SE: How Defensive Reinforcements Are Shaping K-State Football
Aug 20, 2021 | Football, Sports Extra
By: Austin Siegel
The press conference was over, but Timmy Horne had a few more questions.
A few minutes after teammates named Horne a vocal leader on this K-State defense, the Charlotte transfer decided to prove it, quizzing the media on a little bit of everything.
"Favorite cereals?"
"Top three Avengers?"
"Favorite movies?"
K-State fans looking to find out what Horne can bring to the front seven will have to wait until the Stanford game - but a glimpse at the personality of a revamped and refreshed K-State defense?
Look no further than Thursday afternoon - TJ Smith, Reggie Stubblefield, Felix Anudike and Horne spoke with the media, alongside Defensive Coordinator Joe Klanderman.
That's two transfers, a redshirt freshman and a sophomore. Very different players on paper, but a nice cross section of where the Wildcats will be looking for contributions on defense in 2021.
"We're still young, and we're going to be young this year. It's what it is, but I think we're going to have more guys that you're going to see on the field," Klanderman said. "We're going to be deeper at every position."
Plenty of that depth will be coming from in-house reinforcements.
Anudike was the talk of fall camp in 2020 as a true freshman, but with the NFL-bound Wyatt Hubert and All-Big 12 Drew Wiley holding things down on the defensive front, he mainly saw time in a reserve role.
He looks to be a factor this fall, after focusing on one thing away from the field.
"During quarantine I was 215 (pounds). Then, the whole quarantine, all I did was lift. I didn't really run that much…Then, from there, I just kept on gaining weight. Now I'm 255," Anudike said. "255 (pounds) is the perfect weight for me. I feel good moving."
Smith was another Wildcat who spent most of 2020 out of the spotlight. He suffered a season-ending lower body injury in October after appearing in each of K-State's first four games as a true freshman.
"A long six, seven, eight months. It was a long process. I had to take the test three times to get cleared. It was kind of frustrating, but I was happy to just get the whole process over with and get back out here playing football again," Smith said. "I'll never take football for granted."
Early returns on the player Assistant Head Coach Van Malone dubbed "the Wasp" are promising.
Klanderman said nothing in Smith's game seems like a player recovering from a season-ending injury. The safety isn't even wearing a brace through fall camp.
Among the newcomers, Horne and Stubblefield - who transferred to K-State from Prairie View A&M - have impressed through the first two weeks of preseason. Klanderman said Stubblefield is seeing time at nickelback, after playing his way into the conversation at the position.
"It wasn't that way the first three days, but he has played at a level where I think he's going to deserve a spot on the field somewhere," Klanderman said.
Stubblefield and Prairie View A&M were limited to just three games in the spring due to COVID-19, but the senior was a regular starter for the Panthers and an absolute force on special teams.
He blocked three kicks in his career at the FCS level.
"More plays, more schemes, more packages, but there hasn't been too much more of an adjustment. I always prided myself on being a football player, being smart, physical, taking care of my body," Stubblefield said. "So, it hasn't been too much."
And when it comes to a front seven that Klanderman believes will be "as salty as we've ever been," Horne has established himself as a physical presence up front.
"Every day is a grind with Noah (Johnson), Ben (Adler) and Josh (Rivas). Every day with them is a grind, especially Noah because we talk about it after practice all the time how much better we are getting with each other," he said. "Camp has helped mold me into a better pass rusher."
With two weeks before the Wildcats head to Dallas, the team's defensive newcomers and returning talent are treating each practice as an opportunity to get better.
The "Win the Dang Day" mentality isn't wilting in the summer heat.
"You want to go attack how you want your end goal to be. It's a mindset, day by day," Horne said. "You have to care about the process and care about each day."
The press conference was over, but Timmy Horne had a few more questions.
A few minutes after teammates named Horne a vocal leader on this K-State defense, the Charlotte transfer decided to prove it, quizzing the media on a little bit of everything.
"Favorite cereals?"
"Top three Avengers?"
"Favorite movies?"
.@timothyhorne1 flippin' the script 🎙#KStateFB ⚒ Fall Camp '21 pic.twitter.com/VLuE1Chmf4
— K-State Football (@KStateFB) August 19, 2021
K-State fans looking to find out what Horne can bring to the front seven will have to wait until the Stanford game - but a glimpse at the personality of a revamped and refreshed K-State defense?
Look no further than Thursday afternoon - TJ Smith, Reggie Stubblefield, Felix Anudike and Horne spoke with the media, alongside Defensive Coordinator Joe Klanderman.
That's two transfers, a redshirt freshman and a sophomore. Very different players on paper, but a nice cross section of where the Wildcats will be looking for contributions on defense in 2021.
"We're still young, and we're going to be young this year. It's what it is, but I think we're going to have more guys that you're going to see on the field," Klanderman said. "We're going to be deeper at every position."
Plenty of that depth will be coming from in-house reinforcements.
Anudike was the talk of fall camp in 2020 as a true freshman, but with the NFL-bound Wyatt Hubert and All-Big 12 Drew Wiley holding things down on the defensive front, he mainly saw time in a reserve role.
He looks to be a factor this fall, after focusing on one thing away from the field.
"During quarantine I was 215 (pounds). Then, the whole quarantine, all I did was lift. I didn't really run that much…Then, from there, I just kept on gaining weight. Now I'm 255," Anudike said. "255 (pounds) is the perfect weight for me. I feel good moving."
Smith was another Wildcat who spent most of 2020 out of the spotlight. He suffered a season-ending lower body injury in October after appearing in each of K-State's first four games as a true freshman.
"A long six, seven, eight months. It was a long process. I had to take the test three times to get cleared. It was kind of frustrating, but I was happy to just get the whole process over with and get back out here playing football again," Smith said. "I'll never take football for granted."
Early returns on the player Assistant Head Coach Van Malone dubbed "the Wasp" are promising.
Klanderman said nothing in Smith's game seems like a player recovering from a season-ending injury. The safety isn't even wearing a brace through fall camp.
Among the newcomers, Horne and Stubblefield - who transferred to K-State from Prairie View A&M - have impressed through the first two weeks of preseason. Klanderman said Stubblefield is seeing time at nickelback, after playing his way into the conversation at the position.
Havin' a little bit of fun#KStateFB ⚒ Fall Camp '21 pic.twitter.com/a1VyRQCTRS
— K-State Football (@KStateFB) August 20, 2021
"It wasn't that way the first three days, but he has played at a level where I think he's going to deserve a spot on the field somewhere," Klanderman said.
Stubblefield and Prairie View A&M were limited to just three games in the spring due to COVID-19, but the senior was a regular starter for the Panthers and an absolute force on special teams.
He blocked three kicks in his career at the FCS level.
"More plays, more schemes, more packages, but there hasn't been too much more of an adjustment. I always prided myself on being a football player, being smart, physical, taking care of my body," Stubblefield said. "So, it hasn't been too much."
And when it comes to a front seven that Klanderman believes will be "as salty as we've ever been," Horne has established himself as a physical presence up front.
"Every day is a grind with Noah (Johnson), Ben (Adler) and Josh (Rivas). Every day with them is a grind, especially Noah because we talk about it after practice all the time how much better we are getting with each other," he said. "Camp has helped mold me into a better pass rusher."
With two weeks before the Wildcats head to Dallas, the team's defensive newcomers and returning talent are treating each practice as an opportunity to get better.
The "Win the Dang Day" mentality isn't wilting in the summer heat.
"You want to go attack how you want your end goal to be. It's a mindset, day by day," Horne said. "You have to care about the process and care about each day."
Players Mentioned
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