesday's press conference, as Klieman broke down the roster as it stands five practices into fall camp, with a focus on some under-the-radar names.
But this isn't an NFL offseason with summer minicamp, OTAs, training camp and a preseason.
The Wildcats have hosted two open practices since the 2020 season ended – the next time they step on the field in front of anyone but the coaching staff will be at AT&T Stadium against Stanford.
That's when the most important questions will start to get asked. And hopefully, answered.
"How are we going to respond when adversity strikes?" Klieman said. "We have really good leaders on this team. So, the leadership has to rise to the occasion to find out what kind of football team we are."
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