Coaches Eye Big Bounceback Season from Khalid Duke
Apr 07, 2022 | Football, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
The countdown continues as Kansas State prepares for life with a healthy Khalid Duke. The 6-foot-4, 240-pound hybrid linebacker/defensive end suffered a season-ending injury to his left knee against Nevada last September, causing him to redshirt his junior season, and dealing a tough blow to a special talent that head coach Chris Klieman called "one of the best pass rushers we have in the Big 12."
Duke, who had surgery following the injury, has been held out of contact drills in spring practice. It wasn't until this Wednesday that he wore pads for the first time for limited drill work. He likely won't have an opportunity to hit somebody on the field until fall camp — some 10 months after he landed awkwardly in the second quarter of a 38-10 win over Nevada and was unable to put any pressure on his left foot.
The good news?
"I honestly think that when that guy does get back on the field, we're going to see some special things brewing," K-State assistant head coach and cornerbacks coach Van Malone said.
It's been quite a journey for Duke, a native of Atlanta, Georgia, who was a first team all-state linebacker out of Riverside (Ga.) Military Academy after recording 142 tackles and 17 tackles for loss his senior season.
As a freshman, Duke showed his potential early — and that was while taking the field at 6-foot-3 and 216 pounds, or nearly 30 pounds lighter than his listed weight today. He demonstrated his capacity to affect the game while collecting his first-career sack in the fourth quarter at Kansas. With Kansas facing second-and-25 in K-State territory, Duke took down quarterback Carter Stanley in a matter of a few moves — spinning around left tackle Hakeem Adeniji, then swimming around left guard Jacobi Lott and senior center Andru Tovi before sending Stanley onto his back.
"He was young when he was playing defensive end a couple years ago and showed the ability to make plays," K-State defensive ends coach Buddy Wyatt said. "He's a very dynamic pass rusher and a very explosive young man."
Duke had 26 tackles, including 3.0 tackles for loss and one sack while playing in nine games with eight starts as a sophomore in 2020. That included a career-high nine tackles in his first-career start at Oklahoma. He also had two tackles for loss and one sack against West Virginia.
He recorded a sack in each of his first two games against Stanford and Southern Illinois last season.
Then disaster struck.
Wyatt still grimaces when recalling Duke's gruesome season-ending injury against Nevada at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
"You don't want to see any of our guys get hurt, but especially a young man who's very productive and shows that he can make plays," Wyatt said. "You just hate to lose that kind of guy. Knowing Khalid and how he's responded to the injury was a question mark for us. We've had to ride him a little bit to push himself in that rehab part of it.
"It was tough because we felt like we lost probably our best pass rusher at the time. Then guys like Felix Anudike-Uzomah and Nate Matlack stepped up."
Duke's absence forced the defense to abandon certain scripted plays that would've allowed him to fully showcase his unique skillset — something that Klieman mentioned more than once during the season.
"We had to go a different direction when he got hurt," Wyatt said. "When he comes back, hopefully we can progress with that scheme."
Unlike previous seasons, Duke currently is not in the defensive end meeting room. He is instead with linebackers coach Steve Stanard in an effort to master both the defensive end and linebacker positions.
"Initially, being out in space as a linebacker, well, he liked being closer to the ball," Stanard said. "The things we're doing at that position, he realizes he's going to be closer to the ball. He might just start out (behind the line) and blitz and can be a stand-up guy. As long as he can rush the passer, he's happy.
"The thing with Duke is you could easily move him back to defensive end. It'll depend on how his knee progresses and on his weight. When you have a knee (injury), it's difficult to put on defensive end weight because you can't squat. He's unable to do that quite yet."
K-State defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman said, "He's one of those guys where we're not sure positionally where he's going to land, but he's one of our best 11 players and you're going to see him somewhere.
"He's incredible," Klanderman added. "He just has a real good natural feel. He has tremendous length, quickness, and ability, and we'll see how that looks when he gets healthy. When he's at full speed, he has the athleticism of a linebacker and the strength of an interior defensive lineman, and he's a guy who can play on the inside or off the edge, and he's intelligent and works hard at it.
"When you're that versatile you're a big deal."
With his blend of athleticism and talent, Duke's importance and impact cannot be overstated. He'll be a major storyline heading into fall camp and beyond.
Getting a healthy Duke back will be a big deal next fall.
The countdown continues as Kansas State prepares for life with a healthy Khalid Duke. The 6-foot-4, 240-pound hybrid linebacker/defensive end suffered a season-ending injury to his left knee against Nevada last September, causing him to redshirt his junior season, and dealing a tough blow to a special talent that head coach Chris Klieman called "one of the best pass rushers we have in the Big 12."
Duke, who had surgery following the injury, has been held out of contact drills in spring practice. It wasn't until this Wednesday that he wore pads for the first time for limited drill work. He likely won't have an opportunity to hit somebody on the field until fall camp — some 10 months after he landed awkwardly in the second quarter of a 38-10 win over Nevada and was unable to put any pressure on his left foot.
The good news?
"I honestly think that when that guy does get back on the field, we're going to see some special things brewing," K-State assistant head coach and cornerbacks coach Van Malone said.
It's been quite a journey for Duke, a native of Atlanta, Georgia, who was a first team all-state linebacker out of Riverside (Ga.) Military Academy after recording 142 tackles and 17 tackles for loss his senior season.
As a freshman, Duke showed his potential early — and that was while taking the field at 6-foot-3 and 216 pounds, or nearly 30 pounds lighter than his listed weight today. He demonstrated his capacity to affect the game while collecting his first-career sack in the fourth quarter at Kansas. With Kansas facing second-and-25 in K-State territory, Duke took down quarterback Carter Stanley in a matter of a few moves — spinning around left tackle Hakeem Adeniji, then swimming around left guard Jacobi Lott and senior center Andru Tovi before sending Stanley onto his back.
"He was young when he was playing defensive end a couple years ago and showed the ability to make plays," K-State defensive ends coach Buddy Wyatt said. "He's a very dynamic pass rusher and a very explosive young man."
Duke had 26 tackles, including 3.0 tackles for loss and one sack while playing in nine games with eight starts as a sophomore in 2020. That included a career-high nine tackles in his first-career start at Oklahoma. He also had two tackles for loss and one sack against West Virginia.
He recorded a sack in each of his first two games against Stanford and Southern Illinois last season.
Then disaster struck.
Wyatt still grimaces when recalling Duke's gruesome season-ending injury against Nevada at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
"You don't want to see any of our guys get hurt, but especially a young man who's very productive and shows that he can make plays," Wyatt said. "You just hate to lose that kind of guy. Knowing Khalid and how he's responded to the injury was a question mark for us. We've had to ride him a little bit to push himself in that rehab part of it.
"It was tough because we felt like we lost probably our best pass rusher at the time. Then guys like Felix Anudike-Uzomah and Nate Matlack stepped up."
Duke's absence forced the defense to abandon certain scripted plays that would've allowed him to fully showcase his unique skillset — something that Klieman mentioned more than once during the season.
"We had to go a different direction when he got hurt," Wyatt said. "When he comes back, hopefully we can progress with that scheme."
Unlike previous seasons, Duke currently is not in the defensive end meeting room. He is instead with linebackers coach Steve Stanard in an effort to master both the defensive end and linebacker positions.
"Initially, being out in space as a linebacker, well, he liked being closer to the ball," Stanard said. "The things we're doing at that position, he realizes he's going to be closer to the ball. He might just start out (behind the line) and blitz and can be a stand-up guy. As long as he can rush the passer, he's happy.
"The thing with Duke is you could easily move him back to defensive end. It'll depend on how his knee progresses and on his weight. When you have a knee (injury), it's difficult to put on defensive end weight because you can't squat. He's unable to do that quite yet."
K-State defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman said, "He's one of those guys where we're not sure positionally where he's going to land, but he's one of our best 11 players and you're going to see him somewhere.
"He's incredible," Klanderman added. "He just has a real good natural feel. He has tremendous length, quickness, and ability, and we'll see how that looks when he gets healthy. When he's at full speed, he has the athleticism of a linebacker and the strength of an interior defensive lineman, and he's a guy who can play on the inside or off the edge, and he's intelligent and works hard at it.
"When you're that versatile you're a big deal."
With his blend of athleticism and talent, Duke's importance and impact cannot be overstated. He'll be a major storyline heading into fall camp and beyond.
Getting a healthy Duke back will be a big deal next fall.
Players Mentioned
K-State Athletics | Gene Taylor Press Conference - February 15, 2026
Monday, February 16
K-State Men's Basketball | Postgame Press Conference at Houston
Sunday, February 15
K-State Football | Stanton Weber Press Conference - Feb. 12, 2026
Thursday, February 12
K-State Football | Thad Ward Press Conference - Feb. 12, 2026
Thursday, February 12
