A Veteran Offensive Group
Aug 10, 2023 | Football, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
As Kansas State continues to roll along with preseason camp, offensive assistant coaches remain optimistic about a group that comes off one of its best all-around years offensively in school history. The Wildcats' attack starts with senior quarterback Will Howard and the entire returning starting offensive line, but the Wildcats' other potential strengths become apparent at running back, tight end and at wide receiver as well.
Here are a few things that offensive coaches shared with the media after practice No. 7 in the Shamrock Indoor Practice Facility on Tuesday:
Lepak has developed a partner-like relationship with All-Big 12 tight end Sinnott
Second-year tight end coach Brian Lepak grins when talking about senior tight ends Ben Sinnott. And why not? After a breakout 2022 season, Sinnott carries the capacity to be among the best tight ends in the nation this fall. The 6-foot-4, 245-pound junior and a member of the initial watch list for the John Mackey Award, Sinnott a year ago averaged 14.4 yards per catch to rank fourth nationally and first in the Big 12 among tight ends, while his 447 receiving yards ranked sixth in K-State history and his 31 receptions tied for eighth.
"It's kind of a partnership in which you ask him for input on the things that he likes or things you think he can do and you get to craft some things to him," Lepak says. "It's pretty awesome. It's probably similar to the relationship that guys in the NFL have with professional athletes in that they're a little bit more partners as opposed to you-do-what-I-tell-you."
Sinnott comes off a season in which he recorded the most receptions and receiving yards by a tight end since Jeron Mastrud in 2008. Sinnott blew up with a seven-catch, 89-yard, two-touchdown performance at Baylor. It marked the first time since Jarett Grosdidier in 1996 that a tight end had multiple touchdowns in a single game. One week later, he had three catches for 85 yards at West Virginia. After posting two catches for 32 yards and one touchdown against No. 3 TCU in the Big 12 Championship Game, Sinnott had three catches for 48 yards against No. 5 Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, providing several highlight plays and making acrobatic catches throughout the second half of the season.
"He (caught passes) a lot in practice, and he made all those plays and came on at the end of the year, particularly in the Baylor game," Lepak says. "He made those catches in practice over and over again. Those opportunities showed up late in the year, and his confidence really took off at that point."
Although defenses will key on Sinnott this fall, there's still more in the arsenal for the native of Waterloo, Iowa.
"He still is just one player. We have a whole team and they're going to have to defend guys like Will Howard and DJ Giddens and Keagan Johnson and Phillip Brooks," Lepak says. "He's still going to have his opportunities.
"It's not like you can stop Ben Sinnott and you're going to stop the Cats."
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Anderson seeks further growth from Giddens after an impressive freshman season
Treshaun Ward is on the initial watch list for the Doak Walker Award, and the 5-foot-10, 194-pound senior transfer from Florida State brings 1,241 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns to the Wildcats after four seasons with the Seminoles. Intrigue surrounds exactly what Ward can do in a K-State uniform.
Running backs coach Brian Anderson knows exactly what he'll get from sophomore DJ Giddens, though: An impact player.
"I knew as a freshman when he first got here — no one could tackle him," Anderson says. "He had great contact balance but his football maturity wasn't ready yet and it wasn't ready early in the year. As he took it day by day and learned how Deuce Vaughn did things in practice, you saw his maturity get better and better and better.
"The sky's the limit for the kid."
Giddens, a 6-foot-1, 212-pound Junction City native, saw action in every game and finished third on the team with 518 rushing yards and six touchdowns to earn votes from the league's coaches for the Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year award. His rushing total marked the third most in school history by a freshman. That included a 13-carry, 58-yard, one-touchdown effort at Baylor followed by another impressive performance in which he had 12 carries for 78 yards against West Virginia. He showed burst when he broke off a 49-yard run against the Mountaineers.
"He's still growing as a football player," Anderson says, "and I'm excited to see him get going this season."
K-State figures to utilize some two-back sets this fall, featuring both Ward and Giddens, which could emerge as a dangerous combination behind a veteran offensive line.
"I see us using more two tailbacks more like we did our first couple years here," Anderson says. "They have a tremendous skillset as far as lead blocker, they're both bigger backs, so we can do more things with them."
As for the next step for Giddens?
"Leadership," Anderson says. "That's a big part of it. Deuce was not a loud guy, but he did such a great job by example in talking to guys on the sideline during practice or in meeting rooms, and those are things that set him apart. He wasn't going to be the rah-rah guy but always had a smile on his face. That's what I want out of DJ. I want him to try and step up his leadership. That hasn't been him, so it's a challenge for me to get him into that direction and help him grow in that."
Another running back to keep an eye on? Anthony Frias II. The 5-foot-10, 212-pound sophomore out of Turlock, California, saw time in one game and preserved his redshirt season in 2022 after arriving in Manhattan following a standout freshman season at Modesto (Calif.) Junior College.
"Anthony Frias is doing a really good job," Anderson says. "He ended the spring on a really high note and came back in the fall and really worked his butt off in the spring, so he's trending in the right direction. He's trying to gain a role for himself on this team and he's doing a really good job of that.
"He's doing a really good job in protection, and he does a really good job as a lead blocker on some outside run plays. He does a really good job catching the ball. He's gotten a lot better at running routes. I see him trending in the right direction every single day."
Panzer remains one of the most versatile threats along the offensive line
Although Hadley Panzer started in 13 games at right guard alongside right tackle Christian Duffie, center Hayden Gillum, All-American left guard Cooper Beebe and left tackle KT Leveston, there could be even more in store for the 6-foot-4, 303-pound junior this fall.
"Hadley is such a versatile offensive lineman and such a dominant offensive lineman," offensive line coach Conor Riley says. "He can play right guard, center and left guard."
Meanwhile, for the second time in as many days, K-State coaches lauded the efforts of junior Carver Willis. K-State head coach Chris Klieman during his initial preseason camp news conference on Tuesday said that the 6-foot-5, 291-pound Willis had "really developed," and Riley echoes that notion, as Willis has worked at right tackle in place of injured Duffie, who is expected to return early in the season.
"Right now, Carver Willis has stepped up," Riley says. "I've been very, very pleased with Carver. The depth within our offensive line, obviously, when you return six or seven guys who've had starting experience, is something that helps you sleep at night most definitely, but more importantly it really increases a lot of the competition within our group."
One potential offensive lineman to keep an eye on this season: Michael Capria, a redshirt freshman from Kansas City, Missouri. The 6-foot-2, 295-pound walk-on has done enough to raise Riley's eye brows as potential backup at center alongside Sam Hecht.
"We have a walk-on who might be the strongest kid in the group, Michael Capria, who's out of Liberty North in Kansas City, and the way he competes and battles has been very impressive," Riley says. "In fact, I've gotten him a lot of reps with the twos recently because he deserves it."
Loyd is continuing to progress at wide receiver
Wide receiver positions appear somewhat muddled — for now. First-year wide receivers coach Matthew Middleton says that he hasn't formulated a depth chart because "we want to see what everyone can do."
"In the middle of camp, I don't think you can put together a depth chart because you're still working to develop young players to see what they have," Middleton says. "You've just gotten through install and now you can settle in, and they can conceptually see what we're doing and how they can play faster."
K-State lost Malik Knowles and Kade Warner, two primary starters, after the 2022 season.
The Wildcats brought in sophomore transfer Keagan Johnson from Iowa and brought back sixth-year senior Phillip Brooks and sophomore RJ Garcia II. One name to watch is a player who didn't catch a pass last season: sophomore Xavier Loyd.
"He's taken advantage of every opportunity he's been given, and he's working hard every single day when he does have an opportunity," Middleton says.
Loyd is a 6-foot-2, 191-pound native of Blue Springs, Missouri, who saw time in a reserve role against Missouri and Texas last season. As a senior at Blue Springs High School, Loyd had 40 catches for 556 yards and nine touchdowns to earn all-conference honors.
"He has taken strides from when I was with him in the spring," Middleton says. "Throughout summer conditioning he's put in the work and has trusted himself. He has more confidence and it's showing as he's competing at a high level in camp."
As Kansas State continues to roll along with preseason camp, offensive assistant coaches remain optimistic about a group that comes off one of its best all-around years offensively in school history. The Wildcats' attack starts with senior quarterback Will Howard and the entire returning starting offensive line, but the Wildcats' other potential strengths become apparent at running back, tight end and at wide receiver as well.
Here are a few things that offensive coaches shared with the media after practice No. 7 in the Shamrock Indoor Practice Facility on Tuesday:
Lepak has developed a partner-like relationship with All-Big 12 tight end Sinnott
Second-year tight end coach Brian Lepak grins when talking about senior tight ends Ben Sinnott. And why not? After a breakout 2022 season, Sinnott carries the capacity to be among the best tight ends in the nation this fall. The 6-foot-4, 245-pound junior and a member of the initial watch list for the John Mackey Award, Sinnott a year ago averaged 14.4 yards per catch to rank fourth nationally and first in the Big 12 among tight ends, while his 447 receiving yards ranked sixth in K-State history and his 31 receptions tied for eighth.
"It's kind of a partnership in which you ask him for input on the things that he likes or things you think he can do and you get to craft some things to him," Lepak says. "It's pretty awesome. It's probably similar to the relationship that guys in the NFL have with professional athletes in that they're a little bit more partners as opposed to you-do-what-I-tell-you."
Sinnott comes off a season in which he recorded the most receptions and receiving yards by a tight end since Jeron Mastrud in 2008. Sinnott blew up with a seven-catch, 89-yard, two-touchdown performance at Baylor. It marked the first time since Jarett Grosdidier in 1996 that a tight end had multiple touchdowns in a single game. One week later, he had three catches for 85 yards at West Virginia. After posting two catches for 32 yards and one touchdown against No. 3 TCU in the Big 12 Championship Game, Sinnott had three catches for 48 yards against No. 5 Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, providing several highlight plays and making acrobatic catches throughout the second half of the season.
"He (caught passes) a lot in practice, and he made all those plays and came on at the end of the year, particularly in the Baylor game," Lepak says. "He made those catches in practice over and over again. Those opportunities showed up late in the year, and his confidence really took off at that point."
Although defenses will key on Sinnott this fall, there's still more in the arsenal for the native of Waterloo, Iowa.
"He still is just one player. We have a whole team and they're going to have to defend guys like Will Howard and DJ Giddens and Keagan Johnson and Phillip Brooks," Lepak says. "He's still going to have his opportunities.
"It's not like you can stop Ben Sinnott and you're going to stop the Cats."
Anderson seeks further growth from Giddens after an impressive freshman season
Treshaun Ward is on the initial watch list for the Doak Walker Award, and the 5-foot-10, 194-pound senior transfer from Florida State brings 1,241 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns to the Wildcats after four seasons with the Seminoles. Intrigue surrounds exactly what Ward can do in a K-State uniform.
Running backs coach Brian Anderson knows exactly what he'll get from sophomore DJ Giddens, though: An impact player.
"I knew as a freshman when he first got here — no one could tackle him," Anderson says. "He had great contact balance but his football maturity wasn't ready yet and it wasn't ready early in the year. As he took it day by day and learned how Deuce Vaughn did things in practice, you saw his maturity get better and better and better.
"The sky's the limit for the kid."
Giddens, a 6-foot-1, 212-pound Junction City native, saw action in every game and finished third on the team with 518 rushing yards and six touchdowns to earn votes from the league's coaches for the Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year award. His rushing total marked the third most in school history by a freshman. That included a 13-carry, 58-yard, one-touchdown effort at Baylor followed by another impressive performance in which he had 12 carries for 78 yards against West Virginia. He showed burst when he broke off a 49-yard run against the Mountaineers.
"He's still growing as a football player," Anderson says, "and I'm excited to see him get going this season."
K-State figures to utilize some two-back sets this fall, featuring both Ward and Giddens, which could emerge as a dangerous combination behind a veteran offensive line.
"I see us using more two tailbacks more like we did our first couple years here," Anderson says. "They have a tremendous skillset as far as lead blocker, they're both bigger backs, so we can do more things with them."
As for the next step for Giddens?
"Leadership," Anderson says. "That's a big part of it. Deuce was not a loud guy, but he did such a great job by example in talking to guys on the sideline during practice or in meeting rooms, and those are things that set him apart. He wasn't going to be the rah-rah guy but always had a smile on his face. That's what I want out of DJ. I want him to try and step up his leadership. That hasn't been him, so it's a challenge for me to get him into that direction and help him grow in that."
Another running back to keep an eye on? Anthony Frias II. The 5-foot-10, 212-pound sophomore out of Turlock, California, saw time in one game and preserved his redshirt season in 2022 after arriving in Manhattan following a standout freshman season at Modesto (Calif.) Junior College.
"Anthony Frias is doing a really good job," Anderson says. "He ended the spring on a really high note and came back in the fall and really worked his butt off in the spring, so he's trending in the right direction. He's trying to gain a role for himself on this team and he's doing a really good job of that.
"He's doing a really good job in protection, and he does a really good job as a lead blocker on some outside run plays. He does a really good job catching the ball. He's gotten a lot better at running routes. I see him trending in the right direction every single day."
Panzer remains one of the most versatile threats along the offensive line
Although Hadley Panzer started in 13 games at right guard alongside right tackle Christian Duffie, center Hayden Gillum, All-American left guard Cooper Beebe and left tackle KT Leveston, there could be even more in store for the 6-foot-4, 303-pound junior this fall.
"Hadley is such a versatile offensive lineman and such a dominant offensive lineman," offensive line coach Conor Riley says. "He can play right guard, center and left guard."
Meanwhile, for the second time in as many days, K-State coaches lauded the efforts of junior Carver Willis. K-State head coach Chris Klieman during his initial preseason camp news conference on Tuesday said that the 6-foot-5, 291-pound Willis had "really developed," and Riley echoes that notion, as Willis has worked at right tackle in place of injured Duffie, who is expected to return early in the season.
"Right now, Carver Willis has stepped up," Riley says. "I've been very, very pleased with Carver. The depth within our offensive line, obviously, when you return six or seven guys who've had starting experience, is something that helps you sleep at night most definitely, but more importantly it really increases a lot of the competition within our group."
One potential offensive lineman to keep an eye on this season: Michael Capria, a redshirt freshman from Kansas City, Missouri. The 6-foot-2, 295-pound walk-on has done enough to raise Riley's eye brows as potential backup at center alongside Sam Hecht.
"We have a walk-on who might be the strongest kid in the group, Michael Capria, who's out of Liberty North in Kansas City, and the way he competes and battles has been very impressive," Riley says. "In fact, I've gotten him a lot of reps with the twos recently because he deserves it."
Loyd is continuing to progress at wide receiver
Wide receiver positions appear somewhat muddled — for now. First-year wide receivers coach Matthew Middleton says that he hasn't formulated a depth chart because "we want to see what everyone can do."
"In the middle of camp, I don't think you can put together a depth chart because you're still working to develop young players to see what they have," Middleton says. "You've just gotten through install and now you can settle in, and they can conceptually see what we're doing and how they can play faster."
K-State lost Malik Knowles and Kade Warner, two primary starters, after the 2022 season.
The Wildcats brought in sophomore transfer Keagan Johnson from Iowa and brought back sixth-year senior Phillip Brooks and sophomore RJ Garcia II. One name to watch is a player who didn't catch a pass last season: sophomore Xavier Loyd.
"He's taken advantage of every opportunity he's been given, and he's working hard every single day when he does have an opportunity," Middleton says.
Loyd is a 6-foot-2, 191-pound native of Blue Springs, Missouri, who saw time in a reserve role against Missouri and Texas last season. As a senior at Blue Springs High School, Loyd had 40 catches for 556 yards and nine touchdowns to earn all-conference honors.
"He has taken strides from when I was with him in the spring," Middleton says. "Throughout summer conditioning he's put in the work and has trusted himself. He has more confidence and it's showing as he's competing at a high level in camp."
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